Szölnök adventures

Itinerary

• From Alsószölnök, we follow the Z mark across Jánoshegy to the meeting point of Hampó Valley and Hármashatár Hill.
• From there, we go up to the summit of Hármashatár Hill on the P▲ mark, then return to Hampó Valley by the same route and mark, and walk all the way to the border of Felsőszölnök.
• We finish the route on the connecting P mark.

Details about the route

From Alsószölnök to Jánoshegy

We start our route from Alsószölnök at the Vasfüggöny liquor store decorated with objects representing the former border control. Our first stop is the neighboring wheelwright's house museum built at the end of the 19th century, which is currently a local house but was once the home of the village wheelwright master. In the old workshop, you can see period work tools, and in the living area, furnishings typical of the Slovenian Rába region.

From the local house, we follow the Z mark along Határ Street toward the border point. Along the way, we pass a wrought-iron cemetery fence made in the village workshop, and in the border meadows by the Rába riverbank, we encounter mostly purplish wide-leaved lady's-slipper orchids. At the resting place near the border point, following the route of the Vasfüggöny trail, we continue southward on the Z mark. An interesting feature at the border point is the German-Hungarian border stone erected immediately after the Anschluss, reflecting the political situation then.

Climbing higher, we stay on the border section for a long time and often glimpse specimens of the grey alder with conical crowns, sharp leaves, and cup-shaped acorns, about 15-20 m high, in the forested area. Near the route, we can also find the swallowwort, which can grow 30-80 cm tall. It is easily recognized by its hairy posture, two rows of egg-shaped-lanceolate leaves, and during its flowering period (August to October), by its dark blue, bell-shaped flowers. Among the shrubs, we can encounter the slender-branch, deciduous, sometimes one and a half meters tall, crimson-flowered wolf's-bane, and the loose cluster, whitish, greenish-yellow inflorescence orchid species, the two-leaved wintergreen.

Temporarily leaving the border strip, we head toward Jánoshegy. In this section, we may find the low, evergreen semi-shrub, glossy dark green-leaved umbrella-leaved spurge. Mainly in the spruce patches, we can observe the coal tit notable for its black cap and throat pattern and the crested tit identifiable by the tuft on its head. In the beech forests, we can hear the characteristic call of the blue pigeon with grey-blue plumage that nests even in the black woodpecker's nests.

Wandering on Jánoshegy

Shortly, we reach the part of Felsőszölnök called Jánoshegy, surrounded by several heights at 353 m elevation, where once ten groups of houses formed. In the 19th century, the village's winegrower also lived here. The houses on Jánoshegy were built in an L-shaped form bent according to centuries-old practice, with fine examples still visible today. One part consisted of the residential building, joined to the stable-barn farm building and pantry. Until the mid-19th century, the so-called "smoke houses" were common, where smoke from the oven escaped through a gap above the door opening and windows due to lack of a chimney. The practicality of construction here led to the creation of a truncated tower, high roof with drooping eaves, mainly for storing hay. The timber-framed houses (boronafal) were plastered and then whitewashed on the outside. At one time, houses with walls rammed from earth, the so-called "swallow-stacking walls", were also built.

Jánoshegy is the oldest part of Felsőszölnök, first mentioned in writing in 1387. In the past, locals built on hilltops and sheltered hillsides following natural conditions. The collective ridge formed a village, whose scattered nature gave the settlement type its name. Each group of houses was inhabited by members of a related community, around which a family estate developed—like the house, it bears the name of the first owner. This name is inherited by the new owner if the original family dies out; therefore, inhabitants traditionally address each other by their house names in Felsőszölnök.

The basis of farming in Felsőszölnök was animal husbandry, plant cultivation on gravelly, poor soil, and fruit growing, the latter mostly famous for apples and plums until the 1950s. Even now, many native fruit varieties can be found roaming Jánoshegy: among apple varieties are bőralma, pogácsaalma, mosánszky; among plum varieties, long, red, and yellow types; however, recently, with the abandonment of native species, more and more switch to intensive production. The processing of these is helped by the "Almalak" pressing plant established in the valley section.

At different points on Jánoshegy, we may notice carefully made shrines at road junctions and edges, reflecting the traditional religiosity of the predominantly Catholic Slovene-speaking population.

