From Miskolc to Eger through the wild paths of the Bükk

Itinerary

• You can bike east-west through all of Miskolc on the Szinva bike path from Miskolc-Tiszai railway station, so follow this route to Diósgyőr. (After leaving downtown, the winding route can be bypassed by following the tram line through the Győri gate.)
• From the Diósgyőr castle, proceed along Vár Street-Nagy Lajos király Street-Puskás Tivadar Street-Bartók Béla Street-Székely Street.
• Once you reach Honvéd Street, switch to the S bike marking: this initially leads into the forest (Honvéd Street-Móra Ferenc Street), then along the forestry road all the way to Bükkszentkereszt.
• After the Jávór-meadow, leaving the previous marking, turn right.
• At the border of Bükkszentkereszt, turn right at the military grave, under the power lines, then left at the next option. Upon reaching the outer houses of the village, turn right onto the steep climb that leads to the Kis-Dél viewpoint.
• Immediately after the viewpoint, turn left onto a short, steep descent that leads to the village edge's soccer field. Continue straight, and where the road forks, keep to the left to enter the village. Upon reaching the main road, turn right, then at the second option turn left (Dorongósi Street) to the Z bike marking.
• Follow the Z bike marking through the entire village, then along the forestry asphalt road to the Lófő clearing junction; turn right here to the P bike marking – this leads straight to the Hór valley.
• Upon reaching the Hór valley, turn left at the junction and follow the forestry road along the Hór valley (K bike marking).
• At the second significant junction, turn right onto the asphalt forestry road; from here, follow the Z bike marking. Leave the paved road at a forestry house by turning left; from there, a good quality forestry road leads to the Völgyfő house. At the Ódorvár rest stop, first turn right, then immediately left; at the Török meadow, keep right at the junction. Proceed straight (uphill) on the asphalt forestry road.
• Upon reaching the Völgyfő house, turn left and continue along the Z bike marking, which runs together for a long stretch with the P and Z markings (only the former at the end) along the dual-track forest road. After the Várkúti Tourist House, the P marking turns right into the forest, but continue along the Z bike marking, which leads to the road connecting Eger with Noszvaj.
• At the asphalt road, turn right; this road leads straight to Eger. In the city, after crossing the railway crossing, continue straight (across the rails), then follow the road down (Tetemvár Street). At the end of Tetemvár Street, turn left, then continue straight to the minaret. From the minaret, you can reach Dobó Square via Harangöntő Street and Dobó István Street.
• From Dobó Square, you can choose any small street to reach the cathedral, from where you reach the railway station via Kossuth Lajos Street-Egészségház Street-Táncsics Mihály promenade-Hadnagy Street-Raktár Street.

Detailed description of the route

Although the tour mainly runs through forests and meadows, mountains and valleys, mostly on terrain roads (forestry roads without hard pavement), it is worth mentioning the city sights along the edge of the forest. Naturally, we won’t crisscross all over Miskolc, but it would be a shame to miss the Avasi Reformed Church or the Diósgyőr castle – at least a glance from outside is recommended.

Steel city extras

When it comes to Miskolc itself, many associate it with the steelworks and the large housing estates in this fourth-largest city by population in Hungary, though it offers much more to tourists. The Szinva bike path leading toward the city center may not show this; it could be a true green corridor running through the entire city. The bike path touches the edge of the downtown and winds quite intriguingly through the small streets, but it still offers a little taste of what the Szinva riverbank could be if it were cleverly exploited. The Szinva terrace provides access to the stream originating in the Bükk and flowing into the Sajó, and the terrace area hosts various catering establishments to quench hunger and thirst. It’s worth popping into Széchenyi Street, just one block away, which is essentially the main artery of Miskolc and a pleasant pedestrian street where the Electric Traffic Light can be found – the city's first traffic light-controlled junction, the name dating back to the 1950s and still in use today.

Leaving the Szinva terrace behind where the bike path crosses Kálvin János Street, behind the Herman Ottó Museum Papszeri Exhibition Building, the whitewashed wall of the Avasi Reformed Church appears, and a very short detour to it is recommended. This 13th-century church is the oldest building in downtown Miskolc, started in Romanesque style, later expanded, and then converted into a three-nave Gothic hall church. Distinctive external features include buttresses and traceried windows. The separate bell tower was built later after the original collapsed in 1544 when the Turks set fire to the church. Since 1563, it has been used by the Reformed Church, and the surrounding cemetery is worth a look. The oldest tombstones date from the 17th-18th centuries and include graves of notable families and personalities.

