Experience hike in the center of Eastern Mecsek, home to the Banat lily

Itinerary:

• We start on the Rockenbauer Pál South Transdanubian Blue Trail marked with K from Óbánya, and follow it up to the saddle above Kisújbánya.
• From the saddle turn left, follow the S marking, across the Miske Hill towards Püspökszentlászló, and climb up to Zengő.
• From Zengő continue following the S marking up to the fork after Viki Rest.
• From the eastern ridge of Zengő, descend to Pécsvárad by turning right along the P+ marking.
• In Pécsvárad, turn right on the S marking which we follow to the Sculpture Park below the castle.
• From the Pécsvárad castle, descend without markings along Vár Street to the Pécs Road, where turning right leads to the bus stop.

Detailed description of the hike

In the geological adventure park of the Óbánya Valley

We start upward on the South Transdanubian Blue Trail with the K sign along the Óbánya Valley, from the settlement of Óbánya squeezed between steep hillsides. Already in the early 18th century, a glassworks was established in the valley on the bishop’s forest estate, where Swabian families, glassblowers, and forest workers settled. Because of the depleted forests, the glassworks moved higher in the valley mid-century, right where we are heading, to Kisújbánya. The residents of Óbánya remained at their original homes and shifted to making wooden tools, animal husbandry, pottery, and surprisingly many mills operated along the reliably flowing creek.

At the end of the village, we pass one renovated mill, and the trail skirts the mill channel, the water of the creek diverted to the wheel, around the Trout Ponds. The water-rich creek is currently used for breeding the namesake fish; in season, you can taste trout fried in batter at several village eateries. In the valley, we also touch upon the renovated Krémer mill and can discover the remains of an old sluice on the creek bank. The two side slopes narrow higher up, the landscape becomes a sharp gorge forest. On the rockier terrain, the geological base is revealed, with rock steps built of 10-20 cm thick plates and waterfalls tipping off them in the creek bed. The most beautiful formations create true semicircular "valley dams" along the creek flow, naturally filled with creek sediment.

At the narrowest section, we find an even more unique shape: the dripping rock, a freshwater limestone wall richly covered with moss and ferns. The high dissolved mineral content immediately precipitates as the spring surfaces between the layers, forming thick limestone layers from karst water over millennia. Forms known from caves are found on the rocks, ripples, small dams, stalactites creating adventurous corners inside the catfish-mouth-like rock formation. An exciting environment is formed at the foot of the cliff by a stream collecting in a pool with a waterfall and the gothic pillar trunks of the old beech forest.

Above the dripping rock, we cross the creek on a bridge and immediately reach another attraction, the tilted waterfall. The limestone slabs forming its base have been twisted and displaced due to tectonic movements and fractured along the layers. That is why the creek leaps left with a slanted water curtain and even disappears between the slabs at low water. We can spot the foundations of a former mill building above the waterfall.

A bit further ahead, we reach a forest clearing where the Elder Spring and a nicely renovated rest area are found. In the strictly protected Óbánya Valley, this is the only resting place equipped with a covered rain shelter, benches, tables, and fire pit for tourists. Soon we reach the tidy gates of Kisújbánya scattered along the creek, shyly hidden behind dense foliage curtains and wooden fences. In the center, at the former glassworks site where glass bottles and windows were produced for over 20 years, today stands the characteristic German village house with carved columns and a porch, as well as a neat small chapel built at the end of the 18th century (on the hillside). Below the latter, turning left on the winding street leads to a small shop, open seasonally on weekends.

On the panoramic route of the Eastern Mecsek

Above Kisújbánya, we soon arrive at the mountain ridge and leave the paved road of the village: on a grassy slope, along a wide panoramic meadow, we turn south with the S marking. For over a kilometer, a wide clearing covers the ridge with changing views, crossing Miske Hill. Then we descend steeply into the Püspökszentlászló basin crossing forest on the shoulder of Hárs Hill. The karstic, south-facing hillside is home to the Banat lily: most of the known population of this species lives on these mountain peaks around Zengő. If arriving at the right time, late spring, we may glimpse its characteristic dense bush with finger-like leaves and striking cyclamen-red flowers.

Along the way, we cross the forestry road bypassing the Zengő block, saving altitude if we cut the village detour by turning left. However, this small altitude loss is worth it, as the bishop’s castle and arboretum are another interesting pearl of the Eastern Mecsek. We approach the castle at the village edge by the Hetyey Spring; the hiking trail bypasses it from behind, but if we want to see the centuries-old bishop’s garden lush with evergreens from inside, we must descend toward the entrance along the K◼ marking. The arboretum was founded at the end of the 19th century by Samuel Hetyey, the Pécs bishop after whom the spring is named; he also renovated the then centuries-old castle and St. László Church. The arboretum garden features many evergreens forming century-old groves, with ornamental plants winding around the bishop’s garden promenade.

Behind the arboretum, we start our assault on Zengő Castle, initially wandering on gentle forestry roads in the beech forest (staying on the S marking), then, with a sharp right turn, rushing directly at the northern slope. This is the steepest route to Mecsek’s highest peak, but also the most beautiful, as we climb to the top among ancient trees and root braids. At the top, remains of ramparts and the foundation of an old tower welcome us, the minor surviving ruins of the former Zengő Castle. We have no written records of the fortress; excavations suggest a 13th-century watch post, shelter, or refuge castle on the peak, which may also have been used as an observation point during Roman times.

This is the highest protrusion in the wider area; from the lookout tower built on its summit we can survey southern Transdanubia in good weather. From the Danube near Mohács to Bakony, the rolling wooded hills of Somogy, Tolna and Baranya unfold, framed from the south by the Villány Mountains and the Croatian Papuk range.

The last refuge of the Banat lily

We continue east on the S marking, touching the Viki Rest under the Zengő peak, a resting place that can be used as overnight accommodation or a rain shelter. From here, we leave the peak region with determined momentum. Around us are forests harboring the largest known population of the Banat lily, worth scouting the forest floor with your eyes in late spring or early summer.

Descending steeply from the ridge, turning right onto the P+ marking, we arrive at the outskirts of Pécsvárad. From the increasingly gentle forest we get among orchards and vineyards to the ancient settlement, where turning right on the S marking leads us to the historical center marked by the Church of the Assumption and the castle. The fortress was actually a fortified princely residence after the conquest period, donated by Duke Géza to Benedictine monks and existing as a monastery for over half a millennium. The castle, damaged during the Turkish era, was renovated in the 18th century as the administrative center of the Pécsvárad estate, then in the second half of the 20th century, the foundations of the original building were uncovered.

At the end of our route, we descend Vár Street, a straight road without markings, then turn right onto Pécs Road and arrive at the bus stop. If looking for hospitality, continue following the S marking from the castle; this longer route leads into the center where most services can be found.