The Mátra ( sk, Matra) is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in northern

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, between the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Gyöngyös Gyöngyös (; german: Gengeß) is a town in Heves county in Hungary, east of Budapest. Situated at the foot of the Sár-hegy and Mátra mountains, it is the home of numerous food production plants, including milk production and sausage factories ...

and

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque build ...

. The country's highest peak, Kékestető (1014 m), belongs to this mountain range. The Mátra is part of the

North Hungarian Mountains The North Hungarian Mountains ( hu, Északi-középhegység), sometimes also referred to as the Northeast Hungarian Mountains, Northeast Mountains, North Hungarian Highlands, North Hungarian Mid-Mountains or North Hungarian Range, is the norther ...

and belongs by origin to the largest young volcanic zone of Europe. It is situated between the valleys of the River Tarna and River

Zagyva The Zagyva is a river in Hungary. Its length is 179 km, and drains an area of about 5,677 km2. The source is near Salgótarján in Nógrád county. It flows through the towns of Bátonyterenye, Pásztó, Hatvan and Jászberény and flows ...

. The Mátra divided into the Western Mátra, Central Mátra and the Eastern Mátra. The highest point of the Western Mátra is Muzsla (805 m). The Central Mátra consists of the plateau of Mátrabérc (Mátra Ridge) and the groups of the volcanic cones of Galya-tető (964 m) and

Kékes Kékes is Hungary's highest mountain, at above sea level. It lies northeast of Gyöngyös, in the Mátra range of Heves county. It is Hungary's third most popular tourist attraction, after Lake Balaton and the Danube, and has a number of ho ...

(1014 m). Steep, rugged slopes, screes, talus slopes and slides alternate with one another, covered with closed beech forests. Gentler slopes and parallel valleys flow down to the south, the largest of which is the so-called Nagy-völgy ("Great valley"). The 'main entrance' to the Mátra was formed in parallel with the valley of Nagy-patak ("Great stream"), ranging from Mátrafüred to Mátraháza. From the vineyard-covered landscape of the foot of the Mátra travellers can arrive at the wooded mountains in a flash. To the east, after the steep escarpment of the 898-meter-high Sas-kő ("Eagle stone"), the 650–750-meter-high peaks of the Eastern Mátra follow one another. The northern part of the mountain range is called

Mátralába Mátralába is a hilly region north of Mátra Mountains in Hungary. Regions of Hungary See also *Geography of Hungary *North Hungarian Mountains *Mátra The Mátra ( sk, Matra) is a mountain range in northern Hungary, between the towns Gy ...

("the Mátra's feet"). This is a hilly area covered with 250–400-meter-high small volcanic cones, with mostly cultivated arable lands.

Regional structure

Cities/towns

(including Mátrafüred,

Mátraháza Mátraháza is a village in the suburbs of Gyöngyös in Heves County, in northern Hungary. It is a summer and winter resort in the Mátra, which is a mountain range in Heves county. It best found by travelling on the road 24, which crosses the co ...

and Kékestető) *

Pásztó Pásztó is a town in Nógrád County, Hungary. Tibor Rubin was born in Pásztó on 18 June 1929. It then had a Jews, Jewish population of 120 families. Twin towns – sister cities Pásztó is Sister city, twinned with: * Ruffec, Charente, Ru ...

(including Hasznos and Mátrakeresztes) *

Pétervására Pétervására is a town in Heves county, Hungary. It is famous for its Keglevich Castle. Pétervására features Medici lion The Medici lions are a pair of marble sculptures of lions: one of which is Roman, dating to the 2nd century AD, a ...

Bátonyterenye Bátonyterenye is a town in Nógrád county, in Northern Hungary. The town is the part of the Novohrad-Nógrád Geopark. Bátonyterenye was created in 1984 by the unification of the three villages of '' Nagybátony'', '' Kisterenye'', and '' Sz� ...

(including Nagybátony, Kisterenye, Maconka, Szúpatak and Szorospatak)

External links

Mátra Home
* KékesForestReserve

Gallery
Extinct volcanoes Mountain ranges of Hungary Mountain ranges of the Western Carpathians Ski areas and resorts in Hungary Volcanoes of Hungary {{Hungary-geo-stub