Homok-hegyi-barlang

Slipping through time, we find ourselves at the Homok-hegyi-barlang, a hidden gem nestled within Budapest’s embrace. The Homok-hegyi-barlang, also known as the Határ-nyergi-barlang or Mátyás-király-barlang, whispers tales of a mysterious past. This cave, carved into Triassic dolomite, sits quietly in the Budai-hegyság, within the Duna–Ipoly National Park, in Budapest’s II. district. Some speculate about its artificial origins, a riddle wrapped in the earth’s stony cloak. The Homok-hegyi-barlang first appeared in literature in 1964. The book “Az országos kék-túra útvonala mentén” mentions collapsed caverns on Gyulavár, also known as Homokhegy. Two years later, a hiking guide highlighted two caverns in the forested area above the walking path of Gyulavár (Homok-hegy). But the Homok-hegyi-barlang holds more secrets. Bertalan Károly’s 1976 manuscript describes another cave, the Mátyás király barlang. This cave is located on the eastern side of a similarly named hill, at the southern corner of the Hármashatár-hegy glider airfield in Budapest’s II. district. The manuscript details an 8-meter-long horizontal passage and a shaft, possibly two, hinting at artificial construction. It was marked on tourist maps as a freely accessible attraction with minimal risk. Kordos László’s 1984 book, “Magyarország barlangjai,” lists the Homok-hegyi-barlang among the caves of the Budai-hegyság, referring to it as both the Mátyás-király-barlang and the Határ-nyergi-barlang. The accompanying map pinpoints its location within the Dunazug-hegység.