Rudapithecus nature trail

The Majomsziget exhibition

We start the Rudapithecus nature trail from the parking lot in front of the Majomsziget exhibition, first heading towards the exhibition building. Due to the increase in iron ore mining that has operated for centuries and the expansion of mining activities, a very important and special find was made public in 1967 on the slopes of the Rudabánya Mountains. Fortunately, the mine's geologist discovered the jaw fragment, whose paleontological examination highlighted its uniqueness, as it revealed the remains of a still unknown hominid ape about 10 million years old. Experts uncovered the find's surroundings, so over the decades, many teeth and bones of individuals of the species named rudapithecus hungaricus have been found. In the 1990s, the mostly intact skull of an old female individual was successfully assembled from the found bones and named Gabi. They also found the complete upper jaw of a male with all his teeth. Research also excavated and studied the habitat of this great ape that lived in a tropical, swamp cypress forest environment.

The exhibition presents this site, exposing the host rock layers and reconstructing the bones. Inside the building, there is a buffet and restrooms, and from the terrace, we have a view of the eastern end of the mining lake and the towering mining wall above. Behind the building, you can read detailed descriptions and the significance of the site, human evolution, and rudapithecus hungaricus on explanatory boards. The exhibition is an excellent base, starting and ending point for exploring the trail, and we can even rest here after completing the eastern branch. We can time the visit to the exhibition adapted to the weather, avoiding possible heat, rain, or other extremes.

The eastern branch of the trail

From the exhibition, we descend to the mining lake along the former production dozer road, which bends in a large arc from the east to the pit entrance. We can make a detour to two upper production levels to the north, ascending from the lower level on a concrete platform and from the upper level in a lookout tower above the vegetation. We get a great view of the mining pit left after extraction, transformed over decades into a wonderful mining lake by accumulating rain and crack water. From here, we see the largest section of the lake, longer than 300 meters, whose color reflects interesting blue and green shades due to the exceptionally clear and deep water column. The surroundings of the lake, much of the slopes affected by extraction, are already covered with vegetation; forests grown over decades decorate the reddish tones of the mining walls.

Satisfied with the view, we finally return to the road to the lake, where we can also turn towards the mining wall. Here, the lake shows its most beautiful face, reflecting the thick reddish wall towering above it from a respectful distance. Looking into the clear water, we can see how the steeply descending bed changes from greenish shades near the shore to dark blue in the depth, which absorbs all light. On the shore, we find a large concrete platform and numerous explanatory boards, as well as benches and tables at the end of the trail. A path continues under the mining wall, but this leads to a particularly dangerous place on the continuously collapsing steep rock staircase side.

After reading the history of the mine on the information posts and admiring the colorful water, we can take a long detour to cross to the other side. If we came by car, it is worth taking the connecting road, but on foot, we can also reach the other side within half an hour on the road surrounded by mixed forest and bypassing the lake from the south. We find a larger parking lot next to the forest, from which a sign points to the viewpoint and the lake, where we turn off to the western end of the mining lake.

The western branch of the trail

Although it sounds special to be at an abandoned iron ore mine and the lake that formed inside it, on this side we find the wildest parts of the lake. Even the viewpoint shaped on the steep road suggests a unique location, but as we reach the lake shore a few meters lower, coming between a reed and a sharply protruding iron ore rock mass, a mountain lake scene welcomes us. This feeling is reinforced by the steep mining walls and the pine forest conquering the space on the top. Rainwater has carved deep grooves into the scree slope under the cliffs since mining ended. The lakeshore slopes gently towards the greater depths, under a rocky outcrop left as a small promontory. On the southern side of the iron ore rock pillar, a path leads to the top of the rocky plateau protruding like a peninsula; here, we move cautiously! With the filling of the abandoned mining pit, a truly exciting environment has developed. On the iron ore mass, we can study the once mined metal-containing minerals and the texture filling the cracks in the ores.

A final branch leads to the southwestern edge of the lake, to a mining terrace about 10 meters above the water, where a lookout tower and benches and tables provide another perspective for birds-eye views of the lake. From the mining terrace, a path snakes through the bushes and then leads along the northern side of the lake, but large signs warn of danger, prohibiting further passage. This narrowing path connects to the trail leading to the Viktor Wall, a winding and highly unstable route. It is better to choose the less risky path for the return, even if it means a longer detour to get back to our starting point or, ideally, to our car parked closer to Rudabánya.