Circular hike along the history and views of Pilis

Itinerary:

• We start on the P trail, then after a few meters continue on the Z trail.
• Briefly detouring on the Hungarian Pilgrim's Route trail, we visit the Cistercian monastery ruins.
• Returning to the Z trail, we walk to the entrance of the Vaskapu valley.
• We climb up the Pilis massif on the P+ trail.
• For a short section, we walk on the asphalt road along the Z▲ trail, then rejoin the Z trail via the P+ trail connection.
• We bypass the western edge of the Pilis on the Z trail.
• We make a short detour first to a rocky viewpoint, then to the Blessed Özséb lookout along the Z▲ trail.
• Turning to the eastern side of the Pilis, above Pilisszentkereszt, we switch from the Z trail to the P trail, which leads back to the village and the starting point.

Detailed description of the hike:

Reflecting on the Past at the Eastern Foot of the Pilis

We start from the southwestern end of Pilisszentkereszt, at the bus turnaround next to the cemetery, following the P trail toward the village. After barely a hundred meters, we turn onto the Z trail toward Pilis, along the upper reaches of the Dera stream on Pataksor road. Leaving the village houses, the coffin-shaped Pilis massif towers impressively above us, like a giant resting place, a preserved ruin of a prehistory sanctuary. We follow the birch-lined stream along a wagon path at the edge of the pastures to an ancient, bent willow tree, where we turn to the hillside and, following a winding path, climb to the hidden ruins of the Cistercian abbey and monastery amid the bushes, making a short detour along the Hungarian Pilgrim's Route trail.

The ruins lie barely noticeable in a meadow divided by groves of trees: the original foundations have been reconstructed up to knee height, and wooden-framed tent roofs protect the monumental sandstone column bases of the church. The preserved ruins commemorate one of the oldest monasteries in Hungarian Christianity, the Cistercian abbey founded in honor of Queen Gertrude, wife of Andrew II, who was murdered at the site, and once housed her earthly remains.

On the area that was originally royal hunting grounds, the French-founded first Hungarian Cistercian monastery was built between 1182 and 1225. The monks practiced their faith there together with the people of a village settled in the Árpád era for their supply. However, the Turkish invasions put an end to both. The first returning Paulist monks re-established the village and believed the ruins were the predecessor of their order's house. Due to this, they litigated long with the Cistercians until the order itself was abolished by imperial decree.

The spring once equipped with water conduits used by the Cistercian monks springs from a sandstone setting in the grove above the monastery. The neat forest clearing with benches, shelters, and numerous historical monuments of the hiking community stands at the foot of the largest hills next to the capital. Here, at the monks' holy well, the Klastrom spring, the founders of Hungarian hiking conceived the idea of popularizing nature walks and mountain exploration among the urban population. The founders of the Hungarian Tourist Association, Dr. Ödön Téry and baron Gusztáv Thirring, with the presidency of Loránd Eötvös and the vice presidency of geology professor Lajos Lóczy, launched in 1888 an association around the capital that established shelters and hiking routes and organized hiking tours. We can refresh ourselves, get water for the continuation of the hike, and also comfortably have breakfast in the shady grove surrounded by benches, tables, and memorials of ancestors.

Leaving the spring, we join the contour path under the Pilis massif. We turn into the valley of the stream, the source area of the Dera stream, alongside weekend houses and the fence of a riding hall, entering the beech forest with a closed canopy. Through the dozer road, among ancient maple trees observing the passage of time, we find a resting place in an intimate grove. The Mária bench is a popular picnic spot near the road leading to Dobogókő, radiating the secluded calm of the closed Pilis forest. There is an open timber shelter for bad weather and benches and tables provide comfort to cool down in the shady grove.

Around the rocky massif of Pilis

At the Mária bench, the two signs followed so far diverge; with the P+ sign, we enter the emerging narrow gorge on a rocky, worn path to the left side of the grove. On both sides, the increasingly steep hillside approaches within arm’s reach; above the stony trail, rocky outcrops make the landscape wild. Among the mixed forest trees are cliff faces and caves penetrating the pierced massif of the Pilis. Here lies the Pilis cave, though many unexplored cavities lie beneath the rocky slopes. Above us to the left, an intensively protected hillside hides the Vaskapu, the graceful rock arch that is one of the most impressive natural formations in our country. The rocky rim remaining around the former cave cavity is an old rock climbing site, where Ödön Téry’s memorial plaque recalls the heroic age of mountaineering.

