TELKI-BANYA : 800 YEARS OF MINING GOLD, SILVER, OPALS, CRYSTALS, MINERALS : WONDERFUL PLACES IN HUNGARY #30

 

Are you a "rock hound?" I suggest that Telki Banya would make for a leisurely day trip in Tokaj mountain country. I first heard of Telki Banya years ago in genealogy archival documents. I suspected I might have ancestors who lived there and research proved I was right, though the old handwritten records for the Protestant Church were both difficult to read and (surprise!) had been transcribed in the FamilySearch genealogy database! (The ancestors moved and became Roman Catholics along the way.) Telki Banya translates to Good Mine and I was intrigued to know that gold and silver had been mined there since the Medieval period. Years ago there wasn't much on the Internet about the little town. There is much more now. I was next amazed to learn that there are surface minerals and gem stones, especially opals! It seems there are so very many varieties of gemstones and crystals to be found in the area this place has true geological educational value. The reason why? Ancient volcanos. You can still see lava domes and other evidence above ground.

This beautiful video is a delight to watch:

Walk or hike, go to the mining museum, buy some locally made jewelry from the also local rocks, check out the Protestant church and graveyard (carved wooden posts), the Saint Catherine's Roman Catholic chapel and an old Jewish graveyard. 

ARCGIS - MINERALS AND ROCKS! CHECK THIS OUT! A colorful expandable geology map.

RESEARCH GATE (JUST A LITTLE TASTE) OF GEOLOGICAL MARVALS IN TELKI BANYA

Anthropic Vulnerability of a Hydrothermal Mineral Deposit and Related Mining Heritage, a Case Study from a Medieval Gold-Silver Mining Area, Telkibánya, Hungary

As I researched Telki Banya, I found some "gems and minerals" of information.

I have lost where I got this excerpt from: 

Far away from noisy towns, hidden in the Zemplén Hills Hotel Ezüstfenyő *** awaits its explorers continuously, reviving the atmosphere of the long-ago Károlyi hunting mansion. Telkibánya is situated between the Northern mounds of the Zemplén Hills; from its mines gold and silver were exploited during centuries. The roots of the 'magical' reputation of the small village go back to the special cultural heritage and the natural beauty of the neighbourhood as well as to the healthy environment excellent for curing asthmatic diseases.

Then there's this one:

Surface minerals, Telkibanya  (from a now expired site called szallasfoglalas) said:

The hills surrounding the settlement are the cherished terrain of mineral collectors who find many lovely and precious stones here on the surface including opal, jasper and mountain crystal.

Mineral tours are organized locally. Gyepű Hill primarily offers amethysts, smoky quartz and mountain crystals, Kánya Hill is known for its amethysts, smoky quartz, mountain crystals, and a pseudomorphosis of quartz after calcite. Sinta Hill is the place for the most beautiful mountain crystals but agates can also be found. White Hill (Fehér-hegy) holds geodes, the Ósva Valley varieties of opals. 

Here is the "big geode."

MATARKA (PDF) HISTORY OF MINING TELKI BANYA

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