Tihany big circle

Itinerary

• We start from the Tihany boat station heading south on the Z trail.
• At the saddle beyond Kerék-hegy, turn right onto the Z+ trail.
• After 200 m, turn left at the ZT trail to discover the row of thermal spring cones.
• Upon reaching the S trail, turn left towards the promenade named Hálóeresztő.
• Descending from Nyereg-hegy, keep right on the S▲ trail and climb up to Apáti-hegy.
• From the hill, turn left on the Z▲ trail.
• Turn left on the lakeshore, and the boat station is just a few hundred meters away.

Detailed description of the route

Departure from the boat station

From the Tihany boat station, we head south on the Z trail. Leaving the built-up area, we climb up Akasztó Hill, named after the fact that in 1417 King Sigismund granted the abbey the right of the sword, allowing its officers to arrest and execute wrongdoers on the estate. This hill is also linked to a fishing method practiced only in Tihany, beautifully described by Ottó Herman. During the 'seen fish' or sterlet fishing, members of the fishing group called “hegyen-járó” guided their partners waiting on the water from the hilltops towards the migrating shoal.

Along the way, we pass a nice viewpoint with a panorama of the eastern basin of Lake Balaton from the rocks. Descending from the hill, our trail briefly follows Kossuth Street, then turns right into the forest, where near the building of the Tihany Geophysical Observatory, founded in 1955, a short climb takes us to the summit of Kerék-hegy. Avoiding the Antenna Hungária facility here, we turn right at the saddle on the far side of the hill onto the Z+ trail, then after 200 m turn left on the ZT trail to discover the thermal spring cones.

The geyserite field

Southwest of the Inner Lake, an approximately 60-hectare area known as the geyserite field spreads out. After the Tihany volcanoes became extinct, the large mass of hot molten rock trapped beneath the surface heated the surrounding environment for several hundred thousand years. During this time, gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide rose through fractures in the rock. As these gases were absorbed by the descending underground waters, they became acidic and dissolved lime and iron from the deeper rocks. The main mass of the promontory’s geyserite rock was precipitated from these waters that reached the surface at springs. However, not all formed this way, as the sediment from the warm-water lakes was fossilized into geyserite later. This varied rock is mostly a mixture of freshwater limestone and hydroquartzite in changing proportions. The lower sections of such layers are usually finely stratified, while above, massive layers appear due to the rhythmic precipitation of material.

The peninsula’s thermal springs likely operated at the end of the Pliocene epoch, before the Ice Age and before the formation of the Balaton basin. As this relatively resistant, hard rock protected the loose Pannonian sediments beneath, traces of the "geyserite cap" are found on nearly every Tihany hill. Originally, there were more than 150 cones on the peninsula, of which only 60-80 remain today. Others were mined; their material used, for example, in construction. Formed along fault lines, most stand grouped on Hosszú and Cser hills, between the Inner Lake and the Szarkádi forest in the geyserite field, and between Csúcs- and Nyereg-hegy. Their relative height could have been a few tens of meters, with an average base diameter smaller than 100 m.

Upon reaching the S trail, we turn left towards the promenade called Hálóeresztő. Like Akasztó Hill, this place also played an important role in sterlet fishing. From Tihany, 62 net casting locations called "vonyó" are known, highlighting the expertise of Tihany fishermen acquainted with every detail of the ancient craft. After 700 m through the warm oak forest of Szarkádi Forest, we reach another viewpoint, from which approximately the same distance away lies the Tihany Lavender Forest School. Passing above the MOHOSZ resort, we arrive at the next splendid panorama viewpoint on the side of Csúcs-hegy beyond Gurbicsa-tető.

Csúcs-hegy

Csúcs-hegy was formed in the third eruptive phase of Tihany volcanism, during which the eruption centers migrated shallower as dry base talus slopes poured out. Its southwest face contains rock inclusions 0.5 to 1 m in size.

At the summit of Csúcs-hegy, near a roughly 25 m high and 150 m wide thermal spring cone, opens the Csúcs-hegyi spring cave, which has an oval entrance leading to a 4.3 m long, 5.5 m high chamber with a chimney-like vent reaching to the surface. The enclosing rock contains hydroquartzite with little lime and solid chalcedony between 3 and 4 m height.

