Up to Pogányvár, down to Bagolyvár

Itinerary

• We start from the center of Ajnácskő (Hajnáčka) following the Z mark on the main road towards Almágy (Gemerský Jablonec). We cross the bridge and immediately turn right.
• The Z mark turns onto a field road behind the last house on the left side.
• After a few steps, the Z mark follows the right-side field road, starting the climb, and reaches the forest along this ridge.
• We make a short, marked detour on the Z▲ trail to the side cone Tilics (Tilič), famous for its beautiful panorama.
• Arriving at the edge of the basalt plateau of Pogányvár (Pohanský Hrad), we continue on the P mark.
• We cross a small plateau and then arrive at the viewpoint located on the far side of the plateau.
• We descend for a long distance from Pogányvár on the P trail, then at the Monosza (Monica) saddle we switch to the S mark descending into the valley.
• We descend on a wide forest road used by vehicles to Sőreg (Šurice); on the road, the prominent rock tower of the village, the Bagolyvár (Soví hrad), is visible from afar.
• On the S trail, we make a detour and climb the Bagolyvár.
• Returning to the main street, we first follow the S, then the Z marks, walking into Ajnácskő railway station.

Detailed tour description

On the basalt cover of Pogányvár

Leaving the center of Ajnácskő marks the start of a real time travel: first on an unmistakable Slovak rural milieu, walking among one-story panel blocks on asphalt, and then leaving the otherwise fantastically located settlement through "the most modern" Mediterranean-style houses, following the Z mark. On the field road leading toward Tilics (Tilič), we walk along the ridge, with the landscape opening more and more behind us. Before entering the forest, be sure to look back: perhaps from here opens the most striking view of Ajnácskő (Hajnáčka), which according to our famous geographer János Hunfalvy is where "history flows together with legend." The rock needle standing in the middle of the village is a prepared volcanic diatreme, from which the volcanic debris spray phase formed a softer crater that has completely eroded over time. A castle once stood on this impressive rock - surprisingly long, until 1744 - but today only some parts can be seen among the natural rocks.

Entering the forest, a sign soon indicates that we have reached the sanctuary of the Pogányvár National Nature Reserve with the highest protection category, covering 223.35 hectares. It is worth breaking up the steep climb with a short, a few-minute detour to the volcanic cone of Tilics (Tilič) (Z▲). This small side cone is a favorite spot for photographers, as during certain parts of the year the sun rises directly above Ajnácskő, bathing the unique settlement in dazzling light. From a geological standpoint, this small cone is interesting: when the lava tunnels ascending from the magma chamber below Pogányvár were blocked, a smaller volcano started to operate on the side of Ajnácskő. This was today's Tilics, whose strength, however, was not enough to pour lava on the surface, which solidified in the vent before erupting. From the top of Tilics, the volcanic cones behind Ajnácskő are well visible: Ragács (Ragáč, 537 m), Zaboda-kő (Zaboda, 468 m), and Szárkő (Steblová Skala, 486 m). We get a unique view of the Hungarian-populated Medvesalja settlements, and we can also see the special Romanian-era church guarding the landscape in Almágy.

The Z mark visibly winds among rocks, finally reaching the Pogányvár plateau. From the signposted fork at the edge, we switch to the P mark. We cross the once-grazed, now heavily overgrown plateau, and reach the impressive basalt rocks on the far side of the small plateau. The Pogányvár (578 m) is considered one of the area's oldest volcanoes, at 4.7 million years old. The lava flowed out from the former vent onto an area approximately 600x800 meters, reaching thicknesses of up to 30 meters in places. On this basalt plateau, considered a smaller version of the Medves plateau, there are no quarries; its formations have preserved the processes of volcanism and the subsequent erosion in their most original form. From the Pogányvár viewpoint on top of the basalt rocks, there is indeed a beautiful panorama of the Medves plateau and the villages of Medvesalja below: Óbást, Újbást, Vecseklő, Tajti, Hidegkút, Bakóháza, and Cered in Hungary. In the distance, the Szilvás-kő block belonging to the geopark stands out well, while the horizon is closed by the monumental Mátra and Bükk mountains.

One of Pogányvár's greatest geological curiosities hides below us, among the rocks. The lava flows filling the former valleys later rose due to tectonic movements, and the softer sedimentary rocks at the edges of the created mountains have been gradually washed away by erosion. Cracks formed in the volcanic rock at the plateau's edge, along which the outer blocks slid and fell down the steep slope. Similarly to the basalt organ pipes of the Balaton Uplands, spectacular edge rock formations have left large stone seas below, and crevice caves have formed among the sliding pillars. Not just any caves! At Pogányvár, 31 (!) measured, non-karst caves are found, including Slovakia's second-longest non-karst cave, the 182-meter-long Oszlopos Cave (none of these caves are accessible).

Many of the bizarrely shaped rocks in the area were often named by locals, with local folklore explaining the stone shapes and origins as the "petrification" of supernatural beings or people. The prominent rock under our feet is called Ördög János (Devil John) Rock, and among the so-called "devil towers," it is one of the most famous. The locals long believed that the pagans hiding on the plateau from Christian conquerors carved this rock formation out of the mountainside and worshiped it with cultic reverence. Ethnographic collections claim that the rock's head was allegedly blown off by a local resident.

Leaving the rocks, the P mark still follows the edge for a short time before entering the forest and descending for a long stretch on well-marked cart tracks to a small saddle. From there, we walk gently downhill on a level path to the fork with the S mark, which descends on a road also used by forestry vehicles into the wide valley toward Sőreg.

In the Bagolyvár tower woven with legends

Above Sőreg (Šurice), mostly inhabited by Hungarians, rises an 84-meter-tall rock needle, the Bagolyvár (Soví hrad), visible from afar as we descend from Pogányvár. This impressive rock is a "sibling" of Somoskő, Salgó, and Ajnácskő, as it also is a volcanic diatreme with its tuff ring already eroded. Like the other rocks, a castle once stood on this rock needle: Dánoskő Castle, which even withstood the Tatars.

A sign from the village's main street points to Bagolyvár, and from the resting place at the rock's base, the S trail climbs around the hill to the base of the rock. We can enjoy the fantastic view at the trail's end, but climbing the rock top is a dangerous feat. The area is very spectacular since the rock cliff walls reach 285 meters above sea level and are essentially vertical when viewed from the village, perfectly slicing through the geological events of millions of years ago. The rock, mostly composed of volcanic debris (fine-grained volcanic ash, coarse-grained tuff, tuff breccia, and volcanic bombs), is cut by eight basalt intrusions (dikes) that protected the less resistant tuff from erosion. Since 1964, this strictly protected area has naturally been a paradise for geologists, and studies were written about this exposed summit as early as 1865.

Formerly, a castle (Dánoskő Castle) stood on this rock needle, which the locals reinforced at their own expense during the 1241 Tatar invasion and successfully resisted the Tatar attack. This was a tremendous feat at the time, as we know from history. For their heroic actions, King Béla IV granted nobility to the castle defenders in 1245. The most significant human intervention on the rock is likely from this period: a water reservoir about three meters in diameter and six meters deep carved into the highest plateau of the rock to secure water supply for the castle defenders. From the rock, we get a beautiful view of Pogányvár and neighboring Monosza, the village spreading out at the rock's base, and other less pronounced ridges on the geopark's northern side.

We bid farewell with this view, as returning to the village main street, we follow the S then the Z marks and quickly reach the endpoint of our route, Ajnácskő railway station.