Kőlyuk

Kőlyuk is a sandstone cave located in the eastern part of the Cserhát Mountains. It is a tourist attraction developed for tourism. The cave, reachable via an exciting path, is freely visitable.

Description

On the hillside of Kőlyuk Hill in the outer area of Kishartyán, at a height of 15–20 m, in the upper third of a south‑facing sandstone rock wall, are the three entrances of the unsealed cave (one centrally located entrance and two windows positioned on either side). It is located about 500 m south of the inner part of the settlement. The cave, reachable by car, can be accessed by an easy walk, carved into sandstone and secured with a railing, and is reachable via a stairway leading upward. It is advisable to approach from the side of the road leading south from the settlement. Below the entrance there is a tourist rest area with tables and benches. Entrance 1 is 7.3 m wide, 2.5 m high, modified, oval‑shaped and oriented along the horizontal axis. Entrance 2 is 1.8 m wide, 1.12 m high, modified, oval‑shaped and oriented along the horizontal axis. Entrance 3 is 1.14 m wide, 1.65 m high, modified, oval‑shaped and oriented along the horizontal axis.

The cave was formed in the lower Miocene (Eger‑Eggenburgian) sandstone (Pétervására Sandstone Formation) along a tectonic fracture, bedding plane and stratification by freeze‑thaw disintegration, collapse, erosion, disintegration (possibly deflation) and artificial intervention. In its present state it appears more like an artificial cavity than a natural formation. The typical passage type of the single‑level, horizontal cave is the quadrangular passage type. It consists of three to four smaller‑larger, interconnected chamber‑like spaces, which are mostly quadrangular. These were clearly shaped by humans. The original natural voids can be observed in the entrance and windows. Their rounded, oval shapes indicate their origin.

The locals tell that a very rich but very cowardly baron living in the neighboring Karancsság hid himself in the cave with his lover for a long time because he did not dare to duel with another baron. His serfs brought them food each night. Years later, from his well‑protected, secret hideout he only emerged upon hearing news of his opponent’s death. The authenticity of this story is uncertain, but it is certain that the steep rock wall above the valley well, where originally a narrow fissure‑type cavity can be seen, was not expanded without reason by people of the old ages into a large dwelling cave at this magnificently defensible and well‑hidden place. It is possible that prehistoric people also used it, but by the Middle Ages it was already certainly inhabited. The comfortably enlarged cavity, under which a good well in the valley provided water, may also have served as a medieval hermit’s farmstead. The dwelling cave lying like a fort on the steep rock side certainly gave shelter to the village people during the Tatar and Turkish invasions.

In 1982 the cave was first called Kőlyuk in the literature. The cave appears in the literature under the names Kishartyáni Kőlyuk (Eszterhás 1988), Kő‑völgyi‑kőlyuk (Szathmári 1982), Kő‑völgyi Kőlyuk (Eszterhás 1989), Kő‑völgyi Remete‑barlang (Eszterhás 1988), Kővölgyi Remete‑barlang (Eszterhás 1989), Kő‑völgyi‑remetebarlang (Eszterhás 1989) and Remete‑barlang (Szathmári 1982).

Research history

In the section of Antal Mocsáry’s 1826 book describing Kishartyán there is mention that on the sun‑facing side of the rocky mountains there are still cavities and old shelters, into which the Hajdú fled to hide from the enemy’s murderous hand. About these caves, Mátyás Bél wrote that in his time there was among them one that had a door and a window.

In the guidebook that first appeared in 1982 it is written that an extremely interesting and human‑enlarged, not karstic cave can be visited on the eastern edge of the Cserhát, on the southern slope of Kishartyán, in the Kő‑valley opening east of the artificial well. At the beginning of the valley one must pass the local producers’ cooperative well and its two buildings. Then, immediately visible on the northern, barren, rocky side of the valley, about 30 m above the valley floor, is a large opening of a cavity facing south and two smaller windows. Locals call it Kőlyuk, Kő‑valley‑hole or Kő‑valley Hermit‑cave. The natural cavity of the cave formed between layers of Oligocene limestone and sandy marl deposited horizontally, due to the collapse of the looser layers. Several narrow rock fissures between the strata can also be observed on the mountain side. The largest natural cavity has already been enlarged by humans into a comfortable, spacious dwelling cave for several people, for which a staircase has also been made using the harder rock slabs.

Despite the artificial enlargement, the cave has retained the character of a rock fissure. Parallel to the valley axis, a cavity lying 18 m long has opened between two hard rock slabs. About 2.5–3 m high, it may originally have penetrated 2–3 m into the mountain side. The centrally enlarged chamber, created by artificial enlargement, now extends 5.5 m and from it a kiln‑like round niche of a good meter in diameter opens inward. Overlooking the valley is a 6 m wide, centrally 3 m high arched entrance, from which about 3 m northward there is an almost circular opening about 1 m in diameter, and about 4.5 m east of the entrance another, larger window.

It is conceivable that prehistoric man also used it, but by the Middle Ages it was already certainly inhabited. This is confirmed by contemporary pottery shards found by the author on the mountainside below the entrance. A similar human‑expanded cavity is the Saint‑Kút hermit caves. Like the Saint‑Kút hermit caves, the Stone‑Valley Hermit Cave was initially certainly a small natural cavity, which hermits used, expanded and reshaped. It is also worth noting the names of the caves in the Cserhát Mountains, e.g. Stone‑Valley‑hole and Hermit caves. In the Börzsöny and the Cserhát, although there are few caves, the people still call cavities suitable for pasture places hermit caves in three locations in the two mountain ranges. In each of the cavities currently called hermit caves, a hermit could indeed have lived.