From the Holy Spirit to the Church Centre

Itiner

• FromPilisszentlélek bus turnoff, take the P sign through the village and follow it to the Égett-hárs tourist junction.
• From Égett-hársz follow the Z sign to Fári-kút.
• From the Fari Fountain, take the Z+ sign from here up to the Brilli Gyula Refuge.
• From the Brilli Gyula Refuge we take the P sign to Esztergom railway station.

Detailed description of the tour

The Pilgrims and the Holy Spirit

We start our tour at the central bus stop of Pilisszentlélek. The population of the village, which stretches along the valley of the Szentléleki stream and is surrounded by imposing peaks, is steadily and permanently decreasing. The history of this part of Esztergom dates back to the Middle Ages, when the royal hunting lodge above the village was built by King Pilis IV. The village was founded in the early Middle Ages, when King Béla donated it to the Palatines to convert it into a monastery. Peasants were settled in the valley to serve the monks, creating the nucleus of the present village, which was depopulated during the Ottoman period and then again during the Rákóczi War of Independence. A 18. In the 18th century, Slovak settlers arrived in the area, bringing with them the glass-making industry.The importance of the village increased and its role changed. This is illustrated by the fact that at one time it was called Huta-Szentlélek, highlighting the importance of glass production. The administrative status of Pilisszentlélek has changed many times, it was also part of the municipality of Kesztölc, and after a short period of independence it was annexed to Esztergom in 1985.

Before starting the excursion, it is worth making a detour to the church of the settlement on the Pálosok Street, which starts from the bus turnaround. The interior of the building, renovated in 2020, is decorated by István Kákonyi, a painter and sculptor.and two Franciscan monks who worked here in the 1960s. The interesting thing about these works is that they include non-figurative, rather abstract works, which are not typical of church buildings. After visiting the church, let's return to the bus turnaround!

The King's gift

Opposite the bus stop is Teca's tavern, one of the central locations of the Hungarian comedy series A mi kis falunk (Our Little Village), which has been screened since 2017. As you follow the P sign down Hunyadi János street, you are greeted by a charming, slightly archaic view of the village, which gives you an idea of how it looked like when you were a child.how Pilisszentlélek can so easily become "Pajkaszeg" on the screen, a settlement with the main characteristics of the Hungarian countryside of today. The signpost turns right over a small stone bridge onto Petőfi Sándor Street, and at the end of the street, passing a rest area with a beautiful view, it turns onto a forest path. Continue along this path for a few hundred metres and you will come to a clearing where the ruins of the Pauline monastery mentioned above stand. Around it there are several fireplaces and benches, but unfortunately the site is very short of information signs about the monastery.

As mentioned in the first paragraph, the ruin was once the site of a royal hunting lodge. The rulers of the Árpád dynasty were fond of hunting in the Pilis, especially King Edward IV. Bela, who often visited the present-day monastery of Klastrompuszta and loved its first priory after the founder of the order, Blessed Elisabeth. It was thus that the king donated to him the nearby castle, which the monks then converted into a monastery. When Buda fell, in 1526, it was destroyed by raiding Turkish troops, and although it was destroyed after their expulsion in the 17th century, the monastery was later restored to its original state. After their expulsion in the 17th century, the Palatine Order regained possession of its former territories, but it was never rebuilt.

Known story, unknown victim

The P sign leads along a path. Soon you will reach the junction of the Lime of the Sky hiking trail, where you turn left at the Z sign. You will reach a rocky crag, from where you will have a beautiful but limited view looking back. On the left hand side you can see the summit of the Dobogo rock, on the right you can see the break of the Black Mountain. After a few steps, the P sign turns right and we continue left on the Z sign.

On the comfortable ridge path, we go around the top of the Upper Etchet Hill from the left. On the right, a high pass "overlooks" the wildlife that emerges and reappears in the thicket that has grown up in the place of the cleared forest. It is worth climbing up to the top, as you can enjoy a beautiful panorama of the northern part of the Visegrád Mountains.and the Helembai Mountains on the other side of the Danube, but on a clear day you can also see the High-Börzsöny in the distance. The beech trees bordering the clearings are a good indication of the microclimate of the northern side of the ridge, which is cooler due to the lower angle of incidence of the sun's rays.

We don't have to walk much further to spot another interesting feature among the trees. A little "hidden", but close to the path, is a double cross: the grave of an unknown soldier. In January 1945, the German army, retreating westwards, broke through the wall that had been dug here.The German army, moving westwards, crossed the Soviet defensive lines, recapturing Esztergom and Pilisszentkereszt, among other towns. In the following week, intense fighting raged in the area, and this soldier was certainly killed. Military historians have found several World War II shells in the areatrenches and other defensive buildings. There is also a resting bench and logs for pitching a tent next to the cross.