Conquering Hármashatár Hill

From Jánoshegy, we head back toward the border zone. On the ridge-leading section, it is sometimes worth looking west toward the mountains of Austria. On the Vasfüggöny hiking trail, we soon reach the watchtower at one of the border points, the meeting point of the trail coming from Vas-hegy and the Z mark. We can observe the former tight border control barbed wire fence and climb the watchtower to look around the area.

Our path continues in a truly subalpine environment, forested with beech patches. Red pine and Norway spruce also thrive here, and Hungary only hosts here the dwarf shrub pine-amandel growing 30-50 cm tall with greenish-yellowish-white inflorescence resembling sage. Among animals, we can find the spotted salamander on black tree trunks with yellow spots and robust build. While moving, observe its short, thick limbs: four toes on the front legs, five on the back. This animal feeds on insects, snails, and worms, mostly noticeable in damp weather on moss cushions or near decayed fallen trees. It is a protected animal, and we should not try to catch it as its head glands produce poisonous secretions. Among butterflies, the characteristic T-marked butterfly is named after the wide black-bordered T-shaped marking on its ochre-yellow wings. Birds are represented by the golden-yellowish and black-winged and tail-feathered yellowhammer with distinctive songs.

We pass a large beech tree, then descend into the valley, slightly away from the border, reaching the mouth of Hampó Valley. From here, we climb up to the summit of Hármashatár Hill. At the 384 m height, three countries meet: Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria. The borders on the summit were established according to Article 27 of the Treaty of Trianon, at the triple border point of Tauka (Tóka) in Austria, Trdkova (Türke) in Slovenia, and Felsőszölnök. There is a 215 cm high, three-sectioned, pyramid-shaped memorial stone featuring the countries' coats of arms and the ratification dates of the treaty. Today, this summit is a tourist destination with resting places for all three countries, and on the Slovenian side, there is even a seasonal buffet.

Through Hampó Valley to Felsőszölnök

From the summit, descending toward Hampó Valley, we follow the P▲ mark to Felsőszölnök. In several places, we can notice the swallowwort with its two-rowed leaves and dark blue flowers during the late summer and early autumn blooming period, and in the erosion gullies, the forest fairy-rush with solid white flower spikes that flash from afar. In the valley meadows, from early summer to mid-autumn, we can admire beautiful specimens of meadow carnation, easily identifiable by their pink flowers on long stalks standing solitary.

In the oak forests without stalks on the hillsides, on gentle chestnuts, or near valley oaks with stalks, one of Europe's most impressive insects, the great capricorn beetle, can often be found flying in the first months of summer. Among trees and shrubs, we may notice the crowned cross spider, which usually stays in the center of its web and is one of Hungary's largest spider species. Its name comes from the white cross-shaped spots on its yellowish or brownish abdomen. Its bite is harmless to humans; it only paralyzes prey caught in its web using poison secretions in its chelicerae.

In Felsőszölnök, we walk among old and modern buildings, reaching the first well-maintained timber-framed, bent-form house on the P mark. During the walk, it is worth taking a look at decorative elements of old houses: small niches on gables, variations of Mary statues, or wooden-wheel-operated plank well houses in courtyards. Crossing the Szölnöki creek originating near Türke in Slovenia, we see sights in the center of Felsőszölnök. These include the Kühár memorial house named after the village's last Slovenian priest, where besides original parish furnishings, there is a church history exhibition, and in the stable building, old agricultural tools are displayed.

Opposite is the Church of St. John the Baptist, dedicated after a chapel already stood there in 1377. The main altar includes a statue of Jesus, two triple candle holders, two praying angels, and a cross, crafted by Robert Lewisch, an altar builder from Szentgotthárd, in 1898. The first Mass in Hungarian was held there on September 23 of the same year during the funeral of Queen Erzsébet. The 1938 reconstruction of the church is also associated with the outstanding figure of the village, János Kühár. Another famous priest was József Kossics, author of the first Slovenian ethnography and monographs in Hungary, writing several books in his mother tongue. His tomb is in the cemetery, and a memorial plaque is on the church wall. Our tour ends at the rounded square at the bus stop.