Hikers of “Varangykő” trail in Csólyospálos can get an authentic picture of the history of a long forgotten building material, “darázskő” (wasp stone). It was already well-known during the Árpád Age. It was used for building foundations and has a different name in every region, including “pecsmeg”, mud stone, turf stone, swamp stone, toad stone or in some places “cupák”.
Stone cutting was hard manual work that consisted of splitting blocks of almost 100 kg with a pointed iron pole of about 20 kg at the mines. The mining of “darázskő” ended in the 1970s in this region. Similar practices to this one in Csólyospálos are known only in a few places worldwide such as California, Southern and Western Australia.
The site received natural protection in 1978. The limestone and dolomite excavation in Csólyospálos represent not only geological or ecological, but significant cultural history value, too, because it commemorates a centuries-old popular activity, stone cutting. Apart from the excavations, shepherds’ buildings in the Danube-Tisza Region are also on display.
These structures rely on traditional popular architecture. Building materials include reed, cane and wood.
