Sástó

Sástó is the highest lake in Hungary, located in the Mátra Mountains, in the outskirts of Gyöngyös. It is an excellent place for boating and fishing. It has a 50‑metre‑high observation tower.

Location

It lies north of Mátrafüred, which also belongs to Gyöngyös, along the main road number 24. Its elevation above sea level is 507 metres.

Rain‑water‑fed swampy lakes began to be developed as a resort around 1960. Over time the ponds that filled up were cleared and opened up. The resulting shallow lake has an average depth of 1 metre. After the water surface was arranged, the construction of facilities serving tourism also began. Excellent place for boating and fishing. Unfortunately, due to the extensive redevelopment of the area, a significant part of the previously native communities was damaged or completely disappeared from the surroundings.

In October 2006 a winter‑summer bobsleigh track opened, and from 2014 the Oxygen Adrenalin Park opened on the former Sástó stone quarry area.

The lookout

One of the Mátra lookouts is located at Sástó, which was created in 1973 from a decommissioned drilling tower. (It was transported here from Algyő near Szeged.) The tower is 50 metres high, its sway is large. A transmitter-receiver and a transmitting antenna device are installed on the top and on the side. In 2020 the municipality renovated it.