From the church, descend the stairs back to the Szinva, immediately crossing it and facing the building of the Erzsébet Bath. Built in 1892–93, this building originally operated as a public bath, later hosting a swimming pool, but its condition deteriorated so much it closed in 1994. It has since been beautifully renovated in an eclectic style and now operates as a therapeutic center. The bike route leaves downtown with some interesting bends but those who prefer can take the Győri gate route, i.e., the tram line, if they don’t mind heavier traffic. Soon, you reach Diósgyőr, a district known for its steelworks, castle, and football team. We won’t cover the latter here but concentrate on the other two landmarks. The steelworks, over 100 years old, relocated to its current site in 1870; the blast furnace, rolling mill, and smithy were completed, and increasingly modern processes were introduced (Siemens-Martin and later Bessemer steelworks). The first housing estate, the “colony” (former worker and officer estate, which had become one of the city’s lowest prestige areas by the end of the 20th century), was built, and the first tram (as Diósgyőr HÉV) also arrived. The development was continuous. Diósgyőr was a center of Hungarian heavy industry until the turn of the millennium, but since the regime change, the former steelworks has been in continuous decline, and the smelting ceased completely in 2009.

The Diósgyőr castle flourished during the reign of King Louis the Great and its knight’s hall is still impressive for visitors today, and the four-cornered fortress – unlike the steelworks – is a particularly imposing sight. The current fortress predecessor was probably a earth fort built in the 12th century and destroyed during the Tatar invasion. Probably rebuilt after the 1241–42 devastation by Ernye ban of the Ákos family during the time of Béla IV, it became the property of our King Louis I (the Great) about a century later, during which time it flourished. Diósgyőr was an important station on the road between Buda and Kraków (Louis was also king of Poland from 1370) and the monarch spent more and more time here. Accordingly, the castle built a century earlier was renovated, including building the Gothic knight’s hall, which was the largest in Central Europe at the time. The site where the Treaty of Turin with Venice was ratified can still be visited inside the old walls, as well as the chapel dedicated to Saint Hedwig (Louis’ daughter), the queen’s bedroom, the metalworkers’ and alchemists’ workshops.

Not far from the castle, it is worth visiting the Church of the Virgin Mary, which, although baroque in appearance today, is medieval in origin, most evident on the buttresses and the building’s nave when viewed from outside. Behind the church, by the Szinva bank, stands the statue of Pope John Paul II blessing the housing estate in a pretty little park.

Leaving everything Miskolc could give here…

…as we leave Diósgyőr and head toward the forest. For a short time, we travel parallel to the Lillafüred narrow-gauge railway track, then switch onto an asphalt gravel forestry road, passing a small hacienda, and beginning the climb to the Kis-dél viewpoint — which we can break up with a truly pleasant diversion later. Following the S bike marking, we climb higher and higher on a steadily rising but comfortably rideable road, which may once have had a solid pavement, at least some traces suggest so. Along the way, a few interesting features make the route more variable; first, the karst formation called Útmenti-zsomboly, which is really right beside the road. Here we are already 424 meters above sea level, while the pit extends 25 meters below the surface. In 1964, workers building a bulldozer road discovered it, and members of the Herman Ottó Speleological Group later descended the 18-meter-deep, almost vertical shaft, where large stalactite surfaces were found along with human bones and skulls in the 1970s. The 139-meter-long sinkhole (a smaller stream may have disappeared underground here several hundred thousand years ago) silently guards its chilling secret, and it’s not even known whether the remains are from recent or much older times.

Approaching the Jávór meadow, we pass in front of the Fehérkőlápa Tourist House, then leave the nearby Saint Stephen spring (drinking water with medicinal effects for stomach and bowel complaints flows from the rock), and reach the Jávór meadow, where a roughly 200-meter detour leads to the forest buffet at the upper terminal of the Lillafüred chairlift. The chairlift is particularly interesting because, running more or less parallel with the cableway, a steep bike trail leads down to the lower station. This detour is recommended only for experienced, technical riders, and after it, you can relax a bit by riding the chairlift up before conquering Kis-dél.

