The secrets of the "Bakony Gyilkos Lake" and Hubertlak

Itinerary

• The route follows the K+ marking all the way.
• A short round-trip detour on the ZT marking leads to the Hubertlak Lake.

Detailed description of the route  

From Gerencepuszta to Hubertlak

Leaving the bus stop, we cross the Gerence then head northwest on the K+ marking. After a bend behind the Vörös János-séd rest stop, we turn right at the former forest railway bridge pillars between Városlőd and Franciavágás, entering the Molnár-kút ditch. Following the old forest narrow-gauge railway line, we can observe traces of former embankments, cuttings, and slopes. At the first Y junction of the gravel excavation road running under the young beech forest of the narrow valley, we turn left. Shortly after, in the slope of the deep road, the Quaternary loess almost entirely covering the road leading to Hubertlak is revealed, with well-preserved tree root imprints. Due to the deep, well-nourished soil formed on it, beech grows quickly here, and we can encounter beautiful specimens such as a dying patriarch located a few bends away. This also explains why the soil is always very muddy after rain. Our dirt road joins a wider gravel road, where we turn left onto the ZT marking, cross it after 20 m, and continue downwards to the next intersection. Here, we first turn left, then cross a small wooden bridge to reach the special water surface.

Hubertlak Lake

The still water, also known as the Bakony Gyilkos Lake, fed by the springs of Hamuházi-séd, was created in the mid-1980s by damming the mentioned stream. The submerged tree stumps protruding from the original watering hole water clearly indicate the alder grove that the stream flooded. Although the black alder likes occasional flooding, it cannot withstand the constant water cover, as we can see here. The tree trunks and stumps protruding from the water serve as excellent habitats until their collapse for the new generation of black alder and the reed beds of common reed among others. The lake is an important breeding site for the spotted newt and various frog species. The valley dam also serves as a great photo spot, from where walking westwards we reach a finely crafted memorial erected in honor of the professional hunters of Veszprém County. Benches, tables, and a firepit nearby serve our comfort.

The namesake of the place

Saint Hubert was born in 656 AD in Maastricht, today’s Netherlands. His grandfather was the king of Toulouse, and his father was the duke of Aquitaine. In his youth, for political reasons, he emigrated to the present-day French-German border area. In 682 he married the daughter of the count of Louvain; they had a son.

Hubert was a passionate hunter. According to legend, on Good Friday morning while chasing a stag, he had a vision of a shining crucifix between the antlers. A heavenly voice warned him: "Hubert, if you do not convert to the Lord and lead a holy life, you will soon fall into hell!" His wife died shortly after his conversion. At that time, he renounced all worldly positions and wealth. He studied to become a priest; around age 50, he became bishop of Maastricht. Later, following another vision, he moved to Liège, becoming its first bishop. He died in 727 AD in present-day Belgium. According to legend, he was praying the Lord's Prayer at his death, having foretold its timing.

He soon became the patron saint of many areas—primarily hunters and foresters, but also butchers, furriers, game hunters, archers, mathematicians, engineers, metalworkers, and smelters. People pray for his help that rabies and hydrophobia do not attack hunting dogs. He was canonized under Pope Zacharias in 744, with his feast day on November 3, when followers hold so-called Hubertus Masses. According to Saint Hubert’s guidance, the hunter’s virtues are calm temperance, compassion, and humility toward nature and wildlife. Returning from the lake shore, we continue on the K+ marking and shortly arrive in Hubertlak.

Hubertlak

At the meeting of the Hamuházi-séd and Szalai-séd streams, in the Som-berek-séd valley on Hamuházi meadow lies Hubertlak. Here once stood a three-story hunting lodge built by forest owner Pál Eszterházy, internationally renowned. The terraced house, built with stone below and wooden beams above, was tended by gamekeeper István Kardos and his wife, who lived in a separate dwelling. The high-standard, elegant building inside and out had a large lounge decorated with hunting hides and trophies where notable guests including Hungary's former governor Miklós Horthy and prominent Hungarian hunting culture figure Zsigmond Széchenyi visited. The latter shot 16 wild boars and a fox from a single stand in the famous January 7, 1940 camp drive, considered outstanding at the time. A carved granite monument on site commemorates the event. This success is mainly credited to senior gamekeeper Antal Fuchs, who arrived in 1909 as assistant gamekeeper and later developed Hubertlak into an internationally recognized hunting spot through his expertise and diligence. The beautiful building burned down in 1967, but today a hunting lodge stands on the site of the count’s suite, renovated by Bakonyerdő Zrt. in 2014 and now operated as a hostel.

On the way to the Hubertlak spring stands a finely carved crucifix by the roadside, whose predecessor was erected in 1919 by Tamás Esterházy in memory of his grandfather Móric Esterházy, former prime minister, who hid in the Bakony forests during the Red Terror. After the Som-berek-séd, we reach the Hubertlak spring, from which we return along the same way to the bus stop.