Hajós Cellars – Petróczi School (AK-03)

Itinerary:

During the route, we must follow the K marking at all times.

• From Hajós, we reach the border of Császártöltés along the Danube Valley main canal.
• Crossing the canal, we enter Császártöltés and turn east at the church.
• We walk through Illancs, characterized by sandy roads, towards Kéleshalom.
• Cutting through the woodland-steppe meadows of the Kéleshalom sand dunes, we reach the Pici Paci Gate, and shortly thereafter the Kun-Fehér Lake.
• We cross the Kiskunhalas-Jánoshalma main road, then after a longer forest section we also cross the main road 53.
• Through mosaic forests and past abandoned farms, we arrive at the last stamping point of this section, the Petróczi School.

Detailed description:

Hajós–Kunfehértó

We start the third section of the Alföld Blue Trail from the Hajós wine cellar village. This is one of the largest wine cellar villages in Hungary, a special cultural history monument located on the loess ridge above Hajós, where geographical conditions are suitable for vine cultivation and wine cellars. After the Turkish occupation, Swabians repopulated the surrounding settlements and engaged in vine growing. The sub-Mediterranean climate characteristic of the area and the loess, humus-rich sandy soil have provided suitable conditions for winemaking for centuries. Before heading out towards Császártöltés, wander through the small streets to see charming, carefully renovated winegrowers’ houses! During opening hours, you can taste local specialties at various catering places. One of these is the first stamping point of this section, the Judit Guesthouse.

Moving on from the cellars, we descend by a small staircase to the edge of meadows below the village. We pass along the special Hajós loess cliffs and then reach Császártöltés houses along well-maintained fishing ponds. In the first streets, we climb back onto the Bácska Plains ridge. From here, with a longer detour marked with K◼, the Red Marsh nature trail can be reached within 3 km. It is worth lingering in the village since Császártöltés has many cultural values: several rows of wine cellars uniquely form an organic part of the village street system. In the tastefully furnished country house, you can learn about the daily lives of the once-settled Swabian families, and the minority history can be discovered with the help of the village-wide three-language (Hungarian, Swabian, German) information boards.

From the country house, we first walk through the streets of Császártöltés, then continue along sandy dirt roads between vineyards at the village border. Before leaving the vineyards behind, you can collect the Császártöltés stamp imprint from a painted wooden post in front of a farm. Here, we experience the sandy, semi-desert character of the Illancs subregion of the Bácska Plains. Unlike other regions of the Danube-Tisza interfluve, this area lies on the ancient alluvial fan of the primeval Sárvíz. After the last ice age, prevailing northwest winds shaped the seemingly minor landform details.

According to tradition, the name Illancs derives from the phrase “Illa marsh, reeds, streams.” The story goes that in the second half of the 19th century, a large estate here changed owners during a card game among local landlords. The new owner, Lázár Hollónder from Subotica, tried to attract new settlers to the then still moving sand dunes and barren area. Many of those who came to try their luck left their newly acquired home the same day due to the harsh conditions, hence the name “Illancs.” Around the turn of the century, reforestation began to tame the drifting sands. Black pine, Scots pine, and acacia plantations were established, which successfully stabilized the previously freely moving sand dunes.

After stamping, we walk along Nagy-kúti-dűlő towards Kéleshalom. The sand here sometimes reaches ankle depth, thus confronting us with the distinctive “welcoming” character of the Danube-Tisza interfluve. Our path passes through clear-cuts, planted noble poplars, and acacias up to the border of Kéleshalom, where we turn onto Agyagos Road through meadows. Entering the village, we pass by the Roman Catholic church and the World War II memorial. In the center, behind the well opposite the town hall, on a building wall, we find the Kéleshalom stamping point.

