Hitting the Aggtelek Cave

Hungary’s largest artificial water reservoir is the Rakaca Water Reservoir, which accumulates the water of the Rakaca Creek. The Rakaca Creek, which is a significant tributary of the Bódva River, is swelled about 1.5 km from the village Szalonna. The Rakaca Lake is one of Hungary’s largest reservoirs. The reservoir and its surrounding area located in a beautiful environment has developed into a significant holiday resort. The water sports and fishing enthusiasts can find an opportunity to relax here.

The most famous attraction of the village of Szalonna is the Christian Reformed church built on a small hill in the center of the village, completed through the course of two eras. Its older, 11th century part is the rotunda. This circular church was expanded, still in Romanesque style, in the 13th century. Valuable fresco remains have been preserved on the inner wall of the rotunda. The church’s former patron was St. Margaret of Antioch, and the 13th century wall paintings partially depict episodes of her life. The surrounding wall fence of the church is of the 18th century but earlier fragments were also used. The foundation walls of 14th century sacristy and ossuary are visible on the north side. North of the church stood the proprietor family’s reinforced mansion, which is no longer visible. Another attraction of the village is the 19th century Bonis-Gedeon Castle. The regrettably dilapidated building currently operates as an elementary school.

The Baradla Cave can be visited from its Jósvafő-side entrance, along with three additional caves: the Béke Cave, the Kossuth Cave and the Imre Vass Cave. It is also worth visiting the Baradla Gallery where an exhibit of the cave-related paintings can been seen, and the Kessler Hubert Memorial House by the exit of the Baradle Cave. Other places of interest are the Tengerszem Lake, the Christian Reformed church with its vaulted ceiling and its separate bell tower, the Millennium Memorial Park, the Old Village Square, the Hucul Stud Farm, and the carved headstones Cemetery. The Country House was built at the end of the 19th century and is a quintessential peasant palace; its exhibit shows the life of the village in earlier centuries.

Aggtelek and its surrounding vicinity are among the few places that hide the kind of treasures above and under ground that would be a crime to miss. It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1995. We can discover the most extensive stalactite-stalagmite system of Europe here, which has become one of the most famous caves on earth due to its unrivalled, colorful formations. Stretching under Aggtelek and its vicinity are caves of various sizes formed over 220 million years ago. Together with the caves on the Slovakian karst areas, over 700 caves are known here. The most spectacular and most extensive cave, the 24 kilometer long Baradla-Domica Cave System receives the most visitors. Its variegated, imaginative stalagmite and stalactite formations are nothing short of breathtaking. The tallest stalagmite in Hungary can be found here, the 19 meter Stargazer. The expansive Concert Hall has great acoustics, so concerts with the participation of Hungarian and foreign artists are regularly held here. Various guided tours can be taken in the cave, the longest of which is an adventurous excursion that is 7 kilometers long and takes five hours.

A significant attraction of the town is its monument style Baroque Christian Reformed church, with its tower situated on the façade, dating back to the 18th century. The reconstructed water mill located near the old water mill houses the Great Book describing the Aggtelek National Park, which is the Word’s Largest Book (Guinness World Record) with its 4 meter long pages, 3.6 meter width and 346 pages. A paper mill one-of-a-kind in Hungary can also be found here, where visitors can make their own paper. Renovated printing presses dating back to Guttenberg’s time can also be viewed in the museum. Many houses in the village show motifs of folk architecture, particularly features of the Perkupa style, which also makes for an extraordinary sight to behold.