The inspiration for this summer’s journey to Hungary came from the fact that on reflection we knew very little about the country, its Geology or its Minerals. We had over the years visited most of the surrounding countries including the Czech Republic, Austria and Romania, but Hungary had so far eluded us. Coupled with a major show in the country’s capital Budapest this seemed like a great opportunity to visit and at long last put the record straight.

The trip started with a tortuous six-hour drive from nearby Poland, through the Slovak Republic, ending in Budapest. The road snakes across the Carpathian Mountains and whilst the views are breathtaking the highway is narrow, which makes overtaking slow trucks is almost impossible. Eventually, very weary, we arrived in Budapest we were really pleased that the hotel turned out to be in the old Citadel, overlooking the Pest side of this great city and a great swathe of the River Danube below.

Unfortunately the trip got off to a bad start because one of the first things to happen to us was to have one of our bags stolen from outside of an otherwise wonderful restaurant. Fortunately we lost no specimens or money but we did lose a camera with over 200 shots of the journey across the Carpathians as well as several agate and gold locations in Poland. The next three hours were spent in a Police Station filling in countless forms and answering many questions.

View of Budapest at Night	Parliament across the Danube

The next day begun with a terrific thunderstorm. This passed just after breakfast and soon after the sun started to shine, drying off the quiet cobbled streets and pavements. This being Saturday it was the first day of the XX Nemzetkozi Asvanyborze show held at the Petofi Csarnok building in Varosliget Park. Walking across the grass after the rain was very pleasant as the heat of the day begun to dry off the leaves and the trees. The park started to fill with filtered sunlight and the musty smell of wet vegetation.

We quickly found the main entrance and paid the incredibly cheap entrance fee equivalent to twenty pence. Inside was a large foyer whose walls were lined with dealers selling polished stones, jewellery supplies and items of outstanding mineral trees and carvings. Although we are not usually interested in this kind of material, we nevertheless took a good look around since many of these had come from Russia, and were not the usual carvings from China and the Far East. Amongst one of the most attractive designs was a marble chess-set where the pieces were carved from various semi-precious stones and made to resemble dinosaurs.

Petofi Csarnok	Inside the Main Show Hall

Moving into the main hall we were met with the usual arrangement of aisles and tables set out along the length of the hall. Immediately to our left we were delighted to see a table of Frank Weiss an old German friend and supplier of ours. He had a superb Kyanite cluster from Brazil as well as a newly discovered Fluorite from Mongolia. Although the crystals were small, the colour is a very gentle green. The specimens are very interesting because of their very distorted cubic habit. We bought a few of these together with a great example of Hungarian white calcite from Urkut, in the west of the country. Closer inspection showed a darker core of black Manganocalcite on which the outer mineralisation had taken place as a second generation growth.

Next along the aisle was another good friend and colleague, Stefan Pezov, this time from the Czech Republic. Exchanging greetings we were shown a case of very nice gold tellurides. We were very interested but unfortunately the price was too high. Material like this, whilst very interesting mineralogically, tends to be bought by a handful of specialist collectors and is therefore very difficult to resell on the general market. This is exacerbated by the high price, which most collectors find most prohibitive.

The rest of the aisle was lined by a number of Hungarian dealers selling specimens of only average quality. These were mostly from Morocco, India and China and not any local material which we had come to see. However, along the rear wall we discovered a local dealer selling a wealth of good quality Hungarian minerals. We stopped to chat and examine the specimens available. Amongst these were Pyrrhotite, Pentlandite and Magnetite from the iron mines at Szarvasko; Tennatite and Molybdenite from Recsk; Native Bismuth, Cosaline, Glaucodote, Sartorite, Proustite and Stephanite from the Rozsa Mine in Nagyborzsony; and Hydragillite and Boehmite from the Kaolin mines at Iszkaszentgyorgy.

Stephanite Cluster	Gold Telluride in Quartz

Having selected a good range for our collection and the web store, we wanted to find out what the most interesting mineral sites in Hungary were. The consensus amongst dealers were Hajduszoboszlo and Rudnabaya. The former, a geologically active site has become one of Hungary’s premier tourist attractions for reasons we will talk about later and the latter, one of the country’s most prolific mineralogical deposits. Not having decided on an itinerary beforehand, it seemed like a great opportunity to go off and explore these two areas.

Meanwhile, we returned to exploring the show. Amongst the middle and far side of the hall was a large group of Polish amber dealers selling both jewellery and rough material. One of the latest discoveries are large stones of deep green-black colour, rather than the usual yellows and browns. These stones are in great demand because of the rarity and also their fashion appeal. Consequently prices are to match. Nevertheless, we bought a couple of stones as presents for people back in the UK.