Continuing, we pass a 5 m long Csúcs-hegyi cave on the left side of the trail, then climb a steep, short section to the summit, where we find the remains of a pentagonal tower measuring about 10.2 × 10.2 m, surrounded by a double ditch system. It may have been a fortified tower similar to the Nagyvázsony castle but smaller. It was likely the Tihany castle mentioned in 13th-14th century documents, later used as a watchtower during the Turkish era. Archaeological excavations have not yet been done. About 10 m below the tower are further wall remains, suggesting a wall was located on the inner curve of the ditch; walls must have been above this. Tile fragments from the 12th-13th centuries were found at the base of the ruins.

Nyereg-hegy

A pleasant path leads from Csúcs-hegy across to Nyereg-hegy. The ridge forms a semicircular edge around the Rátai-csáva area. It offers a beautiful view toward Bozsai Bay, where the island of Losta (also known as Lustak) once stood. A document from 1024 mentions the islands near Tihany, donated by King Stephen I together with fishing rights to the Zalavár abbey. At that time, the lake level was about 1.5 meters lower than today. The land parcel was first mentioned in a 1211 document as part of the riverside village of Losta, where fishing huts were lined up. Earlier, a Bronze Age settlement and a Roman villa probably stood on this area, later submerged by the Balaton; ruins remain on the lake bed today.

Along the volcanic debris rocks of the path, beneath and beside it is well-layered siliceous geyserite. Its slab-like and chaotic structure indicates mudslides in still-plastic material influenced by water movement, earthquakes, etc. The 50-70 cm diameter oval chimneys are remnants of former spring cones, through which large amounts of siliceous thermal water reached the crater lake, where thermal springs likely emerged along volcanic-tectonic faults. Due to temperature, chemical composition, and oxygen deficiency, more complex organisms could not live here. A 20-30 m long, 6-7 m high cliff on the hill reveals the upper volcaniclastite layer and overlaying geyserite strata. The lower sections have a structure similar to Kiserdő-tető cliffs, but here layers tilt toward Rátai-csáva, the old crater. Above are laminites at the bottom, then upward increasingly massive, hollow-structured geyserite. Its special structure is due to chemical precipitation, biogenic sediment, and incorporated quartz and feldspar grains. On the summit, smaller thermal springs formed column-like deposits. Hot water erupted from their centers, with dissolved minerals precipitating outward along the cones, sometimes clogging, creating side-by-side or fused shapes, with the process restarting at the top.

Apáti-hegy

Descending from Nyereg-hegy, we climb the S▲ trail up to the 16.5 m high Watchtower lookout standing on Apáti-hegy. The hill is named after the medieval village of Apáti at its foot. The structure, delivered in 2017, is modeled after a Roman watchtower. Behind the peninsula extending below us, toward the south, the hills of Outer Somogy are visible, opposite the Kőröshegyi valley bridge. To the west, southern shore settlements line up, a few obscured by Csúcs and Nyereg hills. To the east lies the Keszthely Bay with Badacsony protruding, followed by northern shore towns. To the north, Kab-hegy rises above Aszófő, then Balatonfüred and the eastern basin of the lake appear, with the abbey buildings in the foreground. Our panorama ending at the Kőröshegyi valley bridge is foregrounded by the ancient lavender field.

Ancient lavender field

The ancient lavender was planted between 1924 and 1927 by Dr. Gyula Bittera, an expert in medicinal plants. This widely knowledgeable researcher worked with lavender oil and also produced fragrant and medicinal plant extracts. In the 1930s, he made a paprika extract with high capsaicin content from milling waste of paprika mills, still used today against rheumatic ailments.

