Duration: 5 hours
Tour description:
A part of the trip from the railway station of Sopron follows along the former Iron Curtain. By taking a little detour, we have the opportunity to visit the unique inner city and the Fire tower, its symbol. We leave the town center towards Ágfalva, then reaching the inner city, we begin our journey toward the Sopron Mountains, turning to the left after the church. Following the old monorail track enclosed by the deciduous forests mixed with pine-trees, we arrive on the shore of Fehér-úti Lake, where it is worth stopping for a while. 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. Upon returning from the lookout tower, we need to pay attention to leave the paved road towards Magasbérc and head on to the forest path. At Magasbérc Lookout Tower, it is worth taking deep breaths of the pure air and take in the wonderful view. Going on in the forest along the border, the road is moving away from the border to the junction of the road to the Muck House. We should take a detour to the left towards ‘Muck’, where the former border guard site was transformed into the Forest House Ecotourism Visitor Centre. There is an innhouse, an office and an outdoor classroom. The pens of the animals equipped with feeders and automatic drinking points are soon ready. Returning to the junction, we continue along the forest road, the border in an eastern direction and reach the Neckenmarkt (Sopronnyék)-Harka paved road near the border crossing. Turning to the left, we head to the center of Harka. We do not recommend taking the public road from Harka to Sopron. Leaving the two beautiful churches, we leave Harka via the narrow town paths and return to Sopron through real MTB routes, along fields through forest lanes and groves, straight to to Lővér camping. Finally, we return on the cycle road to our starting point, the railway station.
Sights:
Main square of Sopron
The present look of the main square of Sopron came about after the great fire in Sopron in 1676, and has hardly changed since. Antique houses with balconies, gates and yards with arcades beneath that often connect streets. Stone-framed windows and doors that tell the story of different epochs – history is within the visitor’s reach. The inner city, surrounded by walls and moat, had two entrances around the 16th century: the Front Gate at the Fire Tower and the Back Gate at Templom Street. Naturally, today the city may be accessed via several routes, but these two access points remain significant. Among historic buildings we may visit museums, churches, the Town Hall, and the Fire Tower at the main square, which offers a magnificent view of the neighborhood.
Fehér-úti Lake
A wonderful fishing lake near Sopron, offering beauty any season of the year. The lake is located in the mining settlement of Görbehalom. The lake is to be found in the mining village of Görbehalom. Its other name (Brennberg Reservoir) and its origin are closely related to Hungary's first coal mine in Brennberg. In 1868-69, a narrow-gauge railway line between the Brennberg mine and Ágfalva was built to transport coal. A 222-meter-long and 27-meter-high wooden valley bridge crossed the bed of the Rák brook, on which the coal was transported to Ágfalva by horse-drawn carriage at the beginning and by steam locomotives later. At the end of the 19th century, a railway embankment through which the Rák stream flows was built around the wooden bridge, and the present-day fishing lake was created by damming the brook. In the 18th to 19th century, Brennberg coal was in great demand. Planned were thus made to build a channel from Vienna to Sopron to provide Vienna and the surrounding industrial districts with cheap coal. In the end, the channel was only built until Pecsenyéd (today Pötsching, Austria) near Bécsújhely. At a distance of about 40 kilometers, coal was initially transported in carts to the channel, then from 1847, along the Sopron-Bécsújhely railway line. Brown coal reached Ágfalva, the railway loading site, through the railway embankment near Fehér Street Lake.
Magas-bérci Lookout Tower
In the highest point of the Sopron Mountains in Hungary (557 m) you can find this lookout tower. Only a few hiking trails cross this part of the Park Forest. The reason for this is that this area could only be entered with a special permit during the Iron Curtain period, and there are protected nature reserves in the former border area as well. A Wildlife Management and Educational Hunting Trail leads to the tower, where interactive information boards and wildlife management equipment help guide you through the mysteries of wildlife management and hunting.