From the gate of Diósgyőr castle to the Bükk

Itinerary:

• Starting from the gate of the Diósgyőr castle, we climb up the side of Vár-hegy following the KL signs.
• We turn right onto the K+ mark and walk up to the junction before Fényes-tető.
• Following the K● signs, we descend to Bükkszentlászló.
• We leave the village's main street to the right on the S+ mark, and this will guide us to Bükkszentkereszt.
• In Bükkszentkereszt, turning into Napsugár Street, we continue on the P mark, then hike to the edge of Hegyes-rét passing the Fehérkőlápa tourist house.
• We turn right onto the K+ signs toward the intersection after Fényes-tető.
• Following the K◼ signs, we descend into Berekalja Street.
• Heading through the streets of Diósgyőr, we return to the castle on unnamed streets.

Details about the hike:

Diósgyőr: castle and iron

Diósgyőr, now part of Miskolc, existed as an independent settlement before 1945. The district, known today mainly for its brownfield and rust zones, housing estates, and, of course, its football team, played an important role throughout several periods of Hungarian history.

After the Tatar invasion, King Béla IV had the castle erected on the site of the destroyed earthfort, which became nationally significant during the Anjou period. Our king Louis the Great rebuilt it into a Gothic castle boasting the largest knight's hall in Central Europe. The decorated walls witnessed many important political events and meetings in that era. After Louis's death, until 1526, the magnificent fortress served as a dowry gift for queens and a rural residence where several rulers spent time gladly. After Mohács, it gradually declined and soon became part of the border fortification line. Its location made the castle hard to defend; it was briefly captured by the Turks but quickly retaken by Christian forces. Although there were plans to strengthen it, most remained only on paper. Its fate was sealed by a fire during the Kuruc wars in 1673, after which it lost military significance entirely. Throughout the 18th century, it deteriorated to uninhabitable, used as a quarry. Its restoration began in the mid-20th century and continues today. Significant momentum was gained in the 2010s with ongoing rebuilding of the castle and development into a complex tourist attraction.

By the end of the 19th century, Diósgyőr became a heavy industry center providing new important functions. The local metallurgy can be traced back to the 1770s, when the first smelter started operating in the Garadna Valley. Iron smelting proceeded in Ómassa then Újmassa, with processing at Hámor near Lillafüred. The plant moved to Diósgyőr in 1870, where modern steel production started, and a large machinery factory was also established. The socialist era marked the peak of heavy industry in Diósgyőr, with up to 25,000 employees in the factories. The economic transformation after the regime change ended over two centuries of metallurgy, which ceased in 2008.

Diósgyőr is also important for tourism. The Hungarian Tourist Association's Diósgyőr division was established in 1929, and in the latter half of the 20th century, nature tourism was organized by the DVTK Tourist Section. Over decades of active involvement, many tourist facilities were built (e.g., Bánkúti Tourist House, Petőfi lookout on Bálvány), and they excelled in developing and expanding tourism infrastructure and publishing Bükk hiking guides.

From the castle gate to the Bükk

We begin our hike at the beautifully renovated entrance of the Diósgyőr castle on the KL mark. We circle around the former estate administrator's house, where a memorial plaque indicates that Rozália Déryné Széppataki, a member of the Miskolc theater troupe and a great figure of Hungarian drama, lived here in the mid-19th century.

Walking along Haller György Street by the castle ditches and ramparts, we head toward the Bükk's enticing wooded heights. With a sharp right turn, we shift onto a dirt road, then, after leaving the houses of Diósgyőr, we step onto a trail entering the forest. We begin ascending a steep path, sometimes passing rock outcrops, through black pine forests.

The climb temporarily eases as we reach the intersection at Vár-tető, where we turn right and continue on the K+ signs. The next section takes us along the paths of Kohász út and Török út, sharing common trails. These two thematic tour routes offer several days of hiking for those wishing to complete their full lengths.

In the slope of Bagoly Hill, we ascend a deep path to the ridge, then walk along a comfortable carriage road above the valleys leading out to the Szinva River, heading to the saddle before Fényes-tető. Here we turn left onto the K● sign, passing through beautiful beech woods to the cool karst stream of Irén Spring. A built tourist rest area welcomes us next to the water's exit point, where we can take a break.

