In the Footsteps of Buddha, Castle Panorama, and Barrows

Itinerary

• From the bus stop, we head north following the K trail marker.
• On the Kovácsi Hill plateau, at the rain shelter, turn right towards the Peace Stupa along an unmarked path.
• Return to the K trail marker and continue our journey.
• At the Tátika benches, go straight ahead on the KL trail to the castle keep.
• Return along the same path to the K trail.
• At the Hidegkút excavation road, turn right following the K+ trail marker.
• In Zalaszántó, turn left at the end of Vadász Street, and return to the bus stop on the K trail.

Detailed Tour Description

Values of Zalaszántó

From the bus stop, head north on the K trail. On the opposite side of the street stands the small, squat Saint Vendel Chapel. It has a semicircular apse, and behind the sanctuary covering the entire width of the nave, a stout, low tower with an octagonal spire built secondarily protrudes behind the hedge in front of it. Local tradition considers this medieval, but neither excavation nor wall research has clarified its origin so far. It was likely built next to the manor house of a member of the Gersei Pethő family. The chapel was renovated in 1828 and consecrated in honor of Saint Vendel, the patron saint of herdsmen and shepherds.

We pass the manor buildings, then the trail turns left in front of the charming Gingerbread Museum and leads past the Kotsy watermill. There has already been a mill on this site since the Turkish times; in an 1876 census, the village had 4 watermills and an oil mill recorded. The Major János watermill was acquired in the 1950s by the still-living Nándor Kotsy. The mill on the Kovácsi (Zerna) creek, after the change in ownership, was used only for grinding, powered first for a short time by a 390 cm diameter overshot waterwheel, later by electric power. By the mid-1970s, it only ground animal feed grains. The Balaton Uplands National Park purchased the building in 2000 and converted it into a visitor center by 2005. It had to be closed in 2020 for renovation, expected to reopen in 2021.

Crossing the Kovácsi creek, after about half a kilometer we reach the Arany Jancsi bend. In the local outlaw's deep valley, which a few years ago was still lined with old white acacias, loess preserved in the southern foot of the hill emerges in several places.

Another 500 m brings us to the Saint Donát Chapel. Donatus, once bishop of Arezzo, is the patron saint of vineyard workers and viticulturists, who pray to him especially against hail, lightning, and other natural disasters. Hence, there are many vineyard chapels named after him in the area. Construction proceeded slowly: from 1860, the funds came annually from donated must, hunting fees, and fines, and the chapel was only completed in autumn 1914. It offers a beautiful view southward over the dolomite massif of the Keszthely Mountains, with the ruins of Rezi Castle and the Láz Hill lookout. In the distance, Badacsony and the waters of Lake Balaton also appear, while to the east, the Kis- and Nagy-Láz hills formed of basalt close the view.

Continuing, we soon reach a cross erected in 1899, where we turn right, then after another deep valley, we arrive at Derékhegy’s uppermost panoramic vineyard road. We pass a sandstone crucifix, then near the uppermost cellars, we enter the forest covering the hilltop. At the rain shelter, turn right and spot the white stupa and meditation center among the trees.

The Peace Stupa

Located in the Human Rights Park, this 30-meter-high and 24-meter-wide snow-white structure contains Buddha’s relic (a finger joint), his recorded teachings, and a 24-meter-high tree of life. The Peace Stupa is one of Europe's largest Buddhist shrines. The Buddha statue visible on the southeast side was made in South Korea; it symbolizes the enlightened mind and serves as a symbol of wisdom, compassion, and peace. The 14th Dalai Lama personally consecrated the Peace Stupa in 1993.

The meditation house belonging to the Milarepa Meditation Center, built in 2014, shows Far East stylistic features. Its interior walls feature murals depicting Buddha's life, offering visitors the opportunity for longer or shorter periods of quiet reflection. A gift shop also offers restroom facilities.

