Mátraverebély is shaped by the Szentkút pilgrimage site and its hiking trails. Mátraverebély-Szentkút is known for its spring water associated with miracles and the statue of the Virgin Mary; the grounds also contain hermit caves and a group of springs. Options range from a short walk in the valley to a roughly 25.4-kilometre section of the National Blue Trail. When planning, it is worth keeping these different scales in mind.
Szentkút, the Gorge and the Springs
Turn off Main Road 21 towards Szentkút at Mátraverebély. From there, the pilgrimage site is about five kilometres away and is signposted all the way. A short walk in the valley of the Szentkúti-patak leads to a signposted gorge. According to legend, the Szent László fissure is where the king made his great leap. Further along the valley are the Köszvényes Spring and a group of three springs. There is a bench and a rain shelter by the Köszvényes Spring.
The hiking trails of Mátraverebély-Szentkút offer suitable options for visitors of all ages. Geological walks for groups are organised by prior arrangement. A local app with a guide helps tourists find their way around Mátraverebély-Szentkút. Alongside a walk in the valley, the offerings therefore include geological topics and local navigation.
From a Valley Walk to a Hiking Section
A regional tourism strategy from 2023 describes section 20 of the National Blue Trail. It runs from Mátraverebély via Ágasvár, Mátraszentistván, Galya-tető, Vércverés and the Vörösmarty Tourist House to Mátraháza, and is about 25.4 kilometres long. The two hiking options differ considerably: the short walk in the Szentkút Valley leads to a gorge and several springs; the long-distance trail described is a much longer section with several named stops. This distinction helps visitors decide whether to focus their stay on a visit to the valley or a longer hike.
More Topics in the Wider Destination of Neuburg
In the wider destination of Neuburg, Mátraverebély-Szentkút was solemnly declared a national shrine in 2006 by Cardinal Primate Erdő Péter during the pilgrimage for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. Other places in the region also offer their own cultural highlights. The old village of Hollókő is a Palóc settlement in Nógrád County in northern Hungary and a deliberately preserved, living example of rural life before the 20th-century agricultural revolution.
The Pásztó Museum, with its permanent and temporary exhibitions, is housed in a Baroque Cistercian monastery building rebuilt in 1717–1718. As an open-air exhibition, the museum presents a medieval glassworks and blacksmith’s workshop, considered a unique industrial heritage monument in Hungary.
Another regional attraction is the Boszorkány-kő geological nature trail in the Karancs-Medves Landscape Protection Area. The protected area was established in 1989 and covers 6,928.6 hectares. The trail illustrates basalt volcanism from 2.4 to 5.2 million years ago. The formations described include sediment inclusions torn from deep underground, curved lava slabs and basalt columns formed by weathering.
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