In Pursuit of Deadly Place Names in Pilis

Before we begin the route, it is important to mention that the itinerary-style route description was greatly aided by the booklet "Place Names in Pilis, or the Death-Route Badge Earning Trekking Campaign", which not only contains stories related to death place names but also explanations of other interesting place names. The hiking booklet written and edited by Géza Szádeczky-Kardos allows us to learn more about the Pilis and its history along about a 40 km route. We now recommend a slightly shorter, 30 km circular route that specifically visits place names related to death, while also passing many natural sights.

The tour linking the "deaths" on one route starts from Dobogókő, the highest point of the Visegrád Mountains. From the Baron Loránd Eötvös Shelter, we follow the blue trail eastward and reach Öreg-vágás Hill, our first death-related place name, after two kilometers.

Öreg-vágás

The name might suggest an old clearcut or glade, but in fact, this place name preserves a murder story. Allegedly, after the surrender at Világos following the 1848–49 revolution and war of independence, an old soldier was sadly heading home through the forest. While resting on the hilltop, a young man mowing nearby sneaked up behind him and with one slash cut off the soldier's head, then robbed his pockets and took his last pay. With the money thus obtained, he got drunk and later boasted about the source of the wine in the tavern. We don't know what happened to the cruel lad, but the name of the 654-meter hill still preserves his villainous deed.

We continue descending from the hill along the blue trail, then upon reaching the asphalt road, we turn right towards Vörös-dagonya. We follow this road with blue bicycle markings all the way to Kanyargós Stream, passing by Fagyos Katona (Frosty Soldier) on the way.

Fagyos Katona

The story of this soldier is hard to place in time. Nobody today remembers exactly whether it happened during the 1848–49 revolution and war of independence or during World War I, when in winter a soldier was returning home to his parents. The soldier, walking in a snowstorm in a thin coat, became completely frozen by the time he reached a tavern. They gave him pálinka and tried to keep him, but despite the harsh weather, he set off again home through the forest, carrying a bottle of wine. Weeks later, woodcutters found him curled up and frozen, covered with snow on the hillside. The half-drunk bottle was beside him. Some say the incident happened in the winter of 1848-49 involving a soldier on leave who was headed from Pilisszentkereszt to Vác, others say from Visegrád to Pilisszentkereszt. One thing is certain: once a wooden pole inscribed with "Fagyos Katona" stood on the southern side of Fekete Hill, but nowadays only the tourist map preserves its memory.

From Kanyargós Stream we climb on the blue cross trail to the blue stripe trail, where we turn left and after a few hundred meters reach the spectacular Zsivány Cliffs. Neither the map nor a cross marks József Ilacsek’s death, but the story says it happened on the southern side of the glade here.

Ilacsek’s Death

During World War II, the front line stood here for a long time, and Russian soldiers stationed in the area cut down many trees for firewood and war purposes. Since it was winter, the trees were felled above the snow surface, which after snowmelt left the forest disfigured with stumps a meter high. In the difficult post-war times, the forestry allowed villagers to cut stumps for firewood. József Ilacsek went to the forest with his twelve-year-old son when the tragedy happened. While working, the father, wearing shorts and half-naked, was struck by a sharp wood splinter flying off from an axe blow. The heavily bleeding man from the abdominal artery had earlier sent his son to fetch a wagon, so he could not expect help. By the time the boy returned, he found his father already dead, sitting in a pool of blood.

After about 2 km along the yellow cross trail from Zsivány Cliffs, we reach Döme’s Death. We cross the road leading to Dobogókő and then turn onto the Roman Road, passing the Devil’s Cave.

Döme’s Death

The accident of Domokos Pápai, a forestry engineer, is not surrounded by legends or guesses. It happened in 1957 when they placed marking rods near Vaskapu Valley for logging. During the work, the engineer shouted to a young man: "Throw me a marker rod!" The young man threw the iron-tipped rod toward the sound, but it hit a tree branch and the branch injured the engineer’s neck so severely that he bled to death on the spot. It is said the boy responsible for the accident was punished and was called "Executioner" in the village; he later went mad and committed suicide.

After passing the Mária-pad resting place, we follow the red cross trail through the wild Vaskapu Valley. Upon reaching the winding asphalt road on Pilis Peak, we turn left and continue along the trail to reach Simon’s Death, one of the oldest place names in Pilis. This probably explains why there are several stories and legends about Simon’s Death. But who was Simon? Which story is true? We will probably never know; in any case, several explanations exist.

