Theodora nature trail

Itinerary

• The nature trail has no official tourist markings; wooden bird heads mounted on posts mark the route. These are placed relatively sparsely, so to follow the correct path, we recommend using the Természetjáró app.

Detailed description of the route

Theodora and the water

The nature trail's starting sign and first stop can be found at the Theodora spring. The water that springs here was already drunk by the Romans in the 1st century, whose important traffic route crossing the Pannonia province also ran this way; moreover, archaeological finds indicate that a significant settlement developed around the spring.

The spring was not forgotten in the millennia following the Romans; in the 18th-19th centuries, several natural scientists – including Mátyás Bél and Pál Kitaibel – studied its water and the geology of the Káli Basin. Still, it was not until 1907 that the spring water started to be bottled. At that time, it was still called "Anna spring water," then in 1921, following a change of ownership, both the spring and the mineral water received the name Theodora – based on the legend that the Kékkút water reached the court of the Byzantine empress, and allegedly became Theodora’s favorite drink.

Turning to the pasture

From the spring, the carved wooden bird heads marking the Theodora nature trail lead east along the Kékkút–Kővágóörs paved road. We pass in front of the mineral water factory, then turn left onto the Sásdi pasture, the largest area in the Káli Basin. The second stop is already visible, where we learn more about the wildlife of the Sásdi stream. The stream hides behind a bushy strip next to us, which plays a significant role in protecting the birds nesting here.

We cross through the riverside bushes, then descend a stairway to a decorative wooden bridge spanning the streambed. We continue our path on the other side of the Sásdi stream, parallel to it. Along the route, we will often encounter fences necessary because of the animals grazing on the huge meadow. In the Káli Basin, which received protection in 1984 and is considered a forerunner of the later Balaton Uplands National Park, one of the main goals is maintaining the continuity of millennia-old land use and preserving traditional peasant farming. Former vineyards, orchards, and arable lands have mostly been replaced by pastures.

We bypass a larger group of trees, the only forest patch on the Sásdi pasture. Continuous land use since Roman times completely eradicated the basin’s forests; the trees now visible on the area reappeared mainly through afforestation of abandoned pastures. Soon, we arrive at a group of poplars growing out of the streambed, next to which a bridge crosses the Sásdi stream.

Waters in the Káli Basin

The streambed of this quite fluctuating stream was regulated, deepened, and straightened like the other watercourses in the Káli Basin, creating arable lands and pastures by draining previous marshy and swampy areas. Yet, due to its unique hydrology, wet habitats remained in the basin, and under a project, partial restoration was also carried out: culverts, sluices, and water-diversion ditches were developed, enabling the artificial flooding of meadows.

Opposite us is an information board, which is a station of the KT-marked Sásdi pasture nature trail. The Theodora nature trail briefly merges with it: from the intersection, we continue moderately to the right, leaving the stream. We cross a wooded pasture and then make a left turn back to the Sásdi stream, reaching the next stop on the Theodora nature trail.

A remarkably right-pointing bird head attached to the sign directs us. We cross the slope of a hill; on the other side, a dried-up wheel ditch and a dilapidated trough recall the glorious past of animal husbandry, currently enjoying a renaissance on the Sásdi pasture. Because of the dry climate and geological features, the Káli Basin has favorable hydrology, with more than 50 springs flowing in the area. Directly below the soil, dolomite and marl are found: the former is dissolved by water seeping from the surface and surrounding mountain ring, capable of mild karstification; the marl acts as a water barrier, preventing moisture from penetrating deeper.

The undulating landscape before us formed due to the different properties of these two rocks: the harder dolomite forms elevations, while the softer marl creates water-retentive depressions. In the closed water system of the Káli Basin, which has extreme fluctuations in its water balance, these few meters’ differences are significant. After deforestation, drier grasslands formed on the smaller dolomite hills, while wetter meadows developed in the water-absorbing depressions between them.

Built heritage

Our path leads straight to the reed-dense shore of Kornyi Lake and to the grotesque human figures, the Human Comedy sculpture group standing on the hill beside it. Imre Veszprémi’s limestone and steel pipe works were made in 1975 but have only stood here since 1986. The four sculptures depict five human figures: "Orpheus" stands slightly apart from the others, "Man and Woman" look at each other, and the last piece, "The Lovers," expresses the union of two bodies. The peculiar forms have been nicknamed "Fried Bacon" by locals and indeed, from a certain angle, they resemble meat pieces on top of layered potatoes.

We turn back from the Human Comedy to the previous stop on the nature trail. Before leaving the vicinity of the sculptures, it is worth pausing and observing – the largest population of European ground squirrels in the area lives here. If visiting the Theodora nature trail between spring and early autumn, you can almost certainly meet these rodents running in the grass or peeking out.

On the western shore of Kornyi Lake, we continue the walk on a grassy meadow. We approach farm buildings south of the lake, then turn right along the dirt road next to them, passing fences. We cross a wooded pasture where solitary, low trees lean in the prevailing northern wind’s direction. We cross another streambed and arrive at the next stop of the nature trail. At the intersection, turning left and making a detour, we reach the Kővágóörs washing house built on the water-abundant Burnót stream, restored in 2005. Village women primarily gathered here to do laundry, but washing houses also played an important role in the community life of the settlement.

Returning from the detour, we proceed diagonally left along another fence. We return to the Sásdi stream bridge and close the loop route: from here, we return to the Theodora spring along a familiar section. But the nature trail does not end here! Along the mineral water factory fence, on a small mulch-covered path, we arrive at the last stop and the platform located here. From the "viewpoint," we look into the factory garden, the wetland created there, and the swallow house standing next to it; the direction sign lists the world’s most famous mineral water springs.