After a few hundred meters from the gorge, the marked swirl branches off; under a rocky side, we begin a steady climb toward the summit. From here follows a rather monotonous section, a meditative walk on the rocky beech-covered slope. Only the gravel road of the summit breaks the monotony of the forest, which we also follow for a short section with the K▲ sign to rejoin the P+ trail behind the bend to connect with the Z trail sidling along the summit edge.

Along the ridge of the summit, we also pass through a similarly long, monotonous forested area, but its position on the ridge creates a much brighter, more open feeling. All clearings and thinning promise views, but no magnificent panoramas unfold, only a sense of freedom. Due to the southern exposure, oak forests dominate the warmer side. On the gnarled trunk of an ancient beech, we find a playful wooden face whose features someone has reinforced with paint. The comfortable route proceeds near the level along the western edge of the Pilis plateau.

The monotonous forest walk is interrupted by a short cut-off on the Z▲ trail, a tiny detour to a rocky cliff on the edge of the ridge. The view is captivating; suddenly, the mountain range that winked through the foliage unfolds. From the rocky grassland, the steep Pilis forested ridge stretches westwards, while to the south, the hills of Piliscsaba and the northern fringe of the Buda Hills roll. Beyond the settled plain of the Dorog basin, the island mountains of Gerecse enliven the western horizon, and with luck, even the flow of the Danube can be discovered at the foot of the mountains.

The summit of Pilis, the Blessed Özséb lookout, and the Grófi road

Returning to the Z trail, we soon reach a longitudinal clearing where we again divert for the view. Repeating along the Z▲ trail, we now make a longer detour to the highest point of the massif, Pilis Peak. In the sparse forest on the far side of the meadow, we climb briefly on a rocky, scree-filled trail, reaching the highest point where the Blessed Özséb lookout was erected among strange abandoned concrete buildings.

The panorama from the concrete tower is mesmerizing; we look around from a strategic point. The former geodetic tower was made accessible to tourists with a spiral staircase around the concrete structure and an observation terrace on the roof. From this altitude, all surrounding mountain ranges open out beautifully; we see the wooded ridges from a high position. The tilted limestone blocks of the Pilis isolate the landscape in both directions, with the volcanic range of the Visegrád Mountains to the north and most of the Buda Hills to the south. The western horizon is dominated by Gerecse, while on especially clear days behind the Visegrád Mountains, the Börzsöny, and on the eastern horizon, the Mátra also appear.

Below us, the earth-covered remains of the concrete buildings recall Cold War times. A strategic air defense base stood at the highest point above the capital until the post-regime-change era. Today the site is abandoned, only paragliders patrol the airspace above the peak. With its steep sides, the summit is an excellent launch site where the terrain forces the winds upward.

Returning to the edge of the forest clearing, we join the Z trail, which leads down comfortably from the summit. On the steep slope, we lose elevation in tight switchbacks on the serpentine Grófi road, cut into the steep, rocky surface. Typically, the bends offer views from the sparse, stunted forest around the rocks, and beneath us stretches the Pilisvörösvár basin dotted with houses, with Pilisszántó in the foreground and the sharply falling ridge of the Pilis range with the summits of Kevélyek closing the view.

Crossing a rocky ridge line with magnificent panorama behind us, we descend gently turning into the eastern side of Pilis. As we return to the edge of the meadow above Pilisszentkereszt, the road turns onto the softening slope, and we descend along the border of the oak and groved meadow. In the saddle of Magas Hill, we join the P trail coming from Pilisszántó, continuing our descent northeast towards Pilisszentkereszt. Crossing the meadows, we arrive back in the village by the cemetery. Our circuit closes left at the bus turnaround. From here, it is worth continuing to walk along the Main Road to Dobogókő Road, as several buses run in the village center, not all stopping at the bus turnaround.