Across to Tátikahidegkút

Returning to the rain shelter, we continue on the K trail. We pass through beautiful beech woods and descend to the Kovácsi spring. Under the valley's narrowing oak forest, rich in wild garlic, spring snowdrops, and noble liverwort, we proceed. Passing between the Hermán Lake quarry and the alder swamp on the opposite side, we circle Hermán Lake Hill, which is the remains of a Pliocene fault volcano. Its building rocks include calcite and natrolite crystals. After the field edges, we walk through a red oak forest that transitions to candles lower down, reaching the Kovácsi meadow, where the characteristic hill of Tátika and the imposing rock face of the Great Holy Cross are visible. On the opposite side of the road connecting Sümeg and Keszthely lies the Tátikahidegkút estate.

The currently insignificant location was donated in 1257 by Bishop Zlaudus and his brothers to the Diocese of Veszprém. A 1341 document mentions 21 lots (about 100 residents) in the wasteland. In 1438, it is recorded as a customs station, probably lasting until the 17th century, then mentioned as uninhabited from 1668 onward. Afterwards, the Hidegkút estate was built here. Its excellent spring water quality is evidenced by the Festetics family's attempt to channel it more than 15 km in a straight line to their castle.

Up to Tátika

Crossing the road, we follow the trail on a sandy deposit left by the Pannonian Sea; entering the forest, we slowly climb the hillside of Tátika. Arriving at the northern edge of the plateau, we walk in what was once the tidal zone of the Pannonian Sea, as evidenced by water-polished (abrasive) dolomite gravel found along the road and its surroundings.

From here, our increasingly steep path leads alongside huge basalt rocks onto the plateau, formed by the volcano’s initial eruption. The black, columnar basalt formed then is only at the plateau edges, creating beautiful rock walls (Little and Great Holy Cross). Four caves are found in the rocks, the longest (39 m) is the Tátika Stone Cave formed by landslides. Around the basalt edge of Upper Tátika, significant debris slopes formed from post-basalt movements and erosion.

The Final Steep Climb

At the rest area created at the meeting point of the K and KL trails, several bench-table sets serve refreshing breaks. Sparse foliage allows clear views of the castle ruins and traces of fortifications of various ages beneath the walls. Following the KL trail straight ahead, we tackle another steep section to conquer the slag cone towering on the hilltop. The uphill journey alters the forest landscape due to the slope and constant human presence from the castle. Disturbance indicator plants such as black elderberry, nettle, and greater celandine become frequent, as well as the fleshy dogwood bush typical of the steep south-facing slopes. On the right side of the path, remains of parallel Bronze Age earthen ramparts appear in several places.

Here we walk steeply up on gray-patched, vesicular, and slaggy basalt from the second eruptive phase to the castle. In the case of Tátika, magma bubbling up from below bypassed earlier stocks and ore deposits, got stuck 100-250 meters deep below the ancient surface in Pannonian layers. The peak is essentially the preserved remains of a volcanic conduit (chimney).

Tátika Castle Keep

Entering the castle gate, we first see the castle walls reconstructed in 2000. From the castle courtyard, a beautiful panorama unfolds over the southern dolomite block of the Keszthely Mountains (opposite are the ruins of Rezi Castle), the Szántói and Zsidi basins, and the Tapolca basin witness hills. Beyond Zalaszántó to the southwest, the long, wind-sculpted valleys of the Zala Hills divide the landscape. To the west, in front of Kovácsi Hill, early Iron Age princely barrows rise from the grasslands, now covered by groups of trees. On autumn mornings, a particularly beautiful sight can be seen when fog settles in valleys and basins, and the forest-covered mountains appear mosaic-like below. From the castle walls, Sümeg and Csobánc castles and the Hegyestű are clearly visible.

King Béla IV granted permission to build the castle keep in 1248 to Bishop Zlaudus from the Kaplony clan. Later owners included several Hungarian kings and noble families such as Lackfi, Gersei Pethő, and Festetics. Its importance is shown by a 1423 document stating that county assemblies were held multiple times in the three-story building, accompanied by many legends and anecdotes.

