2. BÉL-KŐ PEAK AND THE ABBEY

Above the village of Bélapátfalva stands the Bél-kő peak, a mountain scarred by nearly a century of limestone mining. It is the westernmost member of a series of peaks rising on the edge of the Bükk Mts, composed of the Bükk Plateau Limestone Formation, deposited during the Triassic Period.

At its northwestern foot, Cistercian monks founded the Bélháromkút Abbey in 1232. The shape, floor plan, and proportions of the abbey church preserve its medieval state. The abbey is temporarily closed for renovation.

The educational trail leading from the abbey church to the Bél-kő peak presents the cultural and natural values of the mountain, its geological structure, and the history of mining.