Miskolc

Miskolc is situated in an unparalleled natural environment, at the foot of the Bukk Mountains, embraced by mountains and hills. Although each season has its own allurement, in Miskolc perhaps winter is the most beautiful. The city displays another face in this season.

The city revives by the series of events entitled "From Advent to Christmas". The houses, trees, streets are floodlit, the Tale City opens its gates where Christmas sales, playhouses, and various programmes await those interested.

Festive floodlight

At the second and third weekend of February Miskolc pays its homage to its attraction to the meat jelly in a Meat Jelly Festival. Once upon a time it happened that an unsuspicious innkeeper who cooled the food in the cellar served a plate of meat jelly with a well-portioned pork leg and a frog incidentally frozen into the soup but alive. From this occurrence a saying developed: "blinks as the frog in the Miskolc meat jelly". That is why the Meat Jelly Festival was born a few years ago where the best restaurants of the city compete with their own preparations. Apart form the meat jelly, the famous Miskolc pretzel and the barbecue steak cannot be missing from the menu. However, the festival is not only about the tastes of Miskolc but also about entertainment and amusement. Other special attractions in the inner city include ice pyramid building, dog sleigh races, concert cavalcades in Heroes' Square and the unomissable meat jelly ball in the picturesque Hotel Palota of Lillafured.

Meat jelly competition

After the Christmas Holidays in open-air New Year's Eve Party is organized for those who want to celebrate the New Year together. Apart from mulled wine and champagne, the gastronomic speciality characteristic of the city, the Miskolc meat jelly, is also on offer.

Hamor Ice Climbing Cup

The 22-25 m high artificial ice climbing wall formed on the rock wall of Felsohamor, next to Lillafured is the only such sport location in Eastern Europe. The Hamor Ice Climbing Cup, organized every year, is a meeting point of the fanatics of this extreme sport and of course of the numerous spectators curious about the climbers.

Lillafured is the most beautiful in this season. On the alleys lined with trees frozen in snow and rime-frost the silence is only brokei by squirrels and an occasionally falling icicle. After the picturesque and tranquil Lillafured those loving active recreation have good enough cause to visit the ski paradise on top of the Bukk Mountains, Bankut. Visitors are welcomed by ski runs well maintained after the first snow fall and lit up at night, with snow machines, numerous ski lifts, several 10-km-long cross-country skiing tracks as well as extremely rich and interesting programmes.

Sledging at Bankut

In the beautiful hill settlement of Bukkszentkereszt the biggest snowboard jump competition is organized every year. If you have visited Bukkszentkereszt you should not miss out on the unique recreational opportunity of horse sleighing. You can take a wondrous ride wrapped up in a warm cover with mulled wine in your hand in the snow-covered forests of the Bukk Mountains in the clearings gleaming in the winter sunshine On December 6 Santa Clauses stroll on the streets, some by carriage accompanied by angels and bogey¬men, some by tram, and some on foot, but the real one arrives in Santa's train. In the Lillafured Valley, where Santa's train runs on the tracks of the narrow-gauge forest train, industrious leprechauns assist Santa for three weeks so that each child would receive the deserved present and would be happy and cheerful.