Sopron KÉK-frankos

The hike follows the K sign all the way. The 5th checkpoint of the tour, the White Cave, is reached by a detour on the KΩ sign.

Detailed description of the tour

The tour starts from Sopron, the "city of loyalty" with its Roman roots. It owes this title not only to its fateful referendum in 1921, but also to the armed resistance that won it. Our starting and finishing point is the Anger-Réti sports centre on Balfi út, or more precisely the Anger buffet, where we can park. The first pass is registered here , and then the first kilometres are spent sightseeing as we head west. The city is irresistible, with countless cultural and historical monuments to explore.But following the blue signposts will only give you a taste of what to expect. For those who want more than an easy hike and a beautiful badge, several days are needed.There are plenty of things to do and see here that will give you a great experience and relaxation.

The K sign approaches the city centre on Balfi Street, which is full of baroque buildings, and then from Pap Street to Bem and Endfordulat Streets.It turns up to the historic Fisherman's Street, and after the Eagle Square it continues along the Bécsi út. After crossing the main road 84, you will soon find yourself on the Coronation Hill, from where you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of thefrom where you can admire a panoramic view of the town with its towers and the surrounding Sopron hills.

The Coronation Hill

The 248-metre-high Coronation Hill (Königsberg) is the eastern spur of the Vienna Hill, which was the scene of important events in the 17th century. Sopron enjoyed its golden age as a free royal city during this period: Four Diets of the Kingdom of Hungary were held here, which meant that Sopron temporarily became the 'capital' of the Kingdom of Hungary, the coronation city.The Franciscan church in the main square was the venue of three coronation ceremonies, two of which were held during the actual coronation.two of which were held for the wife of the current monarch, who would be enthroned by marriage.

The first and the last coronation took place at the end of the Diet of 1625. Ferdinand was crowned by Péter Pázmány, Archbishop of Esztergom. Afterwards, the king went on horseback to the secular ceremony sites, including the hill in front of the Windmill Gate, where he made the famous pilgrimage to the Pázmitőrn Palace, where he was crowned by Pázmitdin of Pécs de la Porte de la Porte.sword to the four cardinal points, signalling that he was ready to defend the country against any threat from any direction. The place has since been called Crown Hill.

We continue northwards through the suburban surroundings of the Flower Valley neighbourhood. The name appears in Sopron documents as early as 1510 in the form of Blumental, when it was a holiday resort and resting place for the town. Here, directly along the Virágvölgyi road, stands our second verification point, the 18th century "Blumental". It was built by Gáspár Schaffer on his own land, on the site of an old wooden church. The chapel once included a sacristy, in which the hermit Simon Skopal lived, and which he later extended by adding a small choir loft, an anteroom, a room and a chamber. Later, after Joseph II's decree banning monastic orders, the hermit was forced to give up his solitary life and take up a secular life. He sewed mainly ecclesiastical vestments, and in his old age he died in a poorhouse. The hermitage has long since disappeared, but the small chapel, which has been a local monument since 2001, is still maintained today.

So far, our walk has not revealed much of the tour's eponymous theme, although in one or two gardens we have seen aThis is a clear sign that we are not far from the wine-growing region's fertile soil. For a while we continue along the garden houses of Csőszház Street, and then, as we reach the top of the vineyard, the impressive landscape of sunny rows of vines begins to unfold before us.of the sunny vineyards, and the striking outline of the Fertőmelléki hills in the distance, which largely obscure the not so distant Fertő river.

After a right turn, turn left onto the P+ sign and follow the road for a kilometre and a half.a detour of one and a half kilometres to reach the Old Hubertus Lookout - you descend through acacia woodland towards the plantations of the vineyard. After a few steps, you will find yourself in panoramic open terrain, one of the most beautifulof one of the most beautiful wine regions of Hungary, along the vineyards of the Fertő valley.

The Sopron wine region

At the foot of the Alps, next to Lake Fertő, the Sopron wine region has around 1800 hectares of vineyards. The vineyards are divided into two main blocks: the northern area between Fertő and Balf, and the southern area east of Sopron, as far as Fertőszentmiklós. The area owes its special climate to the largest saltwater lake in Central Europe, whose surface reflects the sun's rays.Its surface absorbs solar radiation, its water mass stores heat energy during the day and re-radiates it at night, and it also has a beneficial effect on air humidity.

In addition to the climate, the diversity of the soil has contributed to the development of the region's millennia-old vine culture. The wine-growing area itself is characterised by a bedrock of crystalline gneiss and mica schist and limestone, overlain by alluvial deposits of alluvium, clay, sandstone and loess, and in places brown forest soils. The vine was already present in Sopron in Roman times, but the first written record of the vineyard dates back to 1277. At that time, wine production was the main activity of the town.and marketing of wine, and enjoyed many privileges in this respect. One of these was the free transport of wine, which was a major business advantage for the Sopron wine.

In the pre-Filoxera era, white wine was the dominant wine in the area. A 20. Today, 80% of the area is planted with blue grapes, of which 60% is kékfrankos, which produces wines of unmistakable character.

The legend of the kékfrankos

The town of Sopron was occupied by the soldiers of Emperor Napoleon in May 1809. The locals were obliged to provide the soldiers with three meals a day and wine. During the occupation, more than 100 000 litres of wine had to be handed over to the French, which was very stressful for the locals, and drunken soldiers caused a lot of problems.

The legend of the birth of the name 'kékfrankos' also dates back to this period. According to the story, the 'poncichter' (farmers) who sold red wine to the French were the 'poncichter' (farmers) who sold the two-fermented red wine that was in circulation at the time.This cannot be true, of course, as white wine was still the dominant wine in the area at the time. Although the kékfrankos variety was already known at that time, it was only after the phylloxera raid at the end of the 19th century that it was planted on a large scale.

