Kékes

Kékes
Kékes
Highest point
Elevation	1,014 m (3,327 ft)
Prominence	774 m (2,539 ft)
Listing	Country high point
Coordinates	47°52′44″N 20°0′37″E / 47.87889°N 20.01028°E
Naming
English translation	Bluish
Language of name	Hungarian
Geography
	Kékes
Parent range	Mátra, Western Carpathians

Kékes [ˈkeːkɛʃ] is Hungary's highest mountain, at 1,014 metres (3,327 ft) above sea level^[1] in the Mátra mountain range. It is Hungary's third most popular tourist attraction, after Lake Balaton and the Danube, and has a number of skiing pistes. The Kékestető TV Tower stands at the summit. Kékes is a resort place of the town of Gyöngyös in Heves county. The territory of Kékestető have an own postal code: 3221. It is 18.1 km away from the town center. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 14.^[2] The resort place reachable by bus from the capital city.^[3]

History

The Hungarian Carpathian Association [de] built a 20 m high wooden watchtower at east of the summit in 1889. With the Treaty of Trianon, Kékes became the highest mountain in the country in 1920. Before that, the Gerlachovský štít was the highest peak of the Kingdom of Hungary. The watchtower was rebuilt and named after József Vass in 1926. The Kékes luxury hotel, the meteorological station and the road to Mátraháza were built in 1934. The watchtower was demolished in 1938. The luxury hotel was converted into a sanatorium in 1951 and the trade union resort was built. The skiers' houses were built in 1953. A 65-meter TV tower, made of andesite, was handed over in 1960. A new 178-meter-high TV tower was built in 1980, and the older one was converted into a hotel. The new TV tower also functions as a lookout point. Two ski pistes were built beside of the TV tower. Since 1990, the former trade union resort was demolished, and a parking lot was created in its place. The hotel operating in the old TV tower is also closed.^[4]

Climate

Kékes Peak is the highest altitude region in Hungary, so it has the highest altitude weather station in the country. Although the mountain is still classified as a temperate humid continental climate (Dfb) according to the Köppen climate classification, it is very close to a subarctic climate (Dfc). Unlike cities in the plains such as Miskolc, which is also classified as a humid continental climate (Dfb), it is closer to an oceanic climate (Cfb) and may even be subtropical humid (Cfa). The annual average temperature of Kékes is 6.4 °C (43.5 °F), which is about 5 °C (9.0 °F) lower than that of Budapest or Miskolc. August is the warmest month with an average temperature of 16.4 °C (61.5 °F); January is the coldest month with −3.4 °C (25.9 °F). Temperature extremes ranged from −22.6 °C (−8.7 °F) in 1987 to 31.4 °C (88.5 °F) on July 20, 2007.

Climate data for Kékestető (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1973−present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	12.2 (54.0)	13.9 (57.0)	21.0 (69.8)	22.4 (72.3)	25.6 (78.1)	29.7 (85.5)	31.4 (88.5)	30.4 (86.7)	25.8 (78.4)	22.0 (71.6)	17.4 (63.3)	12.5 (54.5)	31.4 (88.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−1.4 (29.5)	−0.2 (31.6)	3.4 (38.1)	10.1 (50.2)	14.6 (58.3)	18.0 (64.4)	20.0 (68.0)	19.9 (67.8)	14.5 (58.1)	9.3 (48.7)	4.0 (39.2)	−0.7 (30.7)	9.3 (48.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−3.4 (25.9)	−2.7 (27.1)	0.6 (33.1)	6.3 (43.3)	10.9 (51.6)	14.5 (58.1)	16.3 (61.3)	16.4 (61.5)	11.3 (52.3)	6.6 (43.9)	1.9 (35.4)	−2.5 (27.5)	6.4 (43.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−5.3 (22.5)	−4.7 (23.5)	−1.8 (28.8)	3.7 (38.7)	8.0 (46.4)	11.5 (52.7)	13.4 (56.1)	13.9 (57.0)	9.1 (48.4)	4.6 (40.3)	0.1 (32.2)	−4.3 (24.3)	4.0 (39.2)
Record low °C (°F)	−22.6 (−8.7)	−19.8 (−3.6)	−19.4 (−2.9)	−9.7 (14.5)	−4.0 (24.8)	1.0 (33.8)	4.5 (40.1)	1.0 (33.8)	−3.0 (26.6)	−8.0 (17.6)	−13.0 (8.6)	−18.7 (−1.7)	−22.6 (−8.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	41.5 (1.63)	50.0 (1.97)	47.9 (1.89)	58.9 (2.32)	94.3 (3.71)	82.2 (3.24)	105.7 (4.16)	80.5 (3.17)	67.6 (2.66)	66.2 (2.61)	67.2 (2.65)	52.0 (2.05)	814.0 (32.05)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	6.9	7.6	7.5	8.2	10.3	9.5	9.6	7.5	7.3	7.4	8.0	8.0	97.8
Average snowy days	10.8	10.8	8.6	5.4	0.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.7	6.9	10.8	55.9
Average relative humidity (%)	84.1	82.0	77.0	68.1	73.0	74.3	72.2	70.3	75.9	81.6	84.7	82.7	77.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours	89.8	100.1	144.2	174.7	221.0	238.9	268.0	237.9	189.4	166.7	97.4	77.4	2,005.4
Percent possible sunshine	33	36	40	43	48	51	56	55	51	51	36	30	46
Source: NOAA (snow days and sunshine 1967-1994)^[5]^[6]^[7]

Road cycling

For road bicycle racing enthusiasts, the mountain can be climbed by two main routes.

South from Gyöngyös: 839 m over 17.8 km. This is the most famous and difficult ascent.
North from Parád: 775 m over 16.9 km. About equal in difficulty as the Bédoin ascent, but better sheltered against the climb.

Tour de Hongrie stage finishes

Year	Stage	Start of stage	Distance (km)	Category	Stage winner	General leadership
2001	3	Tiszaújváros	174	1	Mikoš Rnjaković	Mikoš Rnjaković
2003	4	Miskolc	127.3	1	Matija Kvasina	Zoltán Remák
2003	5	Mátraháza	3.4	ITT	Tamás Lengyel	Zoltán Remák
2004	5	Mezőkövesd	148	1	Anatoliy Varvaruk	Zoltán Remák
2005	5	Mezőkövesd	93	1	Glen Chadwick	Tamás Lengyel
2005	6	Mátraháza	3.4	ITT	Tamás Lengyel	Tamás Lengyel
2015	4	Karcag	146	1	Andi Bajc	Tom Thill
2016	4	Karcag	144	1	Chris Butler	Mihkel Räim
2019	4	Karcag	138.1	1	Krists Neilands	Krists Neilands
2020	4	Miskolc	187.8	1	Attila Valter	Attila Valter
2021	4	Balassagyarmat	202.2	1	Damien Howson	Damien Howson
2022	5	Miskolc	183.7	1	Antonio Tiberi	Edward Dunbar
2024	3	Kazincbarcika	182.7	1	Thibau Nys	Thibau Nys