Atkár: Mátra Landscape, Geology and History

Atkár lies on the southern slopes of the Mátra and is characterized mainly by flat terrain. The centrally built-up area has a traditional village street scene. The area also features distinctive soil formation, a wetland and historic buildings. This gives you a choice of different interests when planning your trip: geology, nature observation, or local and architectural history.

Landscape and Geology

Atkár’s striking soil profile was formed by frost action in periglacial soil and is considered an exceptional formation in Europe. The Atkár Geological Educational Trail follows constructed steps and a footpath to a rare Pleistocene soil formation, which you can view there. If you plan to visit the trail, check the condition of the path before your visit. Its frost-related formation and Pleistocene classification offer two ways to explore the geological subject. Periglacial refers to soil conditions shaped by frost; the Pleistocene places the soil formation within a period of Earth’s history.

Nature and Habitats

Margit-kút is a permanent wetland with open water and provides protected species with food and habitat. This offers a different connection with nature from the Geological Educational Trail: Margit-kút is about habitat, while the trail focuses on soil formation. In 1999, 10 to 20 breeding pairs were recorded at the European bee-eater nesting site in Atkár. This is a historical figure, not a current population estimate.

Architectural and Local History

The Roman Catholic Őrangyalok Church in Atkár is dated to 1783. The Dőry-kastély in Tass-puszta was built in the early 19th century and later became the estate of the Dőry barons. It is considered the only castle in Atkár to have been restored to its original condition. Tass-puszta itself was once an independent medieval village within the former boundaries of the locality and had developed into a significant estate center by the early 20th century. These historical periods can be distinguished: Tass-puszta refers to the medieval village and the estate center of the early 20th century, the castle to the early 19th century, and the church to the year it was built, 1783.

Road Access

The M3 runs directly alongside Atkár; a connecting road leads from the village to the motorway.

In the wider destination of Heves

In the wider destination of Heves, the Hevesi Füves Puszták Landscape Protection Area lies in the southern part of Heves County. The protected area covers 16,114 hectares, was designated in 1993, and reached its current extent after expansions in 2005 and 2008. The 6.5 km Ilona-völgyi educational trail along the Ilona stream passes the geological features of the Eastern Mátra Mountains and traces of former ore mining. While the protected area is defined by its size and designation, the educational trail combines geological themes with traces of former mining.

The Szépasszony Valley is home to Eger’s largest continuous area of wine cellars. Wine culture and its associated gastronomy are among the area’s most important tourist attractions. The Hevesi szőttes, a textile heritage associated with Heves, Mátraderecske and Bodony, is also part of the cultural context of the wider destination of Heves.

Discover more destinations: Abasár, Gyöngyössolymos, Kisnána, Markaz, Mátraszentimre, Gyöngyösoroszi, Galyatető, Gyöngyös.

Return to the wider travel overview: Gyöngyösi.