The blue road follows a row of vineyards and then an orchard on a farm to reach the third confirming point of the tour.the former prison cemetery, also known as 'Parcel 301 of Steinhida' , near the Jánostelep. In the fenced area, crosses and headstones commemorate the nine martyred revolutionaries who fought for the freedom of their country in 1956.

The village of Janostelepe is reached along the lure of the Rüsten vineyard, where you pass farms and then houses, small houses, and a small village of the "Rüsten".After a short distance, we arrive at the Tómalom residential and recreational area, 4 km from Sopron, but belonging to the town. We reach one of the attractions of the area, the VáThe lake, which gives the area its name, is available for both fishing and bathing.

The picturesque Pond Mill

The waters of this lake at the foot of a steep hill are believed to have been used to power mills as early as the 16th century, and some even believe that it existed in Roman times. In 1842, the idyllic setting inspired the then owner of the site to create a public baths. Developments in 1918 created a spa with a 14-room hotel and a restaurant.

The popularity of the place is evidenced by the fact that in the 1930s a number of summer villas were built next to the beach. The beautifully landscaped surroundings, together with the mill that still existed at the time, were destroyed in World War II. The beautiful surroundings of the spa have been rebuilt and are still welcoming beach lovers and relaxation seekers today.

After halfway around the lake and from the entrance to the Lake Mill Baths, the new restored lake is now a pleasant place to relax and enjoy the sun and the tranquillity of the surroundings.r steps away from the entrance of the thermal baths, we start the climb to the top of Goat Mountain. The climb is not very long, and if you are not too lazy, you can take the S sign (a few hundred metresup to the top itself, where you can get a bird's-eye view of the landscape from a lookout tower.

Detour to the lookout tower on Goat Hill

From the top level of the lookout tower, perched on the 208 m high hump of the Fertőmellék hillside, you can enjoy a magnificent panorama. Below you can see the green of the Szárhalmi forest stretching southwards, the waters of Lake Fertő glistening to the east, and theTo the southwest, the houses of Sopron can be seen, and behind them, the heights of the Sopron Hills dominate the skyline. Looking north, you can see Kismarton and the Lajta hills. Signs on the railing of the lookout help you to identify the sights.

Returning to the K sign, you head south along the back of the narrow hills, now a short distance from theB sign, which is the Amber themed trail.

Amber Trail

In ancient times, one of the most important trade routes was the Amber Road, which crossed EuropeEurope from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, and passed through Sopron's Roman predecessor, Scarbantias. The route was used mainly for transporting the Roman luxury commodity of the time, amber, as well as for communications and military purposes. This important route is commemorated by the 306-kilometre-long Bwhich starts from the former centre of the province of Pannonia, Deutsch-Altenburg (Petronell-Carnuntum) in Austria, and ends in Szentmárton (St. Martin an der Raab). The 28-kilometre-long section of the trail includes the Fertő valley, Sopron and the Sopron Hills.

In the Szárhalmi forest

In a completely different landscape to the one we have been on before, we continue along the back of the Fertőmelléki hills, which are essentially an extension of the Lajta mountains. We follow a narrow path through the dense mix of the Szárhalmi Forest. Although the map shows the ruins of a coal burner and the closed railway gate of ZsiváNy cave, which is sealed off by a railway bridge, do not offer much to see. The uneventful stretch of road nevertheless leads to an atmospheric, almost wilderness-like setting.

The mossy oaks and oak groves are interspersed with beech trees reminiscent of higher landscapes. In some places, karst scrub and steppe woodland divide the uniform vegetation, providing a special habitat for hundreds of species of plants.species, including rare and highly protected plants such as the blissful lady's slipper, fly bush, big centaury and ant thistle. In May, twenty-three different species of the highly protected orchids (basket orchids) bloom here.

We meander at a leisurely pace along the plateau until we cross the road linking the banks of the Fertő and Sopron. From here, a few uphill steps take you to the highest point in the area, the Pinty-tető, crowned with a geodesic tower. Here we find the fourth confirmation point of our tour. It's worth knowing that the door to the tower, which can be climbed up an iron ladder, is open, but it is forbidden to go up and it is dangerous!

From the tower, descend gently down the south side of the hill. The K sign slowly returns to the outskirts of Sopron, but before you leave the town behind you, you will reach the top of the hill.before leaving the village, there is a sight to see, which is reached by a detour on the KΩ sign. This is the White Cave, with a name that gives it away, located at the snow-white rock face of an abandoned quarry.

The White Cave

Of all the caves in the area, the White Cave is the largest rock cavern that can be visited, measuring 16 m long and 4 m high. The cave passages in the Szárhalmi quarry are described in old historical sources as theand legends have linked the cave passages to the former Hussite raiders' castle (the castle of Macskakő): It was considered to be part of a system of cellars under the castle. The truth is that the whitish barn limestone karsts were indeed made by human hands, but they were only used in the medieval period.They were formed during the medieval mining industry, as the limestone needed to make quicklime was quarried here.

From the cave, it's a few minutes' traipse down the hill, and turning onto Fehér út, you're on your way to the centre of Sopron. Here we follow the signs between houses, which soon lead to the roundabouts of the busy M85 motorway access roads. On this section you are on the cycle path, so use caution. After the roundabout on the Balfi road, you will see the sports ground and our starting and finishing point, the roadside snack bar. To complete our tour of Sopron, let's taste some blue wine, preferably in the historic surroundings of the city centre. And if you prefer beer, Sopron is also famous for its liquid bread.