Olasz-kapu nature trail – circular route in the heart of the Bükk plateau

Itinerary

Almost the entire route follows the Olasz-kapu nature trail managed by the Bükk National Park Directorate, marked with the K/ sign.

• From the Olasz-kapu parking lot, we follow the K/ sign to the split after Zsidó-rét, at Keskeny-rét.
• To reach the Három-kő lookout, we need to take a short detour from the end of Keskeny-rét along the Z▲ sign.
• From Keskeny-rét, we again follow the K/ sign passing Tar-kő, the Primeval Forest, and Káposztáskerten up to the Káposztáskerti-lápa junction.
• At the Káposztáskerti-lápa junction, turn right onto the K+ sign, which we follow only briefly to the first turnoff.
• From the turnoff, take a right detour following the K+ and K/ signs, climbing up to Kőrös-lyuk, then returning the same way down.
• Returning below the Fekete-sár forester’s lodge, at the junction, turn right onto the K+ sign, which we follow to the Fekete-sár meadow.
• At the Fekete-sár meadow, turn left onto the K/ sign, which leads back through the Olasz-kapu to the parking lot.

Detailed description of the hike

Across undulating meadows

We start our route at the Olasz-kapu parking lot, following the K/ trail of the Olasz-kapu nature trail. The Olasz-kapu rock cut was originally created in 1918 for the freight narrow-gauge railway operating here. It was named because the work was done under the direction of Gáspár Thurzó by 18 Italian prisoners of war. The freight railway ran on the plateau until the 1940s, and its old track is still visible in many places today.

The initial part of our hike leads along a narrow paved road, bordered on both sides by flowery meadows from spring to autumn, with beech forests and planted spruce plantations rising behind. The planting of spruces began in the Bükk in the first half of the 19th century to meet the growing demand for softwood.

Our route crosses the most notable hay meadows of the plateau, along the Fekete-sár–Zsidó-rét–Keskeny-rét line, which is incredibly beautiful in its spring and summer floral splendor. Originally, forests stood where these meadows now are, but they were cut down from the 18th–19th centuries for glassworks, iron forges, and after the two world wars, for country rebuilding needs requiring wood. The cleared areas were later used for mowing and grazing, so the forest never regenerated.

Even a layperson can notice rounded depressions on the meadows. These are dolines, the characteristic surface forms of karst regions, ranging in size from a few meters to several hundred meters, and many of them can be seen locally. They were formed by waters of streams that sawed through the formerly soft volcanic layer that once covered the terrain, dissolving sinkholes in the limestone.

Wide panoramic views

After leaving the undulating, winding, and partially rocky surface of Zsidó-rét, we reach Keskeny-rét. At its end, with a short detour along the Z▲ sign, we arrive at the easternmost closing member of the Bükk plateau's "rock range," the Három-kő rock outcrop.

The southern edge of the Nagy-fennsík is lined by the 800-900 m high "Bükk rocks" (Három-kő, Tar-kő, Vörös-kő, Pes-kő, Őr-kő, Bél-kő), whose white cliffs are visible from afar, offering unmatched panoramas. Below the nearly vertical limestone layers of the rock range are slate rocks that erode faster, wearing away beneath the limestone, whose massive blocks have collapsed. This is still visible in this beautiful white rock ridge.

While on the viewing rocks, in addition to the panorama, it is worth looking around our immediate surroundings, as species-rich limestone rock grasslands, steppe meadows, dogwood and hazel shrublands alternate. The rock grasslands and steppe meadows are especially rich in Orthoptera insects such as grasshoppers and locusts, while cliff walls are home to species like the dawn redstart, raven, and peregrine falcon.

The 904 m high Három-kő offers the widest panorama among the "rocks." From here, you can see the southern part of the Bükk, the neighboring Tar-kő, with Kékes visible in the background, and to the east (in clear weather), the silhouette of Tokaji Nagy-hegy is also outlined.

