Through Esztergom’s Vaskapu

Itinerary

• From the train station, we follow the S mark to the corner of the Hegymeg basin.
• At the corner of Hegymeg, we turn left onto the S▲ mark, leading us to the Vaskapu shelter.
• From the shelter, we set off back on the P mark and stay on it until the fork before Fári spring.
• We switch left to the Z mark, where we pass the Fári spring and then follow it to the Mary statue on the hilltop.
• We turn right onto the P mark, which leads down through the Kis-Kúria hill back to the town and the train station.

Detailed description of the route

Town under the witness hill

Leaving behind Esztergom’s gate, the train station, and the adjacent bus station on the S mark, the roughly 400-meter-high summit level of Vaskapu hill appears opposite Áchim András street, partially obscured by park trees. The hiking mark unusually passes through a public park area: the surrounding neighborhood, known as "Csalamadék" after its name, was a cemetery for the poor called Saint Anna’s Cemetery at the dawn of the century (a few tombstones can be found at the base of the trees) and was famous for neglect. In the 1930s, it was afforested and then used as a mass grave for soldiers fallen in the First and Second World Wars. In the 2010s, a statue was unveiled and a monument was renovated commemorating those who died in the WWI prisoner-of-war camp operating on the outskirts of Esztergom and the Soviet soldiers who died heroically in the battles of WWII.

Leaving the park, we turn right, pass a roundabout, and ascend the hillside. The ridge of the hilltop reappears, allowing us to observe the flat back of the block: Vaskapu essentially is a low witness hill whose hard volcanic (breccia made of debris) cap preserves the height of the older surface beneath it. Its neighboring area, lacking a resistant cover, eroded faster, causing the hill to "grow" above its surroundings. Down here, we walk among rocks deposited in a seashore environment before the Miocene volcanic activity began; the street reveals layers of sandstone and loess deposited after the volcanism subsided. Some cellars or former cellar buildings, hewn into these layers, can be seen — explaining the presence of the Saint Urban Chapel, named after the vineyard’s patron saint, lining our route. Similarly notable is the Csurgó spring at arm’s length, with a retaining wall and rest area — local tales say it was a claimed spring even in Roman times.

Heading to the lodge!

Beyond this point, houses vanish, and we follow a deep path ascending to the corner of the “tilted” basin of Hegymeg, framed by ridges, from which there is a picturesque view of the farm below and the high outline drawn by the Visegrád and Pilis mountains. (Likely the name refers to the protected location “behind the mountains.”) We bypass a ruined house and turn left beyond its corner to the meadow edge — from here we follow the S▲ mark. Although initially invisible, it is enough to follow the edge bushes, and in the far corner of the open area, we find the path cutting into the forest.

We traverse a narrow ridge across the steep slope gently climbing, eventually arriving at a fork. First, we enjoy the hill’s offerings and before continuing, detour to the Vaskapu shelter: choose the left direction and keep the signs unchanged. The path winds at level, then makes a sharp left turn, cuts into the hill’s edge, and from the left, glimpses between the foliage appear, but the full panorama unfolds a bit further at the Vaskapu rock lookout.

On Vaskapu’s paths

The use of the term "lodge" is fitting here due to the somber rock terrace rimmed by railings. Opposite, the Gerecse Mountains rise, as do the northernmost ridges of Pilis, with the Esztergom–Dorog basin in between. The ribbon of the Danube can be followed for a long stretch on the edge of the Little Hungarian Plain, and on clear days, some Slovak mountain ranges are visible in the background, such as the Small Carpathians inclined toward Bratislava or the Tribeč and Madaras. We can admire more views undisturbed from the nearby tourist house’s panoramic terrace, so let’s also cross in front of the building. The restaurant balcony extending steeply overlooks the valley provides a truly alpine hut experience and praises the builders’ choice of location (originally they planned an observation tower here). The Esztergom branch of the Hungarian Tourist Club started building it in 1914 and handed it over a few months later, naming it after its leader, Gyula Brilli — it was expanded multiple times afterward. Throughout its history, ownership changed repeatedly, the building fell into ruin, but since its latest renovation, it welcomes hikers again.

From the terrace, almost all of Esztergom unfolds, outlining the basilica and the grassy ridges of Vaskapu hill. Continuing, we head back towards the viewpoint or the parallel forest path. We reach the fork at the hilltop and continue straight ahead on the P mark. The path bends left and emerges at the hill’s edge, where the forest opens intermittently. From a barren hilltop, we can look out over the protected Hegymeg basin and again see the Gerecse and Pilis Mountains. The atmospheric trail cutting the linden and oak grove follows the hillside with a large loop and gentle descent, forced to wind by the steepness. Joining a forest road and turning right, we re-enter the edge of Hegymeg, but the mark immediately turns back. We circle Bari hill and reach a fork at the foot of the hill: left on the Z marks, we reach the retaining wall embracing Fári spring. According to legend, the water comes from the mountain block swallowed by Vaskapu, and the castle lord who once stood on the hill killed and buried the shepherd who fell in love with a girl named Fári there. Water then spouted from the grave, with bloody bubbles floating — symbolizing the killer’s broken heart, the bloody bubbles appear every year on the shepherd’s death day.

Left of the spring, on the Z mark, we start the second and last climb of our route. We almost immediately leave the ditch cut into Vaskapu’s side, turning right onto a bulldozer road. Soon, we leave it to the left and tread a beautiful narrow path again. The slope is moderate as the trail crosses a landslide area. At a right turn, a few steps left is a viewpoint overlooking the Búbánat valley and its foothills, as well as the ominous Börzsöny mountain range looming in the background. Our path soon joins a wheel rut and several bends later sets direction: aiming for the shelter, which it reaches roughly level and purposefully. At the end of a longer section, we reach an asphalt road; across it, huge volcanic rocks reveal the protective cap of the hilltop. The path squeezed between them finally reaches the hill’s edge (the shelter is to the left), where we turn right (following the P marks from now).

Greetings from the Carpathians and farewell to the mountains

We pass a Mary statue (unveiled in 1921 to honor compatriots placed beyond the Trianon border), cross the asphalt stripe twice, and upon exiting the forest, the most beautiful section of our hike opens before us. From the grassy patches and feather grass of the lightly wooded ridge, the rocky line of the Helembai mountains (Kovácspatak rocks) and Börzsöny are also unobstructed. The view hints at the hill’s name’s origin, as it closes off the Danube and Esztergom built on its bank like an iron gate, together with the Helembai block pair. Near the latter’s foot, the mouth of the Garam (Hron) appears, marking the end of a long journey and sending greetings from the Carpathians: the watercourse begins from the eastern bastion of the Low Tatras, King’s Hill (Kral’ova Hol’a). To the right, the Sipoló hill rises, the remnants of rampart works that were part of a fortress. (These were built by Christian armies during the 1595 city siege.)

To the left, there is also much to observe: the Gerecse appears again. At one point, we enter dense growth and among the massive rock towers of the Hármas stone — the breccia "needles" are not entirely natural formations, but remnants of quarries. Be alert, as the advancing path soon forks, and we must continue following the P mark, i.e., take the left branch. The Kis-Kúria hill is now mostly remembered by its name, as it once hosted prestigious summer residences on its slope (such as that of Mihály Babits, now a museum).

We descend on an overgrown, hard-to-follow but straight section; fortunately, the vegetation later opens. We arrive at a street with an interesting layout: a narrow, steeply sloping alley tightly enclosed by houses, some of which still show traces of past use as cellars. Soon we reach Dobogókő road, from which the mark with some curves leads us back to the Saint Anna Cemetery park, and from there, along the familiar path, to the train station.