Zengő
682 m
Hungary
Also known as ЗенгёAlso known as
Зенгё
- Elevation
- 682 m
- Prominence
- 532 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Mar–Jun
- Routes
- 1
RegulationReported 25 Jun 2026
A national fire-lighting ban (tűzgyújtási tilalom) has been in force since 25 June 2026; on 12 September 2026 it was lifted only in Győr-Moson-Sopron, Somogy, Vas and Zala counties and remained in force elsewhere, including Baranya. Check whether it is still in force before using the fireplace at the Viki rest stop.
bnpi.hu
Routes
1The shortest marked line from a village: from the town-hall bus stop in Hosszúhetény (about 270 m) the yellow triangle climbs through oak and beech forest, steepening in the last half-kilometre, to the 22 m steel lookout tower and the ruins of Zengővár on the summit (682 m). About 3.7–3.9 km and 420 m of ascent; roughly 1½ hours up.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 3.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +418 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 683 m
- Time Up
- 1h 54m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 25m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Községháza (town hall) bus stop in the centre of Hosszúhetény head south on the green square (ZN) to the junction with Fő utca, then turn left onto the yellow triangle (SH), which leads all the way to the summit. Drivers can park free at the end of Petőfi Sándor utca, at the northern edge of the village; from there an alternative goes along the green square towards Püspökszentlászló past the wooden Kőmorzsoló óriás sculpture, then right on the blue triangle to the top (3.4 km, 380 m). The waymarked forest path is well maintained, with few junctions and easy going for most of the way; half a kilometre before the top a short detour leads to a statue of the Virgin Mary, and the final 150 m of climbing is steep. The summit, in the strictly protected East Mecsek Landscape Protection Area, carries the seven-level steel lookout tower (opened in 2020 around an older concrete geodetic tower, free and open all year) and, a few steps away, the scant ruins of the medieval Zengővár castle. From the top the view reaches the Villány Hills, Papuk in Croatia and on clear days the Balaton Uplands. Descend the same way, or traverse east on the yellow stripe (S) to Pécsvárad (4.5–5.1 km, with a shelter at the Viki rest stop) and return by bus.
Start
Hosszúhetény, Községháza271 m
- Bus from Pécs to Hosszúhetény (Községháza stop); Pécsvárad is about 25 minutes by bus from Pécs for the traverse.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hosszúhetény, Községháza → Zengő | 3.9 | 418 | 9 | 1h 54m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Hosszúhetény, Községháza271 m
- Summit: Zengő682 m
Key Passages
- Steep final 150 m of ascent below the summit
- Lookout tower (seven levels)
Equipment
0/3 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest point of the Mecsek and of Baranya county (682 m), a wooded summit north-east of Pécs crowned by a 22 m steel lookout tower and the ruins of a medieval castle. A short, steep forest walk from Hosszúhetény or Pécsvárad, famous for its Banat peonies and for the 2000s campaign that kept a NATO radar off the top.
Zengő rises in the East Mecsek, the hill range that shelters Pécs in southern Hungary, and is the highest point of both the Mecsek and Baranya county. Its slopes of sandstone and limestone carry oak and beech forest and one of the country's largest sweet-chestnut groves, inside the strictly protected East Mecsek Landscape Protection Area and a Natura 2000 site. In April and May the woods hold the Banat peony (Paeonia banatica), a very rare plant for which the Mecsek is a key habitat.
The summit has a seven-level steel lookout tower, 22 m high, opened on 29 July 2020 around an older concrete geodetic tower; it is free, open all year, and was voted Hungary's 'Lookout Tower of the Year' in 2025. From the top the view extends over the Mecsek to the Villány Hills, Papuk in Croatia and, in clear weather, the volcanic hills of the Balaton Uplands. A few steps away lie the remains of Zengővár, a medieval castle probably built after the Mongol invasion.
Marked paths come up from Hosszúhetény, Pécsvárad, Püspökszentlászló, Zengővárkony and other villages, all 3–5 km and 320–480 m of ascent; a loop or a traverse from Hosszúhetény to Pécsvárad makes a comfortable half day.
Climbing Notes
An easy half-day walk suitable for families, though the last few hundred metres are steep: from Hosszúhetény allow about 1½ hours up (3.7–3.9 km, about 420 m of ascent) on the yellow triangle, or take the blue triangle from the car park at the end of Petőfi Sándor utca (3.4 km, 380 m). From Pécsvárad the yellow stripe is 4.5–5.1 km with about 440–480 m. Wear proper shoes, carry water and check for ticks afterwards. The area is strictly protected and an archaeological site: stay on the marked paths and do not pick the peonies. In winter the paths can be icy, but snow rarely lasts long.
History
The name is linked in folklore to the 'ringing' (zengés) of the mountain, said to be the cries of treasure-seekers trapped inside or the music of the wind. A lookout stood on the summit as early as the 19th century; a concrete geodetic tower was built in the late 1970s or 1984 (sources differ) and opened to visitors, and the present steel tower was built around it in 2019–2020. In the early 2000s the state planned a NATO radar (lokátor) on the summit; local residents in the Civilians for Zengő movement, together with Greenpeace, campaigned against it because of the protected habitat, and the plan was abandoned, making Zengő a symbol of Hungarian environmental activism.
Season
Best Mar–Jun- January: Good
- February: Good
- March: Best (best window)
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Best
- November: Good
- December: Good
- Jan
- Possible ice on the steep top section
- Apr
- Banat peonies flower (April–May)
- May
- Peonies; fresh beech leaves
- Jul
- Warm; ticks
- Aug
- Warm; ticks
- Oct
- Chestnut season and autumn colour
- Nov
- Short days
Access & Permits
- Rules
- East Mecsek Landscape Protection Area and Natura 2000 site; the summit is a strictly protected archaeological site: stay on marked paths
- Banat peony and other protected plants must not be picked
- Getting There
Pécs (Hosszúhetény and Pécsvárad at the foot of the mountain)
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD); Osijek (OSI) in Croatia
- Train: Budapest–Pécs intercity (about 2¾ hours), then bus from Pécs to Hosszúhetény or Pécsvárad (about 25 minutes)
- Car: M6 motorway exit 173 towards Pécsvárad; free parking at the end of Petőfi Sándor utca in Hosszúhetény or by Pécsvárad castle