By now it was lunchtime and the temperature in the hall was soaring. Nor benefiting from any air-conditioning the atmosphere became very uncomfortable, and we decided to take a break. Outside the main hall was a cafeteria selling cold drinks and food, and we sat down to enjoy a local beer. This turned out to be a lucky break, because leading off down one side we saw a passage lined with more dealer tables, terminating in another, smaller, hall. The side tables along the passage were occupied by the now, almost ubiquitous Romanian and Moroccan dealers. It seems that no European show, with perhaps the exception of the British shows, escapes their attention. Its not that we have anything against them, but that the material they sell is identical from one table to another, and one show to the next. On display therefore were masses of Vanadinites and Erythrites from Mibalden; enormous displays of Galena, Chalcopyrite and Quartz from Herja, and numerous matrix specimens of Rhodochrosite and Magnetite from Cavnic. We spent some time browsing and picked out a dozen pieces we liked. However this show’s dealers did not appear very friendly and were generally unwilling to negotiate.

Fantastic Green Amber	New Calcite Clusters from Cavnic

In the smaller hall we found more Hungarian dealers selling good quality local species. One was extremely knowledgeable and told us about some more locations. In effect, Hungary’s mineralisation contains five main types of deposits. In the northeast of the country are numerous metalliferous ore bodies laid down by hydrothermal deposition. Amongst these are Recsk, Mad, Gyongyosoroszi, Nagyborzsony and several others, where the hot circulating solutions associated with the development of the Carpathian mountain range have laid down numerous metallic elements including copper, zinc and lead, as well as a large suite of rarer metals including bismuth, gold, silver, molybdenum and manganese. The deposit at Telkibanya is also known for its content of Indium, Gallium, Cadmium and Mercury.

The next type of mineralisation is located around the Pakozd, Patka and Szabadbattyan regions roughly in the centre of the country. The deposits are again hydrothermal in origin, but this time the metal most in evidence is lead, accompanied by a mineralisation of Fluorite. Many extremely fine specimens of world-class fluorite have come from here. The next group of mineral deposits are again located in the northeast but this time the major metal is iron, accompanied by zinc and barite. The earlier mentioned deposit of Rudabanya features amongst these, as well as Tornaszentandras, Uppony and Martonyi. Rudnabanya is especially rich in various mineral species, also containing minerals containing nickel, chromium, vanadium, mercury, tin and gallium. Once again, we heard a good reason for visiting this location.

The fourth mineralisation is located in the west of Hungary located around the districts of Gant, Iszkaszentgyorgy, Halimba, Nyirad and Fenyoto. All are extremely rich in Bauxite and as such are very important producers of ores from which aluminium is extracted. Many accessory species are present especially Hydrargillite and, Aluminite. The deposits are typically laid down in horizontal beds covered by overlaying sedimentary deposits and are extremely rich, in places containing more than 50% aluminium oxide. The last group of deposits are those containing clay minerals, in particular, Kaolinite. Several locations are well known including Sarisap, Felsopeteny and Istenmezeje. Located in the north of the country, near Budapest, they are mined commercially for the clay content. In addition to the clays, the metamorphic environment has also given rise to several silicate-rich alteration species including Zircon, Orthoclase, Muscovite and a number of different Tourmalines.

Finishing our very interesting lesson, we thanked the dealer for the information and satisfied that we had seen everything at the show, we left. On the way back to the hotel we decided to visit St Margaret’s Island, a large expanse of land in the middle of the Danube dedicated to leisure and outdoor pursuits. If you visit Budapest we strongly recommend you spend some time here. We cooled off in one of the numerous swimming pools and spent the evening under fragrant trees drinking beer and enjoying a wonderful barbecue.

Entertaining the Bathers in Hajduszoboszlo	Sunflower Fields

Next morning we started the drive to Hajduszoboszlo. The weather again was hot and we passed vast fields planted with yellow sunflowers. The journey of 150 miles took just over four hours and we arrived to sample delights of this wonderful location. Visiting the show, we were told that Hajduszoboszlo is one of Europes largest and most active spa towns. Hot, hydrothermal springs were discovered just after the First World War, and today the water, which emerges at 75°C is used to fill numerous pools, fountains and therapeutic baths. We couldn't wait to dive in. Relaxing in the warm carbonated water we spent the afternoon enjoying the delights of this unusual resort.

A notice outside the largest pool explained more about the history of the spa and some of its geology. Today more than 300 wells have been drilled to supply the water for the baths. The water has a high mineral content and is heated by the Earth's mantle below. We were surprised to discover that seismic studies have shown the crust under Hungary to be one of the thinnest in Europe, particularly so under Hajduszoboszlo. Estimates indicate that the thickness is less than 24km and the proximity of the heat warms the water to the temperature which makes it so therapeutic. Scores of people suffering from muscular conditions descend on the town each year.

