It is a great sense of accomplishment to climb a volcanic hill and enjoy the view from the top. Especially if the sight is a basin full of similar hills and Lake Balaton as far as your eyes can see. The stone organs of Szent György Hill was our picked destination for the last weekend. Living in the picturesque Balaton Uplands we often choose to visit places within 100km.
This 415m high hill is famous for its beautiful geological formations called “basalt organs” which were formed from the hot lava. The organs are 30-40m high polygonal columns formed by the rapid cooling of the lava which resulted in fractions, creating columns, which later were further shaped by the external forces (water, sun, wind). The hill itself was created by a volcanic activity of multiple eruptions about 3-4 million years ago.
The hill may not be too high, but it is quite steep, so it is not the easiest walk uphill, and it was very muddy and slippery the weekend we went. But it definitely pays off to take a long tour and discover everything here. There are many trails, and we choose to follow the Basalt Organs Study Trail as it has information signposts along the way with a table of description and photos to learn more about the flora and fauna. It is an almost four kilometers long, circular route with eight posters. We started off from a village nearby called Raposka, where we left the car.
Surely there are other memorable formations on this hill. Including an ice cave. Well, it is not a real cave in the traditional sense, with large hall carved into the rocks, but only a 10 meters deep cavern which was formed when pieces from former basalt columns fell down and created a hole in the ground. Interestingly enough, cool air is flowing from the gaps in between the rocks even during the summer heat. The locals call it Sárkánybarlang, or Dragon Cave, as according to popular belief, the hill was inhabited by a dragon, which was killed by Saint George himself. Hence the name of the hill. And according to the legend, that cool air is the breath of the long gone dragon.
We spent a good two hours with the round trip. It was a nice experience. I suggest wearing hiking boots when visiting.
Do you have volcanic hills in your local area?