Duration: 4 hours
Accessible by public transport, the tour starts from Sopron railway station, which is available on the railway lines Győr – Sopron and Szombathely – Sopron.
Tour description:
The start of our cycle tour is the railway station of Sopron, which gives us the opportunity to visit the unique inner city and the Fire tower, its symbol. We leave the city center towards Sopronbánfalva, on an ever narrowing, low-traffic paved road, after which we reach a valley enclosed by the deciduous forests mixed with pine-trees of the Sopron Mountains. This path leads to the settlement of Görbehalom and a junction. Taking a right, we turn to Hidegvízvölgy street for a few minutes to arrive at the lake shore of Fehér-út. It is worth taking a minute to rest here. Cycling on, we pass by Lackner Cross. On the elevating roads, with a little detour, we may check out the entrance to the nearby Saint Stephen Mine. Rolling downwards, we reach New Hermes and Old Hermes, then Brennbergbánya. In the famous mining community town, a mining memorial museum recounts the difficult life of coal miners. It is a must see! From Brennbergbánya, we bike to Görbehalom along the spring valley and the church of St. Borbala. Afterwards, we return to Sopron via the now familiar route.
Sights:
Fire Tower, Sopron:
The symbol of the city was once a tower. In the tower, 119 steps lead to the balcony, which offers a bird's eye view to admire the town’s roofs and the forests of the Sopron Mountains.
Memorial Mining Museum:
The mining exhibition building is also a protected industrial historic monument. The first steam machine in a Hungarian mine operated here from 1840. In the museum, traces of mining production may also be observed: the first opencast mining and the dents signaling the location of deep mines are still visible."