Initially, lavender planting began on rented sheep pastures between Csúcs-hegy and Apáti-hegy, imported from France. As lavender oil production grew, more than 100 hectares were cultivated in Tihany within a few years. A major difficulty was lack of adequate agrotechnics in Hungary, as this was the first large-scale lavender cultivation and processing attempt. The plantation bore fruit five years after initial planting, when essential oil was distilled almost immediately at the edge of the field because quick processing was crucial to achieve good quality, according to the expert. The quality of lavender oil is mainly determined by its linalyl acetate content, and also linalool, a terpene alcohol present. Thanks to these, the oil has pain-relieving, calming, tension-relieving, and anti-inflammatory effects. The first Tihany distillation was very successful, with ester content over 60%, surpassing world-famous French lavender oils. Bitter almond trees were planted between the rows in 1933.

Encouraged by success, Bittera founded his own essential oil factory in Budapest in 1936. By then, he managed numerous herbal producers and processors. The essential oil industry flourished around the 1930-40s. Besides lavender, Tihany also cultivated muscat sage, Roman chamomile, hyssop, and pyrethrum. The latter is a perennial native to the Mediterranean and Balkan Peninsula, valued because its finely ground powder paralyzes insect respiratory systems due to pyrethrin. At the time, lavender was so valuable it was traded on the stock exchange, but its soaring factory was nationalized in 1949. Over time, most lavender fields were plowed under, the remaining area became wild, and only in 1986 did lavender replanting begin. Today about 30 hectares grow in Tihany.

The volcanic, wind-eroded Kiserdő-tető

From the hill, we descend the stairs and continue following the S▲ trail through the wild pasture forest mosaic developed on the overgrown ancient lavender field, until joining the Z▲ trail, turning left to circle the depression named Farkasverem. We pass long rows of vineyards, then ascends to Kiserdő-tető at the northwest bay of the Inner Lake.

Ascending, we reach the top of a cliff formed by tephra deposits laid on the inner wall of the crater that formed the site of the Inner Lake. Following our path, we reach the wind-eroded rocks that are primary pyroclastic deposits ejected and fallen back from volcanic vents, not later tilted. Deeper nests formed by violent explosions are shown by xenoliths embedded in the strata from deeper volcanic basement rocks. Pyroclastic talus slopes formed, and around the current Outer Lake, a volcanic center (maar) deepened, forming an increasingly wide depression. Water flowing through the crater wall mixed with mud that exploded, ripping apart deeper lying rocks. After volcanism ceased, mainly during the Ice Age, strong winds carried sand that eroded the wind-eroded rocks into their current shapes, deeply biting softer layers, while relatively soft basalt tuff was shaped by freeze-thaw cycles today.

Outer Lake

Outer Lake was the site where Tihany volcanism began about 8 million years ago, where deposits formed layers like the Barátlakások. During a temporary extinction phase of the volcanic field, the maar crater of Outer Lake reopened in a fourth eruptive phase, deepening here the largest closed depression of the peninsula, which still contains the current lake. Since the peninsula was mostly used for grazing animals in the past, in the 19th century a significant part of the abbey's livestock feed needs were addressed by draining the lake, creating meadows. By 1809, the lake was channeled well, still visible today. Water was diverted through a ditch cut into the crater side between Apáti-tető and Diós, dating to Roman times, draining most of the lake and creating slightly saline marsh meadows used as meadows until the early 20th century. The sluice gate was closed in 1974 for nature conservation purposes, after which rainfall refilled the basin, creating a large open water surface. Later, aquatic plants spread on the increasingly large lake area, and reed cutting took place until the mid-1990s. The lake's rich insect, amphibian, and reptile fauna attracts many birds, and an otter family has lived here for several years.

Return to the boat station

From Kiserdő-tető we descend briefly along the Tihany access road. We cross to the far side at the cemetery, then winding along gravel paths marked with Z. Crossing Árpád Street, we climb steps once again to the Calvary summit.

The Calvary was built in the 1920s from donations. Its inscribed and bronze relief Stations of the Cross were erected in the names of the counties and free royal cities of Greater Hungary. At the hilltop stands Christ’s stone cross, backed by a triple mound built from geyserite blocks and a bronze plaque of King Charles IV. After its demolition in the 1960s, it was restored by autumn 2012, becoming the only sacred memorial site of its kind.

From the Calvary, passing Tihany cottages, along winding sloping streets on the Z▲ trail, we return to the lakeshore, where turning left the boat station is just a few hundred meters away.