Returning to the Jávór meadow, we continue along the S bike marking all the way to the southwestern corner of the meadow, where at a military grave under the power lines, we turn right onto an unmarked road, then ride into the outer houses of Bükkszentkereszt, turning right there to climb steeply to the Kis-dél viewpoint. Along the way, we pass the wreck of a ski lift that has seen better days. Upon reaching the viewpoint, take a break. The top level is excellent for eating a sandwich while enjoying the magnificent view. Below us lies Bükkszentkereszt, formerly Újhuta (Slovak: Nová Huta), Hungary’s second-highest settlement located in a valley basin. Like neighboring villages (Répáshuta, nearby Bükkszentlászló, and the now-destroyed Gyertyánvölgy), Bükkszentkereszt owes its existence to the smelter or glass-melting furnace established here. In the 18th century, the abundant timber from nearby forests was used to obtain potash (potassium carbonate), a raw material for glass production, and the fuel needed to heat the furnaces to suitable temperatures. Bükkszentkereszt produced both flat and window glass and was the second-largest industrial plant in Borsod county in the 18th century (after the Ómassa ironworks), employing more than 30 people. Today, the Bükki Glassworks Industrial History Museum in the village commemorates this period, where visitors can learn about the raw materials, the steps of glassmaking, and the glassblowing tools. Another widely known sight in the village is the “Bükk herbalist,” Gyuri Szabó’s medicinal herb garden, which is open to visitors.

On arriving in Bükkszentkereszt, it’s worth stopping by the local shop or at least filling water at a street fountain, as the next opportunity to restock will be in Eger, but that will only suffice for replenishing burned joules and horsepower. From the village, follow the Z bike marking out alongside the Lófő clearing, where near the last houses stands a monument in the grass. According to tradition, it marks the place where in 1241 the fleeing King Béla IV from the Battle of Muhi was caught by the Tatars, and a small skirmish took place between the king’s entourage and the pursuers. Today, in an overall peaceful landscape, we ride to the first major junction, where you turn right following the P bike marking that slopes downhill along a packed dirt and gravel road, then asphalt all the way down to the Hór valley. It’s not worth rushing; enjoy the atmosphere, reminiscent of some Austrian or Slovak valleys at lower elevations. Near the road, you can find a special karst formation called töbör, one of the characteristic features of karst plateaus. These are bowl-shaped (later eroding and becoming irregular shapes) sinkholes under which caves usually form. Over time, these fill and block due to infiltrating water, turning into larger pits hosting special microclimates – in some corners ice can remain even into midsummer.

The Hór valley is one of the most beautiful gorges of the Bükk, where we follow the K bike marking downhill along a changing quality, thus requiring constant attention, cart track. The valley widens over time, where we find the remains of the former village of Gyertyánvölgy. The village hosted a glassworks in the second half of the 19th century; the plant was relocated from Répáshuta to the valley in 1834, and production and population kept expanding until operations ceased in 1897. Today, at the site of a worker’s house is a small exhibition with panels showing the life of the glassworks, alongside a raised foundation of a residential building and a hill (halna) made of glass shards nearby. Even more interesting is the somewhat distant cemetery where the village residents were buried. In this small necropolis, 274 rest, of whom about two dozen are identified by name.

In the Hór valley, we continue descending steadily – this will catch up with us later, but for now, it is worth occasionally stopping to admire nature in the valley that first widens, then narrows. At Füzér-kő, turn right into the Hosszú valley, following the Z bike marking until exiting the forest. On a short asphalt section, you can briskly ride uphill, then at the junction after the forestry houses, turn left, beginning the climb to Ódorvár along a sometimes deceptively steep but very well-maintained forestry bulldozer road. From the Ódorvár rest stop, a roughly 200-meter walk (on a rooty, rocky path, it is advisable to leave the bike at the rest stop) leads to the namesake castle. According to an information source painted on a rock, it was a “Stone Age settlement, Iron Age fortress, medieval Hungarian castle, Hussite robber castle, demolished around 1474.” Little else is known about the castle’s history. The walls have been heavily ruined, and archaeologists have not yet explored the site of the former small fortress (about 30×50 meters). Numerous caves surround the area, one of which’s entrance the trail also passes “through the castle.”

Turkish field, Turkish road, Turkish minaret

From Ódorvár, there is a comfortable descent along the forestry road, with a nice view of the Hór valley opening up to the left before the Turkish field, and beyond it the plains of the Great Hungarian Plain. Arriving at the Völgyfő house, we continue along the P and Z markings on the Turkish road – a medieval road that could also be used by carts, which connected Eger through the Bükk with the northern part of the mountain range. Some sections are still visible and can be used as a road. Because the road ran mostly near ridges, prepare for a rollercoaster ride with, at first (at least as felt) more ups than downs. We pass under peaks such as Büdös-kút summit, Eregető, Ibolyás, Borzlyuk summit, and continue in the forest along the Turkish road until Várkút near the ridge. Along roads crossing the Bükk, including the Turkish road, resting places, inns, were established by springs. Várkút was one such place, where today a tourist house welcomes visitors – water is still supplied by the spring to those stopping by.

