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Travelogues, travel stories
Sights of Tata
The city has numerous historic buildings: castles,... More »
The Monor region
We reach a smooth, fl at region – the Pest P... More »
Titanic Exhibition
Titanic’s Fatal Voyage 95 Years Ago, The Ti... More »
Budapest sights
Palace of Arts Budapest, Statue of St. Gellért Bud... More »
Visegrad, Danube Bend
Visegrad is a synthesis of the past, present and f... More »
Travel experiences
The Nograd region
As we leave the Ipoly valley, we can see the eastern peaks of Borzsony Mountain and the Nograd Basin. The mountains are gentler here than on the Danube side, and this is the easiest point at which to reach the highest peak (Csovanyos 939 m) along a marked tourist trail. The woods are populated with beech, oak and hornbeam trees, and we can also take walks among the alders of Dregelypalank or the larches of Diosjeno.
As we leave the Ipoly valley, we can see the eastern peaks of Borzsony Mountain and the Nograd Basin. The mountains are gentler here than on the Danube side, and this is the easiest point at which to reach the highest peak (Csovanyos 939 m) along a marked tourist trail. The woods are populated with beech, oak and hornbeam trees, and we can also take walks among the alders of Dregelypalank or the larches of Diosjeno. The area is rich in game, and there are more than a hundred protected bird species living here. Because of its location and infrastructure, Retsag makes an ideal starting point for visits to the surrounding area. East of here, at the foot of the Borzsony, are the ruins of the partly reconstructed Nograd Castle after which the entire county was named. The fortress was built in the 11–12th centuries; it is one of the oldest stone castles in Hungary. The Turks took over the castle in the 16–17th centuries but it was finally destroyed in 1685 – ironically by lightning. The nearby Diosjeno is not only among the most important sights of the Eastern Borzsony, but also a popular centre for watersports and angling with its 27-acre Jenoi Lake. Going north over the volcanic cone near Dregelypalank, we find Dregely Castle, built in the 13th century. There used to be a couple of dozen castles in the area; Nograd Castle was the largest, but Dregely Castle had the most significant role in Hungarian history. The latter has become a European symbol of self-sacrificing heroism during fighting against the Turks. In 1552, 12,000 Ottoman soldiers besieged the castle, but the 146 defenders led by Gyorgy Szondi held the fortress for six days. They defended their fort to the last man, and only after they had all died did it fall to the Turks. The stone sarcophagus in the village is another reminder of this historic event. A two-hour walk from Hont, next to Drelypalank, brings you to Hont Edge. This valley is rich in animal fossils from the Pleistocene Age. It is thought that Ipoly’s original watercourse used to be here. Bank lies to the east of Retsag. In the local Slovak House, you can learn about the traditional clothing and tools of the Slovaks living in the area. The main attraction is the seven-acre lake with hundreds of resort houses dotted around its shore. Not only can you boat and bathe on the lake, but during “Bank Summer” there are folk concerts, dance shows and other cultural events. Source: Hungarian Tourism Plc