From the Rusyn village to the Árpád-era castle

Itinerary:

• From the bus stop we start eastwards following the P trail towards the center of the settlement.
• At the Kisposta we turn right onto the PL trail, on which we walk to Pusztavár.
• From the castle ruins we descend back to Komlóska on the PT trail.
• At the end of the route, we follow the P trail turning right in the village back to the bus stop.

Detailed description of the route:

At the border of Komlóska

From the bus stop we start along the P trail eastwards towards the village center, then at the junction below the church hill we turn right onto the PL trail. (Along the way we can visit on the left the thatched Rusyn folk house, which is an authentic memorial of an old world, of the people who once lived here.) Descending to the stream bank, we cross the Nagy-Egres stream flowing through the settlement, and cross on a small hill on the other side to its branch, into the shallow valley of the Hollós stream. Komlóska is first mentioned in the 14th century, and after the troubled Hussite times and imperial army devastations in the area, the village revived due to the intercession of Francis II Rákóczi with Rusyn settlers. This eastern connection is shown by the Greek Catholic church from the early 19th century standing on the hill above the houses.

As we also cross the Hollós stream at the edge of the village and climb the hillside, looking back we see the rooftops, the Nagy-Egres stream valley, and the surrounding hills. Wide bands of mountain meadows interrupted by groups of trees stretch around the village nestled among the slopes. Otherwise dense forest-covered hills surround the basin. The volcanic crown formed by the Szkalka, Barlang, Mogyorós, and Svinerka mountains is closed by Nagy-Papaj. The names also reveal the Slavic origin of the population settling the area, but the range of meadows above the village typical of the Carpathian region speaks even louder.

On the side of Pusztavár

From the meadow above the Hollós stream, we enter the forest populating the hillside, where at first oak and beech mingle, then along the forestry road only beech remains the dominant tree species, which survives despite the low altitude. The wide gravel road with a gentle slope leads us westward directly under the Pusztavár, where from an intersection we sharply turn onto the steep hillside.

Over the next few hundred meters we tackle most of the elevation gain—fortunately at first still relatively gently, then after about two hundred meters the steepness increases significantly. The shade of old beech trees softens our tough climb, and luckily the northern side and the closed canopy create a mild climate. We reach the saddle of the flat ridge from where we turn west towards the summit of Pusztavár. One last climb on the bushy, rocky volcanic cone, and we reach the ruins of Pusztavár.

At the Pusztavár viewpoint

The castle itself occupies the highest point, but don't expect bold towers or a castle dominating the region: the proud fortification was demolished to the foundations over the long centuries. Even after the restoration works the 14th-century castle can be recognized only by its foundations; on the hilltop one can see a pile of stones a couple of meters high from the western wall and the meter-high bases of the northern and southern bastions marking the two endpoints.

During the preservation works, however, the bushy, tree-group-covered hilltop that obstructed the view was completely cleared, so we can enjoy a captivating panorama from the two bastions. To the south, the adjacent Black Hill's densely forested slope stretches to the wooded saddle of Vég-hegy towering above Erdőhorvát. Thanks to this hollow, we can see the Tolcsva stream valley, the pastures and vineyards between Erdőhorvát and Tolcsva, the Bodrog floodplain at the bottom of which the Tokaji Hill spreads its wide skirt on the plain of the Great Plain. However, dominant is the series of volcanic mountains starting with the Tokaji Hill; one of their largest blocks is Szokolya, widely spreading in front of us with a regular, rounded cone. Below it, the houses of Erdőhorvát appear, and to the north we can scan the endless wooded row of volcanic cones forming the central part of the mountain range.

The view, the panorama, elevates Pusztavár among the most beautiful viewpoints of the mountain range. Nevertheless, this summit is less known, so there is no need to fear crowds, in fact, we rarely meet anyone on the paths leading here. The downward nature trail from the summit is quite rarely used, its route is difficult to follow, but it reveals a wilder side of the mountain.

Back to Komlóska

Under the northern bastion of the castle, the PT trail turns left into the bushy forest, which is recommended to follow only for adventurous hikers. It winds down a very steep, scree- and rocky slope on a barely visible path, and within the first hundred meters leads to another viewpoint. The andesite tower rising above the bushes and downy oaks originates from the Miocene volcanic material that built most of the mountain range. The mountain’s material is typically formed by debris and lava layers deposited one atop another in layers characteristic of stratovolcanoes, and where the harder, fossilized lava emerges, it forms walls and towers. We stand on such a rock, from where there is a nice view of Komlóska and the mountains surrounding the village. Where there are no rock formations, we still encounter the material of the former lava flow everywhere: on the northern side we descend between moss-covered andesite screes.

At first, the path gently heads left, northwest, then turns right near a large overhanging rock wall towards Komlóska. From here we walk under the rock outcrops, and as the elevation decreases we descend on an increasingly gentle, comfortable route. In the towering forest, we reach a forest clearing, where on its western part, in the shade of old beech trees, we pass the cozy Rákóczi spring lined with stones. Its fresh water can quench our thirst and elevated pulse caused by climbing and exciting descent. According to legend, the prince drank from the spring's water while hunting, which is where its name comes from. Thanks to the old trees and the comfortably leading path, the atmosphere of the clearing is truly princely.

After the tiring steep section, from here on we return to the village on a wide glade on a well-marked route. Shortly after the spring we reach the familiar path, but this time we can continue straight down from the mountain following the PT trail in the most direct direction. At the bottom of the slope, we reach the terrace of the Nagy-Egres stream, where we have to navigate back to the village’s main street somewhat awkwardly among the gardens of the local farmers. Solving this puzzle, the reward is the cozy, shady terrace of the Gomba café at the edge of the village. From here we just walk back to the bus stop, following the P trail (to the right).