Templom-hegy (Church Hill) Ammonites educational path

The educational path was established in the old quarry of Villány’s Templom-hegy. Leaving Villány in the direction of Villánykövesd, 500 metres after the railway station and turning left before the rail crossing we find the – not very smooth – car parking place at the foot of the hill.

If we walk from the centre of Villány, we must walk towards the mobile phone transmission tower visible from quite a distance. When we reach the car park area we can see an information arrow pointing towards the first stage of the educational path.

Downloadable map of Villány. Please click on Templom-hegy!!

The educational path, which is approximately 3 kilometres long, is a nature conservation area!

At the beginning of the walk there is a map by the aid of which and by finding the arrows located at the major junctions we can easily cover the whole area. It is part of the National Blue Walking Trail; it is not marked as a separate educational path.
The area of the former quarry – which was already being cultivated in Roman times – has been impressively regenerated. Large-scale quarrying took place in the 1960s and 1970s, this was the time when a track necessary for the transportation of stone was cut, and now this is the cut across which we can now approach the valley.

History:

The Villány Hills, jutting out like an island from the lower landscapes of South Transdanubia, are made of sedimentary rock from the late Carboniferous to the Cretaceous period. Today it is made of seven “scales” leaning towards the south.
Researchers have discovered 27 new animal species in this area. As a result of research begun in 1910, this is where the oldest traces from the Pleistocene Epoch can be found. This is where the Latin specification “Villanyium”, a specification used for this layer worldwide, originates from. Lajos Lóczy processed the series of artefacts in 1915 for the first time, and the richness of its species gained international recognition.

The derelict quarries of  Templom Hill (formerly named Mész-hegy, i.e. ‘Limestone Hill’) in Villány became protected in 1989, primarily in order to preserve the geological treasures in the inner part of the mine and the Jurassic ammonites artefacts as well as the vertebral artefacts from the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs. The vertebrae of reptiles and remains of shallow sea animals have been discovered here.

The bored holes 3 centimetres in diameter are the traces of magnetic examinations, from which researchers have tried to find out in what directions the sediments moved in the area.

Rarities:

• Rusty Foxglove, a plant under strict protection
  • Its shoots that may grow up to one and a half metres appear in summer
• Blue Spruce
  • one of the thick-leaved Sedum species, which tolerates arid conditions well
• Veronicas
  • really tiny early spring plants, like small White Mountain Saxifrage, Erophila species
• Bee-eaters
  • these colourful birds like to choose undisturbed loess walls as nesting places

Walking down the quarry along the high cliff walls we see a fantastic habitat. The eastern side of the valley  is closed by a cliff wall, which is easy to climb (it has a 45-60 degree gradient), and which has a look-out tower at the top. It is worth spending hours on the hill discovering interesting prints and plants.

Do not forget!

This wonderful recreational area is a nature preseervation area! All must protect and preserve it! Do not collect any living creature; do not pick any plant!!! Do not throw litter away! Do not damage the information signs because many more people would like to see this beautiful habitat! Look, see and learn!
Source: http://www.vandorok.hu/turaleiras/villanyi-templomhegy-foldtani-tanosveny
Forrás:
http://www.vandorok.hu/turaleiras/villanyi-templomhegy-foldtani-tanosveny