Börzsöny experience package on the Diósjenő nature trail

Itinerary

• The nature trail's circular route follows the ZT sign throughout.
• The nature trail starting from the leisure park passes through the Gyíkos Spring, the Závoz saddle, the Kemence stream valley (bomb craters), the Gál meadow, the saddle between Vörös-kő and Magas-hegy, Dugohúzó and the Hadi Road, returning to the starting point.

Detailed description of the route

Departure from the forest leisure park

Opposite the park gate, an information board presents the route of the nature trail and the topics of its stations, and the ZT markings painted on trees comfortably guide you along the easily walkable circular route. Initially, we ascend gently into the foothill forest where the predominant tree species are sessile oak and beech. Besides these two main species, the shade-tolerant hornbeam is also abundant in the second canopy layer. The uniformly sloping hillside is replaced by a wavy terrain shaped by runoff precipitation. We reach the Jenői stream, then after a short wait, climb a steeper section toward the Jenői saddle, while small quarries along the path give insight into the geological past of the mountain range.

Geological curiosity

The Börzsöny is a mountain range shaped by seas and volcanoes, part of the inner volcanic arc of the Carpathians. The young mountain area (16-13 million years old) was once covered by a 150-200 meter deep sea. At its bottom, sandy-gravel sediments washed out from the surrounding drylands were deposited. Later, volcanic materials settled atop, which do not cover the visible surface evenly everywhere. Alongside the Jenői stream, you can see former seabed sediment outcrops, whose gravelly, sandy texture stands out from the predominantly andesite-based rock world of Börzsöny.

The Gyíkos Spring

Continuing on the ZT marked path, we take a short detour to the aptly named Gyíkos Spring, where especially in early spring spotted salamanders can be encountered—this amphibian then brings forth its already mobile larvae in wet habitats. Besides the salamander, the clear water spring also provides habitat for many other animals (frogs, newts) either permanently or temporarily.

Colorful forest

Below the Závoz, the serpentine winding path showcases an important color element of the forests around Diósjenő. It is about the red pine that embellishes the mixed beech forest on the hillside, with the nature trail drawing special attention to a tall specimen with its own station. Although not native, it represents unique value in Börzsöny, likely planted by forest managers in the 18th century. A particular characteristic that distinguishes red pine from other pines is that it sheds its needles before winter. It’s worth noting that younger specimens keep their needles in winter, suggesting that ancestors of the species were once evergreen. Another interesting trait of this tree is its much better resistance to climate change compared to other pines, like silver fir or black pine.

View from the Závoz saddle

From the red pines, you only need to climb about three hundred meters to reach the Závoz saddle above Diósjenő. Located 3.5 km from the center of the settlement, a scenic clearing with benches makes for comfortable picnicking. From here, mainly east and south directions offer views only partially obscured by growing vegetation. The houses of sprawling Diósjenő and the water surface of Jenői Lake appear close, and the distant Naszály mountain peak is not far away. We overlook the spectacular cliff ledge of the nearby Kő-szirt, which can be reached via an unmarked path departing from the saddle near the benches. From there, an even nicer view of the surroundings can be enjoyed.

Bomb craters

After crossing the saddle, we follow the markings downhill steeply until we reach the Kemence stream valley. Beside the asphalt forest road, we can see some curious small ponds hiding several roughly ten-meter diameter “craters.” By the end of World War II, a significant amount of ammunition and explosives were stored in Diósjenő military warehouses, and the surplus ammunition was destroyed here after the war. Locals still refer to these well-visible traces as bomb craters.

The artificial “craters” were soon reclaimed by nature: water collected in the drainage-less holes, creating wet habitats. Since natural lakes are rare in Börzsöny, such wet microhabitats are especially important. In spring, many frogs migrate here to reproduce in the small lakes. During this period, it is quite likely to encounter large brown toads or medium-sized forest frogs with strikingly long legs.

The “heart” of Börzsöny, the Kemence stream

Our path leads directly to the longest (25.6 km) and largest flow permanent watercourse in Börzsöny. The Kemence stream, winding wildly between rocks, shows different faces each season depending on rainfall. Mostly it flows gently, during thaw it rushes with a roar, and during heavy downpours it wildly reshuffles the terrain, causing serious damage while flowing toward the Ipoly. The stream originates from springs on the eastern side of Csóványos; its Slavic name comes from “kamenica,” meaning “stony bed.” Börzsöny’s main water supplier is also an important habitat where fish such as roach, nase, agile chub, spotted bleak, barbel, brown trout, and common barbel live, with also rudd and minnow present. Among the stones in the water or near the banks, spotted salamanders and a variety of frog species are often seen in good numbers.

At the hairpin bend of the forest road stood the Mázsaház, whose clearing our path passes through. Formerly used as a wooden sorting and loading site, after leaving it, we follow the narrowing Kemence stream valley for a bit longer, but at the Gál meadow—where the nature trail’s board describes the history of forestry and narrow-gauge railways weaving through the mountains—we turn left and climb to the saddle between Vörös-kő (592 m) and Magas-hegy (589 m). From here, we continue toward Csehvár, which has special cultural historical value, and it is worth making a small detour to visit its medieval origins.

Csehvár

In Börzsöny, one can find many remnants of fortified settlements and castles, but they require keen eyes to discover. Although Csehvár was a stone castle built sometime in the 13th century, its remains are as hard to recognize as those of Bronze Age settlements’ ditches since its walls were removed long ago. From documents and archaeological findings, it is known that Csehvár, marked on the map, stood on a 523 m high hill in an oval shape of 32x18 meters. While the castle wall is gone, the pronounced line of the surrounding ditch is still visible today.

The history of Csehvár is only partially known: it was a royal castle in the 13th century, but presumably depopulated later. From that period, almost nothing is known until 1437, when King Sigismund pawned its ruins to Peter Lévai Cseh, voivode of Transylvania. The family presumably got the name “Cseh” for their role in fighting the Hussites, and the castle’s name is probably connected to them. They also rebuilt it in the 1440-50s, but Jenő was again mentioned in 1524 not as a castle but only as an estate, so the fortress likely was destroyed before the Turkish era.

After the Csehvár hill, we descend the steep slope of Dugohúzó into a gentler oak wood covering a few hundred meters in width on the hillside. We pass the Hadi Road built in 1938, prepared for the Slovak invasion, before the ZT marked path leads back on asphalt in the last meters to the starting point, the Forest Leisure Park.