According to one, Count Gábor Pethő of Gerse, the castle’s former lord, had a daughter named Klára, who was kind-hearted but unfortunately born lame. She spent her time watching the countryside from the window of her room. Her father, a true magnate, tried everything, but after many years failed to cure his beautiful daughter with either doctors or wise women. In his sorrow, he drowned his pain in great hunts and revelries. During one hunt, he wounded a wild boar that was about to skewer a poor old shepherd from Egregy, when the lord of Csobánc Castle, Sándor Rezi, happened to be nearby. The outstanding, valiant knight immediately killed the animal, saving the old man. From there, his path led below Tátika, where he saw Klára in the window of the highest tower. They immediately fell in love, but because the two families were ancient enemies, he could not enter the castle immediately. One day, unable to bear it any longer, he visited Gábor Pethő to ask for his daughter’s hand, winning it in an all-night party and a one-and-a-half-hour duel the next day. When their enmity became known, a few days later, the old shepherd took Sándor to a bog lake surrounded by dense bushes, visited only by animals and poor people seeking healing. Within a week, Gábor Pethő had many workers build a decorated small hut by the lake shore, where Klára healed for three weeks. Then he sent word to Csobánc and Tátika that they could come for her. Since then, Lake Hévíz has helped many with locomotor diseases.

Secrets of the Primeval Beech Forest

We return to the K trail, which winds gently among monumental remains of old trees rising to the sky and their fallen companions. The hill’s name comes from the former Tátika (Thadeuca/Thadeuc/Thade) clan, whose members held nationwide high offices in the 12th-13th centuries. Their power is shown by them ‘chasing home’ the county army sent against them for plundering Bishop Zlaudus’s Szántó estate. They owned the hill until the end of the Mongol invasion; their former castle stood above the Great Holy Cross rock face and included a small chapel. At that time, the plateau hosted a village of about 30 households, evidenced by numerous pottery shards found there. However, some earlier Iron Age artifacts mixed in, as the plateau was certainly inhabited from that time.

In spring, wild garlic’s bright green leaves and white flowers cover everything beneath the huge beeches. In the strictly protected nature reserve’s interior, we suddenly see the Black Lake’s inland waterbed. No definitive explanation exists for its formation yet, but it and several nearby smaller depressions are at least partly artificial in origin.

Barrows of Hamvas Forest

From the plateau edge, we descend steeply on a slippery path after rains to the Hidegkút excavation road, turning right along the K+ trail. Beyond the first crossroad, we notice several 3-4 meter-high mounds beside the road. These early Iron Age burial mounds are similar to those on the Castle Meadow; more than 300 hide among the trees as burial places for nobles. Floris Rómer first reported barrows associated with the Hallstatt culture in 1861, then Árpád Csák, born in Zalaszántó and founder of the Balaton Museum, excavated two barrows in 1884. In one, a crouching skeleton coated in lime, a bronze-decorated gray and black ceramic pot, as well as deer antler pieces and boar tusks were found. Recent research suggests some mounds were also used as sacrificial sites. Unfortunately, several mounds were disturbed by treasure hunters, visible by demolition marks.

Return to Zalaszántó

Leaving Hamvas Forest, we need to cross the Köves brook on old bridge beams – though risky, so be prepared to wade across the stream to the opposite bank. Dry weather poses no problem, but heavy rains and spring thaws can complicate this. Afterward, we reach one of Keszthely Mountains’ largest red oak forests. This North American species was introduced to Hungary for its rapid growth, often planted near military installations. Exiting the red oak forest, about 50 meters to the left stands a more than 200-year-old sessile oak.

The next 400-meter section is most beautiful in early spring when spring starflowers and other geophytic species border the path like a carpet. We enter Zalaszántó at a three-room, Western Transdanubian smoked kitchen-stove-type farmhouse. Turning left at the street’s end, following the K trail, we return to the bus stop.