Discover Neuburg: Geology and History

A geological educational trail brings millions of years of basalt volcanism to life; at the same time, Hollókő preserves a vivid picture of rural life. Neuburg combines natural history with cultural attractions whose exhibitions range from fossils and mining to literature and history.

Experience Geology and Nature

At Boszorkány-kő, a geological educational trail illustrates basalt volcanism that began 2.4 to 5.2 million years ago. The trail is in the Karancs-Medves Landscape Protection Area, established in 1989 and covering 6,928.6 hectares. You can see the varied rocks of a small fissure volcano: sediment inclusions torn up from deep underground, curved lava slabs, and basalt columns formed by weathering. This offers a chance to explore geological history both on a broad time scale and through individual rock formations.

The Ipolytarnóc Fossils Nature Reserve tells a different story of the Earth. Protected since 1944, this world-famous fossil site preserves evidence of a prehistoric world destroyed by a volcanic catastrophe 17 million years ago. Finds include shark teeth, petrified trees, leaf impressions, and fossilized animal tracks. The area is also a gateway to the cross-border UNESCO Global Geopark Novohrad-Nógrád.

In Salgótarján, the Geocsodák House combines interactive geology exhibitions and talks with more than 30 walkable hiking trails. Information boards line the trails, which you can explore on your own or with a hiking guide. At the Baglyas-kő Vár Visitor Centre, an outdoor archaeological display and an indoor exhibition complement a short geological educational trail around the rock. The Eresztvényi Visitor Centre is in a forest beside a playground; from there, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Salgó Castle. The Petőfi sétány connects Somoskő Castle with Salgó Castle.

Villages, Museums, and History

The old village of Hollókő is a Palóc settlement in Nógrád County in northern Hungary. Preserved deliberately as a living example, it offers a glimpse of rural life before the 20th-century agricultural revolution. The Madách Imre Memorial House in Csesztve offers another literary perspective: its permanent exhibition covers the history of the Madách family and focuses on “Az ember tragédiája.” The park of the Madách manor house is a protected natural area where visitors can walk and relax. In Horpács, the permanent literary history exhibition at the Mikszáth Kálmán Memorial Museum is titled “MIKSZÁTH.”

Historic buildings also shape the museums’ character. The Pásztói Museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions are housed in a Baroque Cistercian monastery building rebuilt in 1717–1718. Its open-air exhibition features a medieval glassworks and blacksmith’s workshop—a unique industrial heritage site in Hungary. In Szécsényi Castle Park, the Kubinyi Ferenc Museum presents permanent exhibitions on archaeology and natural history, as well as a Körösi-Csoma memorial exhibition and an exhibition on the history of Szécsény Castle.

Salgótarján’s underground mining museum uses preserved tunnels from the József-Lejtenschacht shaft, opened in 1937. It opened to the public in 1965 as Europe’s second museum in an original mine. In Szécsény, the Franciscan Church and monastery can be visited on a guided tour. According to tradition, the Rákóczi Hall is associated with Francis II Rákóczi sleeping there during the 1705 Diet.

Walks and a Place of Pilgrimage

For a walk, the protected park of the Madách manor house in Csesztve offers a different kind of visit from the geological educational trails. Another highlight is Mátraverebély-Szentkút: during the pilgrimage for the Assumption of Mary, Cardinal Primate Erdő Péter solemnly declared the site a national shrine in 2006. Szentkút can be reached from Route 21 via Mátraverebély, followed by a five-kilometre access road into the Szentkút Valley.

Discover more destinations: Pásztó, Bátonyterenye, Salgótarján, Balassagyarmat, Rétság, Szécsény, Vas County, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg.

For the main travel overview: Hungary.