From Várkút to the asphalt road leading towards Eger, it’s just downhill. This is the last section of the route that runs on terrain. Above Síkfőkút, we reach the Noszvaj country road where we turn right and almost just coast to Eger – though a couple of short climbs still challenge the unsuspecting rider on the side of Eged mountain. After the last climb, at a curve, a small rest stop allows a last look at the Kis- and Nagy-Eged mountains, whose southern slopes are covered with vineyards. Not coincidentally, due to the soil composition, climate, and unique location, it is the most valuable vineyard area of the wine region.

Arriving in Eger, a big detour has to be made due to the winding and one-way streets to reach the city center, passing by the minaret as well. Considering the Turks settled in Hungary for 150 years, we encounter relatively few built monuments from this period, so the minaret is a valuable structure. Today it is hard to imagine the call to prayer sang by the muezzin from the 40-meter-high tower, which was of course part of a mosque. Built around 1596, the narrow, fourteen-sided, gracefully skyward-reaching minaret contains 97 steps leading to a very narrow balcony. The minaret is visitable, and a splendid view of the city opens from the circular gallery – but it is not recommended to claustrophobics and those with acrophobia (and a serious challenge to climb and descend the brightly worn steps in cycling shoes).

From the heights, one can look back to the Bükk and, of course, the city lies at our feet, with virtually every sight discoverable by tiptoeing around the narrow circular gallery. The Eger castle is inseparably linked with the famous 1552 siege, though naturally a fortress already stood here earlier: the smaller former fortress was expanded and strengthened after the Tatar invasion. In the mid-16th century, the fortress was a significant part of the final defense system, whose captain appointed in 1548, István Dobó, considered the fortification of the castle his primary duty. He clearly expected the inevitable Turkish siege that four years later was led by Grand Vizier Kara Ahmed, Rumeľli Beglerbey Szokoli Mehmed, and Budai Beglerbey Hadim Ali, but the defenders heroically repelled the attempts for five weeks despite being heavily outnumbered. The castle houses many exhibitions for visitors: you can learn the history of the fortress, descend into the casemates, get a thrill at the prison exhibition, or face the heroes of Egri csillagok at the wax museum. Géza Gárdonyi wrote the well-known novel about the siege during his time in Eger; his house operates as a memorial near the castle and is worth visiting (it comes up in the last few kilometers of the tour).

In the city, the imposing basilica stands out among other buildings; it is 90 meters long, its dome 40 meters high, and the tower 55 meters. Compared to this, the main cathedral of the Eger Archdiocese was built quite rapidly in six years (1831–37). The archdiocese itself was probably founded in 1004 by Saint Stephen among the first, initially covering nine, then 14 counties, and the Jászság region, from Heves to Máramaros. Its center was initially in the castle, but during the Turkish occupation, Protestant captains ruled Eger, and in 1566, Gáspár Mágóchy not only removed the bishop and chapter seat from the castle but also from the city (it moved to Kassa). After the anti-Turkish wars, the bishopric could move back to Eger and was raised to archbishopric rank by Pope Pius VII in 1804. After this brief historical detour, let's see what the Eger archdiocese gave us: next to (or rather below) the archbishop's palace is the archbishop's cellar system, the basilica, and the diocesan library. The archbishop's palace now hosts a visitor center where you can learn about the world of archbishops in an authentic environment, and the four-kilometer-long cellar system presents the past and present of the cellar (where 10–13 million liters of wine collected within church tithe were stored annually, and of course the archbishop's own wine as well), and explains cellar construction, vine growing, and winemaking steps.

Back at street level, it's worth heading towards Dobó Square, the city's main square. Alongside the gems of Baroque architecture, you can admire the Centrum Department Store, built during the socialist era, which on its eastern side is dominated by a view of the Eger castle known to all, looming behind and above the houses. From the basilica and the archbishop's palace, you can continue through one of the narrow streets – there's plenty of places to rest around Dobó Square and Széchenyi Street as a good end to the tour (the railway station is only a few minutes ride from downtown), and after that, explore more sights that can easily fill an entire day.