Beehive stones or beehive rocks of Hungary are rock formations, often naturally conical towers, with niches or cavities carved into their sides. A limited number of rocks with niches can be found even close to Budapest, in the area of the Pilis mountains and the Budai-hegység hills, especially on its Tétényi-fennsík plateau. However, the city most densely surrounded by such formations is Eger, in the Bükkalja area (which lies between the valley of the Tarna stream and the valleys of the Hejő and Szinva streams).
Nature conservation, protected heritage
One of the location sites near Szomolya was declared as a national protected area in 1961, named Nature Conservation Area of Beehive Stones at Szomolya (Szomolyai Kaptárkövek Természetvédelmi Terület).
According to the definition in decree 17/2014 of the Minister of Agriculture (on establishing places of nature remembrance and on nature conservation management plans to protect beehive stones), which came into effect on the 4th of November, 2014, a "kaptárkő" (beehive stone) is a natural or artificially altered stone formation that has, on its surface, one or more visible carved niches – and similar artefacts, in some cases – with significance in the history of culture, therefore representing value in the conservation of both landscape/nature and cultural heritage. The purpose of declaring the protected status is to preserve the beehive stones, as well as their immediate natural surroundings, for their natural and cultural significance, and facilitating their research and exhibition for purposes of nature conservation.
Some key restrictions relevant to visitors are the following: You must not carve/alter the stones. You must not even climb on them. You are not allowed to put objects onto them. In such areas, technical sports and extreme sports activities are forbidden. If you want to do research activities at beehive stone sites, consult the relevant national park directorate.
Beehive stones and the stone culture of the Bükkalja region were declared as a Hungarian-specific value (so-called "Hungarikum"), due to its unique natural nature – at the meeting of a committee dealing with Hungarian-specific values (Hungarikum Bizottság), on the 17th of June, 2016.
Origin
The Bükkalja is predominantly made up of volcanic tuffs, created by intense volcanic activities (series of explosive eruptions) in the Miocene. The special, conical rocks and rock groups of the Bükkalja had been prepared from the ground surface composed of mostly ash-flow tuffs and ignimbrites with rhyolitic ingredients, by the key factors of landscape formation in the ice-age, namely: downcutting and lateral erosion, attrition, weathering, rinsing effects of wind and precipitation, and frost erosion. These rocks were shaped further artificially. Thus, beehive rocks are valuable in both natural and cultural history aspects.
Naming
The rocks with niches were first called beehive stones (singular: “kaptárkő”, plural: “kaptárkövek”) by residents of Szomolya, maybe after the meadow adjacent to a group of rocks, where beehives could be stored (Kaptár-rét = Beehive meadow). Near the city of Eger, such rocks were called stones with dummy windows (vakablakos kövek). Some other names known from elsewhere: stones with churns (köpüskövek), idol stones (bálványkövek), mitre (püspöksüveg). Names of some specific rocks are also informative: Ördögtorony [Devil-tower], Ördög-kő [Devil stone], Bábaszék [Midwife-seat], Nyerges [Saddled], Királyszéke [King's seat], Kősárkány [Stone Dragon]. The most consistently applied wording by the first known thorough researcher and connoisseur of rocks with niches (Gyula Bartalos, 1839–1923) was memorial rock or memorial stone (emlékszikla or emlékkő), but he used other names as well: rock pyramid (sziklalobor), carved group of rocks (faragott sziklacsoport), memorial rock with dummy windows (vakablakos emlékszikla), megalith stones (megalit kövek) and stone with churns (köpüskő). Later, largely due to the research and studies by Andor Saád, beehive stone (kaptárkő) had become the most widespread and common term. This naming was applied in later studies by researchers working on resolving the mystery of such rocks: Ferenc Kubinyi, Gyula Bartalos, Gáspár Klein, Andor Saád, Péter Mihály and Csaba Baráz.
The most debated aspects were the origin and intended use of the niches carved into the sides of the rock formations.