It’s advisable to take water here, as there will be no opportunity to get any for the next kilometers. Our sandy path leads through planted forests and fields, and about an hour’s walk from the stamping point, we reach the Kéleshalom Sand Dunes Nature Reserve. In these wooded-steppe meadows, we can observe the original, endemic plant communities of the Danube-Tisza interfluve. Due to the afforestation of the 20th century, many of the plant species previously typical of the area have become rare, so the remaining grasslands now represent a rare natural value. On the former shrub-steppe pastures, juniper, hawthorn, and blackthorn appear. Initially, we walk along the edge of the nature reserve before our trail winds through new mosaic forests and fields. By now, you may notice the persistent presence of the invasive old world climbing weed (also known as silk vine or wild tobacco), which settled in Hungary in the 1870s and often displaces native plants.

In hot summer weather, the Pici Paci Gate appears as an oasis ahead. Feel free to pass through its gate (just close it behind you); the stamp can be found on the side of the main building. From here, only a few kilometers separate us from Kunfehértó's holiday area, where we can enjoy a warm meal and refresh with a cold drink by the Kun-Fehér Lake — at least during the bathing season. At the village outskirts, in a wind-shaped basin, a saline lake with an engineered shore has formed naturally, where we can also swim on summer days. Saline lakes have high dissolved mineral content, and several similar water surfaces can be found in the Great Plain. Another attraction is a small lookout on the land strip behind the bath lake, accessible by a short walk from the beach.

Leaving the holiday area behind, we return to an outskirt area dominated by vineyards, bypassing Kunfehértó settlement. During the nesting season, early in the morning, we may see great tits and bee-eaters among the vineyard rows. We cross the Kiskunhalas-Jánoshalma main road and then enter among trees, soon reaching the Kis Keceli Road stamping point. The stamp is found at a fork beside the Alföld Blue Trail informational board, next to a row of strawberry trees. From here, we traverse one of the most beautiful sections of the stage among older trees — here and there, the soil finally feels firm, thanks to the abundant organic matter that has fallen from the trees over decades.

Kunfehértó–Petróczi School

As we walk, we slowly transition to the loess plain of Bácska, a subregion of the Bácska Plains. Although its extensive forests consist of monoculture plantations, intensive forest and wildlife management provide a rich habitat for animals. Red deer, fallow deer, and roe deer are frequent inhabitants of these large, continuous habitats. Although predators are rarer, red foxes and golden jackals also occur here. Due to the sparse tourist trail network and low visitor numbers, we have an excellent chance to observe the fauna and flora. It is sometimes good to stop and listen to enjoy the silence of the Great Plain and its extensive forests.

After a few turns, we continue the distance among orchards and farms, then enter the Monda farm area. It is worth refilling our water bottles here, as there will be no opportunity for the next 18 kilometers. After about an hour of walking, we cross the main road 53, reaching the last forest section of this route. After crossing the Budapest-Belgrade railway line, as farms disappear, we walk again under the shade of poplar and pine plantations. Although our trail takes several small bends here, luckily the K marks are easy to follow everywhere. About 5.5 kilometers from the main road, at a corner of a fence surrounding a duck farm, we find the Jánostelek stamping point.

The next kilometers are rather monotonous as we walk straight through another mosaic forest with plantations of different ages. The sand rule reigns again here but a pleasant resting place is the Jánostelek lookout, reachable by a short detour marked K▲. From the structure, we have a view over the forest managed by the local forestry company (KEFAG Zrt.), and informational boards provide detailed information about the local wildlife.

Approaching the Petróczi School, first, our trail leads through abandoned farms and their ruins, later joining dirt roads of inhabited areas. The Great Plain farmstead developed in the 18th-19th centuries when peasants could own land or use free land. Although many owned houses in cities then, rural farmsteads formed economic units with agricultural and residential buildings adjusted to local conditions. The 20th-century collectivization and establishment of agricultural cooperatives fragmented the Hungarian farmstead system, forcing many to abandon their estates.

The Petróczi School stands as a relic of the southern Great Plain farmstead landscape next to main road 55. The old school building, where local children once sat on benches, now operates as a (seasonal) restaurant. The stamp is found beside the restaurant entrance, and during opening hours, we can enjoy something as a reward after completing the section successfully.