Unknown story, known victim

Around the top of Mount Ráró, a small path on the left leads to a detour. You're walking on a lush rocky meadow, with beautiful views through sparse trees. We do not recommend this place for a longer stay, but continue a little further along the Z sign, approx. After about 100 m, take the path to the right, which forks off to the left and leads to the clearing above White Rock. The view is sublime, on the left is the starting point of our route, Pilisszentlélek, with the Dobogó rock above itl out from behind the ridges, the Fekete-hegy in front of us, and to the right in the distance the Gerecse.

From the cliff, descend back to the Z sign. The path soon becomes a cart track, which you only have to take a few steps on to turn left at a fork. It's a monotonous stretch of about two kilometres, broken only by fences that flank you from left to right and then turn away. A few metres after a junction with a tourist path, there is a cross with the inscription: death of Enyedi.

Although there are many versions of the story itself, it is certain that István Enyedi was a forester who died in the 1920s.in the Maróti hills in the 1920s, whose body was found here. Whether he was the victim of a lover's murder, killed by poachers or simply killed by a heart attack - the mists of the past have forever obscured this.

Back to the valley

The Z sign continues along a cart track lined with forestry machinery. A rainfall turns the ground, which has lost its inherent stability, into a vast sea of mud, making it difficult and slowing progress. Another 2 km go by without anything of interest to mention, until finally the Z sign turns left off the road and soon, a huge canopy of trees is visible.tree - its bark faintly but clearly showing the old bark of the tree'sthe bark of the tree, which has become huge, turns left into a ditch. Descend steeply along the low road until it turns into a gentle slope below the break. A pleasant level path leads through a "sanctuary" of huge old trees, with a modest clearing on the right. Just before a small patch of pine trees, the signpost turns left, then the gently descending path leads to a picturesque meadow. An exciting section follows, climbing over a fence and crossing a small wooden bridge over the Csenke stream - or, in the absence of water, the dry riverbed. Soon the winding path leads out onto the dirt roads of Esztergom's resort area, opposite a huge corral with horses standing in it.

At the T-junction, continue straight on. On the right the P sign rejoins and soon leaves us. We reach the Fári well, with its many benches and fireplaces, which are popular with the locals in good weather. It's certainly not because of the water from the spring, which is usually not very plentiful, so don't expect to be able to refill your empty bottles here.

The Iron Gate Mountain

After the spring, the Z sign turns right, we follow the Z+ parallel to the bowl of the Deep Valley, we climb the Iron Gate. The forest looks untidy, with fallen trees that have been here for years, decades, completely covered in moss, and in their placeThe forest has been covered with moss for decades, some of it even blocking the tourist path, but let's not be too hasty: dead wood is one of the most important elements of the natural forest, a habitat for birds, mammals, fungi and amphibians. The forest manager is therefore prioritising ecological 'benefits' over economic ones in this area, and the forest is not used for timber production.

The continuous, tiring climb ends after a good kilometre. Several signs join up on the left, we stay on the right-turning Z+. A pleasant, pretty path leads up from the saddle to the viewing platform below the Gyula Brilli shelter. Our attention is first drawn by the cars of the Suzuki factory, with Strázsa Hill behind them and the Nagy-Gete on the other side of the Pilisvörösvári ditch. In front of us is the city, beyond it the plains of the Kisalföld, hugged by the bend of the Danube. To the right is Párkány, the Maria Valéria Bridge, the Esztergom Basilica and the mouth of the Garam, and on a clear day the steaming chimneys of the Moh nuclear power plant. If you continue along the hiking trail, you will reach the shelter. The hut is a fitting end to your tour, and you can stop here for a refreshing drink.with a refreshing drink, and enjoy the magnificent panorama from the inn's fan-shaped observation deck. If you feel like it, you can also choose from a wide selection of dishes in the restaurant.

Leave the clearing of the lodge by taking the P sign and a flight of steps. On the right, you pass a shrine of St Mary, then cross the asphalt road up the mountain twice to reach the kopar above Esztergom. These were once huge vineyards, which were unfortunately completely wiped out by the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century. Our route takes us past a crucifixion, then past a fire pit to the wild and scenic Hármas rock. This is actually four blocks of rock carved out of volcanic rock, which have been used as quarries because of their timeless material and easy access. It's worth walking around the formation, between the towering boulders. Some people dispute the natural formation of the boulders: they consider them to be the remains of the walls of Ancient Buda Castle, and in 2004 a double cross was erected to commemorate this bygone era.

The P sign leads on through dense undergrowth. On the right, behind a picturesque meadow, the first houses of Esztergom can be seen, and behind them the rock formations of the Helembai hills. At a fork, the Z sign goes straight down into the centre of the town, we turn left onto the P sign. We continue along unmarked country lanes around the town for 1 km until we reach the Calvary road. This charming little street with its row of cellars lined with houses is a reminder of the vineyards in the area, which once saw better days but were completely destroyed by the phylloxera epidemic. Soon you come to the Dobogókői road, then you wind for another 1 km until you reach theuntil you reach the Esztergom railway station on the P sign.