| Börzsöny Mountains Area/Range |
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| Börzsöny Mountains   | 
| Page Type: Area/Range Location: Pest/Nógrád, Hungary, Europe Lat/Lon: 47.94855°N / 18.94730°E Activities: Hiking, Skiing Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter Elevation: 3077 ft / 938 m | Page By: peterbud Created/Edited: Oct 13, 2007 / Jul 21, 2008 Object ID: 347065 Hits: 1626 Loading... Page Score: 89.43% - 21 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview
Börzsöny Mountains are the remains of a big volcano, located in Northern Hungary, not far from the capital, Budapest.
On the north and the west, Börzsöny is bordered by Ipoly /SK: Ipeľ/ river, which is also a state border between Slovakia and Hungary since WW2. On the south, Börzsöny is separated from the Visegrád Mountains by Danube river. Its eastern slopes are separated from the Cserhát hills by the Nógrád basin.
The area of Börzsöny is 600 square km, most of which is covered by forest.
In the medieval times gold, silver and further metals were mined here. Börzsöny was among the first places from where the element Tellurite was described in the late 18th century.
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The heart of a retired volcano |
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Despite the vicinity of the capital, the trails of Börzsöny are usually not crowded, especially the north and west, which require more effort to approach.
Each season, the mountains show a different face. The busiest season is summer, with warm temperatures and long days. In wintertime, if snow is present, hikes can get challenging in the short daytime. Spring and autumn are also very nice with their flowers and coloured leaves, respectively. |
Winter mood |
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Messengers of Spring |
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Summer life |
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Autumn colors |
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The highest point of Börzsöny is Csóványos (938 m), followed by Magosfa (916 m, also called Tátralátó). In clear winter days, the Tatras in Slovakia are possible to be seen from Csóványos. The rest of the mountains are lower than 900 m. Amongst these, Nagy-Hideg-hegy (865 m) is the most important, because of the tourist hut (open year-around) and ski slopes which are located there.
Highpoints of Börzsöny Mountains |
Magosfa (Tátralátó) |
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Nagy-Hideg-hegy |
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Vár-bükk |
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Activities
Hiking:
There is an extensive net of signed trails, see this online map - the primary one is a section of the long-distance Hungarian Countrywide Blue Trail (connecting most of the major mountain areas of Hungary, it spans over 1100 km in total), but the others are not less interesting.
Detailed transect for some routes (scroll down in the window opened by the links)
Climbing:
There are just a few bare walls and towers in the region, but as the whole area is under nature protection (see Red Tape section below), climbing is not permitted.
Skiing:
In wintertime, if there is enough snow, the ski slopes of Nagy-Hideg-hegy and the forest ski trails (signed with X) are popular among skiers.
Sports hiking / challenge hiking:
I do not know whether this activity is practiced elsewhere or not - among Hungarians (both in and outside the country) it is quite popular, every weekend there is at least one event somewhere. The aim is to accomplish a prescribed route by hiking, within a fixed time frame. Calendar of events (in Hungarian).
Geocaching:
This activity gained popularity recenlty - more on Hungarian geocaching page. |
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Getting There
The most obvious starting point is Budapest. From here, villages south and east from Börzsöny can be accessed by train (for the east you'll have to change at Vác), and any of them by bus. Online train schedule (in English) and online bus schedule (shame, but only in Hungarian)
From Kismaros, Nagybörzsöny, and Kemence there are narrow gauge railways that crawl a few kilometers up into the mountains (there used to be an extended silvicultural/mining railway transportation network, a fraction of which has been restored in the previous decade and used nowadays for touristic reasons). Their schedule is fitted to the main touristic season (summer) and isn't as frequent as regular train service. The schedules are available (only in Hungarian) from this website (numbers 317, 318 and 319).
The most popular starting/arriving locations for hikes are Nógrád, Diósjenő (regular train from Vác), Királyrét (narrow gauge rail from Kismaros), Kóspallag/Kisinóc (no train), Nagyirtáspuszta (narrow gauge rail from Nagybörzsöny) and Nagybörzsöny. All of them are accessible by car and - with the exception of Nagyirtáspuszta - by bus.
If you plan to come by car (which is the most flexible option), check out a route planner like ViaMichelin.
Red Tape
The whole area of Börzsöny (together with major areas of Pilis and Visegrád Mountains) is included in the Duna-Ipoly National Park (established in 1997). Entry is free of charge.
These mountains are one of the few remaining resorts for a range of rare and protected species (Lynx lynx, Rosalia alpina, Salamandra salamandra, etc.) - respect yourself by respecting nature!
Rosalia alpina |
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a fat mushroom |
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Fire Salamander |
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Maps
Hardcopies
- 1:40,000 by Cartographia, available from Cartographia
- 1:30,000 by Szarvas-Faragó, available here (click for "Tourist/Biking maps" on the left and search "Börzsöny" in the list)
Online maps
Miscellaneous
There are a few small fort ruins in Börzsöny.
One of them, Drégelyvár (near the villages of Drégelypalánk and Nagyoroszi) is known to every Hungarian for the story of a heroic battle. In 1552, an army of 12,000 (!) Ottoman invaders started siege of the fort. Captain György Szondi, with his 146 troops knew their fate, but did not surrender. They managed to withstand the siege for four days (6-9 of July), fighting till their last drop of blood. The fort was cannoned to ruins in the battle, and was never used again. Restoration of this historic site began in 1991.
Another one, called Salgóvár, is situated in the western part, on Vár-bérc (715 m). The natural rock on the mountiantop was fortified probably in the 13th century, then got demolished in 1424 as a punishment to the owner for making false money.
External Links
Duna-Ipoly National Park
Webcam at Nagy-Hideg-hegy (865 m)
Images
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