Circular route to the jewel of Zselic, Sasrét

Itinerary

• We set off southwards from the bus stop following the P mark, which we follow until the junction next to Terecseny.
• We turn left onto the P◼ mark, which we follow through Terecseny.
• 200 m after the Aligvár hostel, we visit the Aligvár spring along the K● marks.
• We return to the P◼ mark and continue following it.
• Heading straight, we switch to the P+ mark, which leads to a paved forest road.
• On the paved forest road, we turn right, then walk on the connecting P◼ mark to the Sasrét guesthouse.
• From the guesthouse, we follow the P+ mark to the lake.
• We make a detour to the lake island via the unmarked bridge and walkway.
• From Sasrét heading back, we follow the P+ mark to the border of Bőszénfa.
• We turn into Bőszénfa on the P mark.

Detailed description of the hike

Bőszénfa and its deer

The settlement has been inhabited since prehistoric times and was one of the villages donated by King Saint Stephen to the Szentmárton Abbey, now known as the Pannonhalma Benedictine Archabbey. Until the Tatar invasion, it was mainly inhabited by abbey serfs. Its name was first mentioned as Bozais in the 1237-1240 census by Master Albeus, Archdeacon of Esztergom. Later it was owned by the Derssfy, Imreffy, and Festetics families. Until the Turkish invasion, the population was Hungarian. The destroyed settlement was acquired in 1703 by the Festetics family, who also built the castle. The estate included the hamlets of Szenttamás and Kisbőszénfa, as well as Rókamalom Major, the former being a significant village in the Middle Ages. In the 1770s, Lajos Festetics, the county's first vice-ispán, relocated Hungarian serfs and brought in Swabian settlers in their place. Its current form and name were established in the 1800s, with most of the 800-900 residents being German-speaking. The inhabitants' livelihood was mainly related to forestry and charcoal production (tar distillation), along with animal husbandry and crop farming. After World War II, 70 Swabian families were deported and replaced by 20 Hungarian families from Upper Hungary.

The village hosts the closed wildlife estate of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, serving educational, research, and production purposes, but also providing year-round attractions for nature lovers and animal enthusiasts. Covering 1300 hectares, the "Bőszénfa deer farm" center operates in grassland management, live animal trade, hunting, game processing, and tourism. Visitors can admire not only red deer but also the David deer, extinct in the wild in its native land, known in Chinese as milu. Named after Father David, a French missionary in China who first reported the species to Western science in the 19th century. The milu existed in the Pleistocene in China, Korea, and Japan. Its wild populations went extinct in the 17th-18th centuries, with approximately 120 specimens from imperial hunting parks brought to European zoos, preserving the species after the last Chinese individuals were eaten by Japanese and Western soldiers around 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion. The deer farm's restaurant offers game dishes made from their own products.

Heading to Zselic!

We set off southwards from the bus stop following the P mark, and after a short stretch, turn right from the main road No. 67. Along the forest edge, passing by the deer farm fence, after about 1 km, we reach a row of houses on the site of the former brick factory. In the second half of the 19th century, several brick factories operated in the Zselic area based on its clay-loess soils and surrounding forests. Dense brick clay was mined in Bőszénfa, while nearby Lukafapusztán also had a pottery factory and pipe kiln next to the glassworks. After leaving the housing estate, we soon cross the main road No. 67 again, then after 200 m, at the border of Antalszállás belonging to Boldogasszonyfa, we begin a long descent. We pass through an acacia forest to a junction from where it is worth taking a short detour (straight on) to the Terecsenypuszta Forest Rest House at the former Terecseny railway station – where you can also find a well in the neatly maintained courtyard.

At the forest junction, we turn left and enter Terecseny on the P◼ mark. Its first mention was in 1183 as Terecső. At that time it belonged to the Vátgy Székely ispánship. By the 18th century, it was just a deserted area of the Batthyány estate, where a tavern called Aligvár was built around 1760. In 1856, the Biedermann banking family of Vienna bought the estate and later settled German-speaking cottars there (mainly) from neighboring Németlukafapuszta, where the last forest glassworks of Transdanubia were then closing down.

Following our marks, we leave the village past the Aligvár hostel, then after 200 meters, we make a short detour along the K● marks to the memorial unveiled in 2013 to István Balogh, former president of the South Zselic Nature Friends Club, and to the Aligvár spring.

The Aligvár spring and its surroundings

The enclosure of the spring with a flow rate of 4-15 liters per minute was built in 2009 by the Mecsek Forestry Plc, Szigetvár Forestry with the participation of József Baumann and Mrs. József Baumann. Its name is connected to the legend titled "From Aligvár to Terecseny", which says that around 1760, there was only a ramshackle tavern here. Its guests were mostly woodcutters, perhaps the Séta Pista gang or other wanderers. When a stranger arrived, the landladies often complained: "One hardly waits for the year to pass so we can go elsewhere." When Lajos Kossuth was recruiting troops to the Drava against Jellasics's army and saw the tavern, they sighed in relief: "We hardly waited to get here!" This is how the name Aligvár stuck slowly to the inn and then to the countryside as well. The locals used to trick people by answering where and how far Aligvár was: "You have to go back! How far? Well, from Terecseny to Aligvár... among brothers, the road takes a hundred years!"