Simon’s Death

One story says that when conquering Turks burnt down the nearby Holy Cross Monastery and killed everyone, Father Simon managed to escape and hide in a nearby cave. After a few days, the Turks found him and demanded the monastery’s treasures. Eventually, they killed Simon too by throwing him off a rock on Pilis Peak.

Others say a wise old hermit named Simon lived here in a cave or a hut leaning against rocks. His kind heart was always open to patients and advice-seekers from neighboring villages. Later, death caught him here, and locals buried him nearby. People preserved his memory in the place name Simon’s Death.

A legend also says Queen Gertrudis—wife of King Andrew II—punished one of her murderers, Simon Bán, by throwing him down from these cliffs. We can also read about a forest ranger and hunter named Simon who were killed here by poachers, as well as an unfortunate tourist who died falling from the cliffs.

For a long time, nothing marked where Simon’s Death happened. Where the map shows Simon’s Death label, now a thin cross made of twigs stands at the intersection of the red cross and green tourist paths. Perhaps someone erected it in memory of the unknown Simon.

Not far from here, following the red cross and then the red stripe trail, we reach the resting place at Pilis Saddle, a hub of nearby hiking paths. Once, here stood a Soviet memorial dedicated to 16 Ukrainian soldiers who fell in battles at Pilis Saddle during World War II. The current memorial no longer honors just the heroes but all war victims. From the resting place, following the yellow trail via Pilisszenlelk, we can quickly reach the Barát-kút Forestry Lodge, and from there, according to the map, on the yellow cross (in fact the blue maple trail) to Enyedi’s Death. But before that, with a short detour, we can visit the splendid viewpoint at Fekete-kő on the green triangle, or with a longer detour on the green trail, visit the impressive Black Hill “Eagle’s Nest” guesthouse.

Enyedi’s Death

István Enyedi was a forester in the 1920s who lived at the Barát-kút Forestry Lodge under the Maróti Mountains. In the annex of this house lived Hugo Kirerer, a gamekeeper known for his quick temper and rudeness, with his wife. The wife often fled Enyedi’s place to escape Kirerer’s abuse, who was anyway not on good terms with the forester. The husband became jealous and once killed the forester in a nearby forest section named Tetves while the forester was going to collect hunting cartridges from a colleague. Kirerer dragged the corpse into a puddle, trying to fake drowning.

Some say it was not murder. The rude gamekeeper had many enemies who spread this story about him. In fact, the old forester just fell ill on the ascent, possibly dying of a heart attack. Others believe Enyedi was killed by poachers or wood thieves because he caught them. One thing is sure: a cross still stands beside the green stripe tourist trail marking where István Enyedi died.

From the Enyedi Cross, we follow the green trail along the ridge with beautiful views of the area, then at Égett-hárs (Burnt Linden) continue on the green cross trail. North of this junction, on the eastern side of the Upper and Lower Ecset Hills, are the nearby Csehhalál and Német Gyerek Halála on the map. No crosses mark the exact sites of these tragedies; they survive only as place names.

Csehhalál (Czech Death)

The story of Czech Death does not have to be sought too far in the past. It is likely named after a Czechoslovak airplane that crashed on the eastern side of Upper Ecset Hill in the 1950s. Little is known about the incident because the plane reportedly was unauthorized in Hungarian airspace, and authorities did not allow anyone on the crash site, so only rumors remain instead of precise accounts.

Német Gyerek Halála (German Child’s Death)

The sad story of German Child’s Death is about a father and son who arrived for guest hunting in Pilismarót sometime in the early 20th century. While hunting deer, they left the gamekeeper behind, who only later, following the sound of gunshots, found the heavily intoxicated father who said he shot at game, which ran away, and that he could not find his son. The gamekeeper could not search for the boy at night in bad weather, having to support the drunk father down the hill. The next day, at the hunting site, the boy was found frozen in blood, presumably shot by his father who mistook him for a deer or other wild animal.

From Égett-hárs, we follow the green cross trail to Hoffman's hunting lodge and spring, then climb to Szakó Saddle. After a red trail change, we continue on the Téry Trail, which passes many tourist memorials, all the way to Dobogókő, the end and start of our route. Our nearly 30 km circular tour not only covered sites of misfortune but also the varied and spectacular landscapes of Pilis and Visegrád Mountains, which besides death-related place names offer many others with various themes.