Excursion to the suspension bridge

Itinerary

• Next to the visitor center, we follow the asphalt road heading uphill on the mountain to the hanging bridgehead.
• After leaving the bridgehead, we turn left onto the staircase that leads under the castle walls.
• We go around the Sátoraljaújhely castle walls on the right, then after exploring the ruins from inside, we return to the bridgehead.
• We cross the National Unity Bridge.
• At the Szár Hill bridgehead, we turn right and reach the Hungarian Calvary stations along the promenade.
• Between the stations, we follow the K▲ marking uphill.
• Below the peak, at the last curve of the calvary, we continue the hike straight on an unmarked path to the Szár Hill summit.
• From the summit, we descend on the far side of the mountain following the K▲ marking, remaining on it until the junction after the Cholnoky geyser cone.
• At the forest junction, we turn left and walk into town following the K+ marking up to the Mélyút junction.
• Turning onto Mélyút, we walk back to the visitor center of the Sátoraljaújhely castle.

Detailed tour description

Castle on the edge of the Sátoros Hills

Our hike starts from the foot of the mountain of Sátoraljaújhely castle at the visitor center. It's well worth a visit as you can explore the former castle virtually alongside aesthetically presented textual information; only the ruins remain on the mountaintop. We climb the asphalt road cutting into the forest, steeply rising to the National Unity Bridge, which is recommended to cross later since the castle itself is an interesting site and also a prime panoramic viewpoint. We ascend the stairs cutting through the pine forest among the ruins until we reach the promenade under the walls. We circle around the fortress's remains, supported by the metal platform added in 2022.

Finally, circling the ruins, we enter the castle courtyard under the “floating" cross illuminated at night, stretched at the southern end. After the Tatar invasion, little remains of the castle that once guarded the road to Ungvár and later became the economic center of the county ispánship in Patak. Most of the unearthed and reconstructed walls excavated after the mid-2000s reach waist height; only a larger part of the triangular northern bastion is visible. However, the controversial metal platform leaning on the western wall distracts attention. It’s worth walking out here as it overlooks the astonishingly large suspension bridge, the Szár Hill cones, the valley hidden between them, the Great Plain, the protruding Tokaji Hill, and the outskirts of the central mass of the Tokaj Mountains. The castle's structure fully unfolds.

Across the suspension bridge

From the castle, we walk back the way we came to reach the bridgehead. After purchasing a ticket, we can step onto the suspension bridge, enjoying gentle swaying for 700 meters, with the highest point 80 meters above the valley. Those not afraid of heights can look down at the grated walkway, with a plexiglass floor halfway increasing the experience; those afraid of heights can avoid the middle sections by walking on the edges. Opened in 2024, this pedestrian cable bridge is the longest in the world, supported by six steel cables each 25 tons and 70 mm in diameter, directly connecting to Szár Hill. The view is similar to that from the castle, but the perspective and direct exposure to depth make the height a real source of thrill.

Monuments of Szár Hill

Crossing to Szár Hill, we turn right on the promenade to join the K▲ marking, which leads among the stations of the Hungarian Calvary to the summit (before reaching it, choose the straight, unmarked path at the last curve). Among the neighboring mountain blocks, this one stands out mostly with its cultural arsenal; one element is the calvary built by public subscription and completed in 1936. Its stations bear the names and coats of arms of major towns lost with the drawing of the Trianon borders, each quoting a notable Hungarian figure.

At the summit stands the 100th national flagpole erected in 1935 for the 200th anniversary of Ferenc Rákóczi’s death, fluttering on a small platform. (The National Flag Movement was launched 10 years earlier as an expression of national mourning over Trianon.) Not coincidentally, several memorials near Sátoraljaújhely follow this theme: the city suffered the Peace Treaty shock, suddenly losing villages in its catchment area, and the border drawn along the Ronyva stream and railway line turned it into a border settlement (additionally cutting off part of the city).

Back under the bridge

On the far side of the mountain summit stands the St. Stephen's Chapel, modeled on a crown, built in 1938 (on the 900th anniversary of the state founder’s death) by public subscription. Behind it is a small viewing platform from which the basin between the Sátoros Hills and the Magas Hill can be seen. Along the side of the terrace descends the K▲ path, a bushy, rocky trail reaching the mountain base. At the junction, stay on the marking and you will reach a small clearing surrounded partly by pines along a nice forest road.

On the right, behind an information board, we see the Cholnoky geyser cone, built from rock discharged by the former mineral spring water. The hike ascends to the next junction, where we begin descent to the left on the K+ marking. The wide forest road leads into a street where we turn left, and on our right between the trees the suspension bridge appears. We flow "down" into the town among houses and can also see the cable bridge from below – no less impressive a sight than from the castle from above. Much further down at the first street branching right, turn onto Mélyút to climb back to the visitor center. If arriving by public transport, simply follow the marking to the town center.