We return to the P◼ mark, shortly reaching a crossroads closed off by a game fence – which we cross by ladder. Beyond the fenced area, a pleasant outlook over the nearby forest spices up our route. Shortly after the fence, we reach the P+ mark, which we follow straight on to a paved forest road. We turn right on it and wind for 1.5 km. The P◼ mark also joins, guiding us all the way to Sasrét’s narrow-gauge railway station.

The Zselic chuffer

The Almamellék Forest Railway, Hungary's narrowest railway with a track gauge of 600 mm, was built by Baron Rezső Biedermann in 1901 between Almamellék and the Cigány Valley in Németlukafa to facilitate the transport of wood and other agricultural products extracted from the forest to the MÁV railway network. It also carried the ash fat from the Németlukafa factory and glassworks products. The rail line leading from Lukafa junction to Sasrét hunting lodge was completed in 1925. Besides freight traffic, the railway transported children to the former school located at today's Kikerics Forestry Forest School. After 1945, the railway's operator became the forestry company, which in 1956 replaced the horse-drawn traction (which led to the nickname 'horse railway') with an R-20-22 type Hofher motor locomotive and introduced MASZOLAJ carriages. Today, only the Almamellék-Sasrét line operates, with a train hauled by a C50 locomotive on weekends and holidays, taking about 25-30 minutes. In winter, the carriage is heated by a cozy wood stove. At the starting station, there is a forestry and narrow-gauge railway exhibition, and the narrow-gauge railway day is held annually on the second Saturday of April, an excellent occasion to learn about this unique, museum-worthy economic heritage.

The forest railway is also notable because the satirical film "Kihajolni veszélyes" (Leaning Out is Dangerous) was shot in 1977 at the Almamellék station building, starring Nándor Tomanek, Gyula Bodrogi, and Mari Kiss. Since the rail line was closed about six months before filming, the tracks had to be traversed several times to polish the rails to a shine. Crossing the railway, we arrive at the Sasrét hunting lodge.

Sasrétpuszta

The area originally called Sás-rét was renamed in the early 20th century by chief forester Alfred Bassler (later Baracs). Baron Rezső Biedermann dreamed of an imposing hunting lodge at Sasrét alongside the mentioned narrow-gauge railway and school, which was last renovated in 2013. In its foyer, you can see a local history exhibition and the portraits of Ernő Bázler and his wife, responsible for the estate management and the construction of the hunting lodge, along with memories of old hunts. Sasrétpuszta's prestige further increased in 1955 when forest chief director István Tömpe brought down a record-sized 15.2 kg-antlered bull in the Jámborka forest patch belonging to Sasrétpuszta. The old beech forest next to Sasrét is a locally significant protected natural area.

Leaving the guesthouse past Győző Szatyor's "Tulipán II." artwork, we proceed under a century-old plane tree row along the P+ mark, passing a more than 300-year-old sessile oak. On the left, after a rest area combined with a playground, we spot the forest school maintained by Mecsekerdő Plc. The Sasrét school building, founded by Baron Rezső Biedermann, was transformed into the Kikerics Forestry Forest School in 1996 by Mecsekerdő. There, through forest and experiential pedagogy methods, children grow fond of nature while expanding their knowledge. In front of the beautifully renovated building, where accommodation is also available, there is an herb garden and a spacious covered seating area. From here, the 1.5 km long Sasrét educational trail starts, made interactive by 20 boards: these present the county's oldest forest with more than 200-year-old silver linden and beech tree species towering above, later testing the knowledge gained. Additionally, walking the route, one learns about forest herbaceous plants and natural regeneration of the forest through different-aged regeneration patches. The trail passes two springs, Almás and Kis-Almás springs.

Opposite the forest school, on the far side of the road, a playground awaits children, and after a few meters, a footbridge leads to a small island in the Sasrét lake, where an atmospheric pavilion invites hikers to rest.

Departure from Sasrét

We return along the familiar path to the station, where we follow the P+ mark northwestwards. After the meadows leave our sides, we begin a long ascent under beeches and some old sessile oaks. Later we cross a ridge road, followed by a descent towards the alder forest of Pálinkás-gödör. The valley is often swampy even in summer, so be prepared for dense undergrowth. On the left lies the Farkaslaki Forest Nature Reserve, which hosts the largest population of the European woodcock in Hungary. Since 1977, it is officially protected, and in mid-March, one can admire thousands of blooming pink-flowered woodcock plants. During full bloom, the upward-standing petals give the plant a special appearance.

After a sharp left turn, beautiful views open towards Bőszénfa at the forest and meadow boundary. We then follow the former railway embankment all the way to main road No. 67, where turning right and with the help of the P mark, we can return to our starting point.