Having stayed a further day exploring this wonder of geology, our next and final destination was Rudnabaya. Located approximately 200km to the northeast the name translated means "Ore Mine", and reflects the region's long association with commercial mining. Records suggest that extraction of copper and silver begun here in the Middle Ages, gradually replaced by the discovery of rich iron deposits in the 18th century. The scale of production rose sharply after the Second World War reaching its peak by the mid 1960s. Subsequent prospecting showed that the majority of the economically viable veins had been worked out leading to the site being largely abandoned in the mid 1980s.

Rudabanya Mining Museum	Mining Landscape at Rudabanya

Overall the deposits stretch for approximately 70km between Uppony and Tornaszentandras. The country rock was originally formed during the Triassic and consists of highly faulted shales and sandstones. The iron deposits were emplaced by hydrothermal metasomatism relatively recently. Originally laid down as siderite, these have been extensively weathered into limonite, hematite and a number of other iron oxides. The shape of the deposits was determined by the overlaying dolomite and limestone slabs. In the main, most veins are approximately 150 to 200m long and between 5 and 6m thick. Most slope quite sharply, reaching approximately 70m underground.

In addition to the iron, the hydrothermal waters also carried a large number of other metallic species, enabling the formation of minerals containing barium, manganese, nickel, chromium, vanadium, zinc, silver, copper, mercury, tin and gallium. The presence of silica and sulphur has led to a myriad combinations giving rise to a recorded mineral species tally of more than one hundred. Interestingly phosphorous and arsenic were largely absent and for this reason Rudnabaya is noted for its relative lack of phosphates and arsenates. Nevertheless the location has yielded many highly interesting minerals and it was some of these that we hoped to find.

Arriving at the town in mid afternoon we saw a sign pointing to a local mining museum. However the place was locked and there was no sign of anyone around. Rattling the peeling wooden doors resounded a loud echo inside. Eventually after some minutes an old lady appeared from the side of the building and told us that the curator was away in Russia collecting specimens. Seeing our disappointment she produced a large rusty key and let us in. Leading off both sides of a long hallway were a number of small rooms each devoted to a different theme. Those on one side displayed the local mining heritage from the past 300 years. Amongst these were various tools, lamps and documents, many frayed and fragile. Rooms on the other side of the hall were dedicated to specimens, mostly local but also from other central European locations. Amongst these were some superb calcite and quartz clusters, as well as breathtaking slab of pink fluorite from Pakozd. Besides these large examples were dozens of small specimens of locally found species including the very rare sulphides Capgaronnite, Digenite, Geocronite, Iltisite, Perroudite, Pyrostilpnite and Skinnerite. Amongst the oxides were Hollandite, Raciéite and Romanèchite. Finally, the other minerals of interest were Claraite, Rosasite, Copiapite, Fibroferrite, Serpierite, Voltaite and Wattevillite. Leaving the museum we drove to our hotel where we spent a pleasant evening drinking the local Tokaj wine. This is regarded as a national drink and the strong sweet taste is worth a visit to Hungary worth it in its own right.

Gypsy Camp at Rudabanya	Quarry Remains and Dumps

Next day, rather worse for wear, we followed directions to what was the centre of the former mining district. The road climbs up from the town and even today the countryside bears witness to the intensive mining that once took place here. Vast dumps litter the hills, separated by deep gullies filled with pale green water. Due to the high metal content, plants have largely failed to colonise the slopes, leaving exposed large swathes of ground covered by crushed rock and other mining detritus.

The biggest surprise, however, was the presence of a large Roma Gypsy community camped out in corrugated huts and old caravans. These turned out to be friendly and after the exchange of a couple of bottles of vodka we discovered that they continue small scale mining by sorting the dumps and sinking many small pits into the ground. Apart from low-grade iron ore they also recover the odd specimen which visitors like us buy. Most, unfortunately, were of poor quality and because the miners have limited knowledge of identification most were wrongly labelled. One such specimen identified as cuprite was really malachite, a very basic mistake.

Invited into one of the shallow adits we started to look around seeing the extremely primitive and dangerous conditions in which these people work. Rapidly retreating from beneath rotting timbers we decided that most of our searching would be limited to the dumps. This turned out to be a good decision because almost immediately we had found several good examples of Siderite, Ankerite, Sphalerite and even a couple of crystals of Limonite after Pyrite. Another dump yielded small crystals of Galena and a nearby ditch produced a large number of small Calcite clusters, stained red by the iron content, but beautifully formed. By now we were getting into the swing of things and new specimens continued to turn up with astonishing frequency. Before long our newspaper placed on the ground was covered by small specimens of at least 20 different species. These would have to be identified later. As it turned out two of these were the very rare mercury species Kolymite and Moschellandsbergite, the first a combination with copper, the second with silver.

Intensely Blue Serpierite	Amazing Rosasite

Eventually it was time to return. First by car to Poland and then by plane to the UK. Overall, in spite of the theft of our bag, this was a very enjoyable visit. We learned a lot about a new country and made some great friends. We strongly recommend a visit if you get the opportunity. We will be delighted with help and advice if you contact us. Viszlát Magyarország!