Bükkszentlászló and Bükkszentkereszt

After a short ascent, we descend toward the depth of the Tatár ditch and already stand on the border of Bükkszentlászló at the valley floor. Walking into the settlement formerly called Óhuta until 1940, we stroll on asphalt. This narrow valley village was established in the early 18th century as a glassworks settlement, mostly with Slovak settlers. Turning right into a side valley on the S+ signs, we start the biggest climb of our hike: approximately 250 meters of elevation to reach Bükkszentkereszt.

Mostly climbing alongside beautiful beech trees on the slope of Messzelátó Hill, we also pass a spruce forest. Out of breath, we arrive at the paved road in Bükkszentkereszt, where we turn right following the mark. Above the Heroes' Spring, we get a view towards the Sajó valley, then leave the pavement cutting two corners. After a carved wooden forest crucifix, we return to the asphalt, walking into Bükkszentkereszt. On the village sign marking the edge, we read its original Slovak name: Nová Huta. Like the neighboring village, originally it functioned as a glassworks settlement named Újhuta. From the early 19th century, its inhabitants engaged in lime and charcoal burning and timber logging, turning into a holiday village in modern times. At the village edge, we find a rest area and a memorial plaque for Attila Ferjáncz. The forest asphalt road between Bükkszentkereszt and Bükkszentlászló is the Miskolc Rally stage, where multiple champion Ferjáncz raced many times.

Already among houses, we turn right at a junction by a stone crucifix, following the P signs from here. Walking on the village's uppermost street, we can see well the mountain basin where Újhuta was established under its original name. The most complete panorama is available if we take a 600-meter detour to the left at the newer cross on the edge of the village to the lookout tower on the peak of Kis-dél.

On the way to Fehérkő-lápa

Descending under the ski slopes, we can make a short detour left to the ski lodge’s building which has seen better days, paying respects at Dodó uncle’s memorial plaque. The very active sports instructor and community organizer Dezső Tóth (Dodó uncle) was well characterized by the fact that even at 84 years old, he ran the terrain circuit around Bükkszentkereszt named after him.

Continuing beside the pastures of the Orosz-kúti valley, ideally seasoned by the sight of grazing horses against the backdrop of the Bükk’s elevations, we step back into the grove, continuing through impressive, older beech woods beside Ágnes meadow. We step onto a wide forestry road at the corner of Javor-hegyi meadow and cross sunny open terrain. A short detour to the right leads to the upper station of the chairlift, where we can enjoy the offerings of the forest buffet and the views from the chairlift’s pasture toward the Szinva valley and the Bükk plateau.

Crossing the meadow through an oak forest, we arrive at the ornate enclosure of the Saint Stephen spring, where there are also benches. A plaque with a coat of arms indicates that the spring was enclosed by the Bánya Bükk Forest Office between the two world wars. We can sit here, but it’s better to take the break at the Fehérkőlápa tourist house visible from here. This shelter, opened in 1937, has a restaurant where we can eat and rest. From the house, a 650-meter walk follows the Z then Z▲ signs to visit the Fehér-kő lookout point. The rocky ledge offers a magnificent panorama over the opposite plateau, the upper section of the Szinva valley, and its surroundings.

From the Bükk to the castle gate

In front of the tourist house, we continue on the P sign, turning toward Miskolc walking through a young forest. We soon reach the branching P● trail that leads to the nearby Hajnalka spring. From the edge of Hegyes-rét, we follow the K+ signs again on the Kohász and Török roads. Reaching the saddle of Hegyes-tető, on the left side of the road is a soldier’s grave under the trees, reminding of the harsh battles of World War II. This area is also the resting place of several unknown soldiers. During the front passage in November 1944, the forest was not as peaceful as now.

With a descent, we arrive beside Fényes-tető, then turn left on the K◼ sign, starting the last section of our hike. Continuing downhill, we head towards the town and reach the edge of the rocky valley of Fényes-kereszti. From the eroded, rocky path, the high-rise blocks of the housing estates occasionally appear through the tree foliage. The panel buildings behind the churches and low-rise houses are from the period when 25,000 people worked in Diósgyőr’s metallurgy and machine manufacturing.

We arrive in Miskolc at the Berekalja district, turning right on Eper street. From here, after 1 km on unnamed streets, we return to the gate of Diósgyőr castle.