We return from Három-kő to the nature trail and continue the hike ascending through sunny, flowery meadows into the forest. Soon we reach the next and highest member of the "Bükk rocks," the 950 m high Tar-kő, where we can admire the Southern Bükk below again, and if the air is not too humid, even the Tisza Lake’s water surface shimmers in the distance. Valuable species like the pasque flower, woodland anemone, thick-headed woodrush, and scaly male fern live on Tar-kő. Among the Orthoptera insects, the saw-legged grasshopper deserves mention, being the country’s largest insect: its size from the tip of its antennae to the end of the ovipositor can reach up to 15 cm.

A glimpse of the Primeval Forest

As we descend into the forest from Tar-kő, pits a few meters in diameter appear here and there; these are the traces of former lime-burning kilns. The science of lime burning (like viticulture and trout farming) was likely introduced in the 13th century by Cistercian monks invited by King Béla IV to the Bélapátfalva region. During lime burning, the visible pits were first dug, then the kiln walls were lined with limestone blocks standing on or hiding in the forest floor. The interior was then filled with limestone, arranged higher and higher to create igloo-shaped structures. A hole was left at the kiln base through which the fire was continuously fed. The limestone was calcined at 900-1000 °C over 3-4 days, during which carbon dioxide and impurities were driven off, producing quicklime.

Descending from Tar-kő, the route turns toward the center of the plateau, passing through the Virágos-sár hill slope where the famous Primeval Forest is located, one of the most beautiful and oldest stands of the country’s high-altitude beech forests. As the Primeval Forest is a protected forest reserve, no hiking trail crosses it, but we can observe it from its edge, seeing a forest untouched by forestry for a long time.

The 25-hectare area ceased logging in the early 19th century, and in 1942 Count Pallavicini removed the entire area from management, dedicating it to scientific research purposes. So, it’s not a true virgin forest, but since the forest stand has been unmanaged for a long time, it now resembles a natural forest scene. After reaching the fenced area, we first climb up, then descend to its western gate. The next slightly ascending valley section follows the former narrow-gauge railway track running through Tótfalusi Valley, which transported wood on a line linked to the plateau by a wood slide and cableway.

Spectacular cave at the end of the hike

We are near the hike’s end, but sights still await on the narrow trail winding through dark forest and sometimes pine plantation. Before Káposztáskerti-lápa, we can cautiously peek into the Káposztáskerti collapse. The 12 m deep, pit-like vertical cavity was explored between 1995 and 1999. Be careful to look around cautiously, as there is no barrier around the gaping, deep mouth of this cave-like sinkhole.

Not far from here, another cave opens, accessible from the nature trail and definitely worth a visit. Continuing through the doline-filled valley, we soon reach a junction where we can either return directly to the Olasz-kapu parking lot or take a detour on the trail route to Kőris-hegy, where the country’s highest spring cave is located. For this, turn to the K+ sign (right), from which a short distance earlier turn right onto the forestry road following the K/ sign. We ascend through beech forest, finally leaving the cleared road and switching to a path leading into an apparently unremarkable hollow.

The Kőrös-lyuk or Kőrös-cave, located at 932 m altitude, has from outside only a beautifully arched entrance under a wide rock wall. Yet, once inside, a huge window looks "down on us" onto the forest. The cave is strictly protected but freely accessible. A headlamp is useful to explore smaller and darker inner chambers. The large researched cave chamber has yielded bones of cave lions and cave bears, and archaeological finds suggest Neolithic humans also sought shelter here.

After admiring the cave, it is just a narrow quarter of an hour back to the starting point. First, descend again along the K/ sign, then walk right along the K+ sign beneath the Fekete-sár forester’s lodge. This charming building featured in the film Simon Menyhért születése, depicting hard winters in the past and the isolation of the Bükk plateau. Following the forestry road, we soon return to the Fekete-sár meadow, where once again turning left onto the nature trail K/ sign leads back to Olasz-kapu. Crossing the symbolic but real gate of the Bükk plateau, we reach the parking lot.