Panoramic walk at the gate of the Mecsek

Itinerary

• Starting from Mecsekjánosi, we follow the yellow Szent Márton út (StM) marking down to the foot of Kisbattyán.
• From Kisbattyán, we set off on the Z trail into the Cseresznyés-patak valley.
• From the signpost marking the Csonka Ferenc spring, we follow an unmarked wheel track straight ahead.
• Before Magyaregregy, at a woodland delta junction, we first turn left, then right, and finally left again.
• Upon reaching Magyaregregy, we follow the P+ trail through the streets leading us to the village center.

Detailed description of the route

On the edge of the Komló coal basin

We leave the Komló road crossing Mecsekjánosi against the direction of the railway on the yellow Szent Márton út (StM) marking. The former mountain village was attached to the city during the boom of Komló's mining in the 1950s and has since merged with it. Its roots are much older: not far from the hiking trail, in the valley bordering our hill to the south, ruins of a Roman villa were found. As in many nearby villages, German settlers established themselves in Jánosi after the Turkish occupation. In 1880, a certain Adolf Engel bought an estate near today's settlement, built a castle, and played a decisive role by the end of the 19th century in the development of Komló into a mining town: following the advice of an engineer from Selmecbánya, he deepened the vertical shaft, revealing the vast coal reserves. The area had been mined on the surface for many decades by then, and horizontal tunnels were also operational, but large-scale deep mining only began thanks to the bold enterprise of the landowning industrialist—he named the successful mine after his wife Anna.

Our path ascends the hill, following a fence, crossing open terrain and then a wooded pasture. Locals used to pasture their animals here and produce feed. Since the forest was not allowed to return to the hills, after a wooded section a view opens to the right revealing the densely populated Komló basin area lined with houses. From this angle, the lively terrain conceals the heavy architectural legacy of the socialist industrial city, but in the background, the striking sight of the Misina and Tubes ridges rising high with towers, and the featureless long back of Jakab Hill stand out.

Thanks to coal, electrification started relatively early in Komló; until the end of mining, there was sufficient fuel for the local heating plant. Nowadays, biomass and partly natural gas fuel the boilers, and small to large solar parks appear on the surrounding sunny hills and waste heaps, linking green sources to the city's energy mix. Below us, in the aptly named “Közüzemi völgy” (Utility valley) slope, a cross track makes use of the terrain. After the absence of solar panels, the hiking trail leads into the forest, where it follows a forestry track between hornbeams, oaks, and beeches.

Memory of catacombs deep in the hills

On the other side, we step onto asphalt and turn left into Kisbattyán, a village built on a steep hillside that looks somewhat grotesque as if tilted. It was attached to Komló in the 1950s; its single street is lined on both sides by white-walled, porch-fronted houses preserving the architectural heritage of the German-speaking population settled after the Turkish destruction. Its name bears the imprint of the 18th century when the Batthyány family owned Komló and its surroundings.

Descending near the valley bottom, the street ends, and turning left, following the Z trail, we reach a clearing. We cross a meandering creek under a row of trees and a wide open hillside opens up opposite. We remain in the Cseresznyés valley and enjoy the idyllic view of the riverside clearing for a long time. Where the terrain begins to undulate gently, a signpost next to a group of trees points the way a few meters right to the Csonka Ferenc spring, hidden behind the next stand of trees. The reservation sign shows the emblem of scouts using the meadow, a lily. The spring dries up only during long droughts. It is named after a leading figure of the banned scout movement replaced by the communist regime with the pioneer movement, who was also a parish priest. He held secret meetings and discussions for young people in the “catacombs” of a basement church in Pécs until he was arrested and imprisoned. He was later released and continued his pastoral work, eventually dying under controversial circumstances. The remote location of the spring symbolically reflects the harsh “catacomb period” of scouting, but here the oppressive atmosphere of the hiding places is replaced by the liberatingly calm air of the clearing at the end of the world.

Through the gate of the Mecsek

Here we leave the marking and follow straight the wheel track digging into the forest. Crossing a large, tree-framed meadow on the far side of the narrow woodland belt, we begin climbing on a wide dirt road past a shrubbery clearing. Soon the trees disappear again, and we climb the hilltop on an open grassy ridge with a steep slope. To the right and behind, Komló's hilly surroundings reappear, and we can spot the small houses of Kisbattyán. From above, the substantial mountains near the Eastern Mecsek are already visible. We reach sorghum fields, increasingly found around Magyaregregy: more drought-resistant than corn, depending on the variety it can be cut twice a year, usable for animal feed, or even ethanol production.

Soon the trees close in again, and at a junction, we turn left. On the other side, the edge of another arable field welcomes us; we descend to the right. Meanwhile, we can observe undisturbed the Mecsek's predominantly mountainous character. Turning left at the next junction, we look deep into the forested, wide valley of Vár, above which the white walls of MÁrévár shine like a tiny eagle's nest. No trace remains of the earlier urban environment here; Magyaregregy sits at the valley bottom as a friendly mountainous village. Upon reaching the street, we join the P+ trail, which we follow to the village center. Here, at the end of our route, there is a pub, a shop, and a bus stop.

Detailed description of the route can be found under the Route description menu.