Ropoly Traditional Geocache
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The geocache (HU: GCROPO) you can find at the stem of a giant oak in the Ropoly forest.
ROPOLY forest
The Ropoly forest is located in the Zselic hilly country; it is a nature reservation area. There are very good condition forests those consist of silver lime&beach or oak&hornbeam population depend on direction to the compass of the slopes. These forests are gene reservations of these species of tree.
This region was in the 8th-10th centuries the very central south-west „gyepü” of Hungary (the outer one was the Sava river) ; that is a military fortified defensive zone. One of these fortress was Ropoly. This fortress is ruined and disappeared in the course of subsequent centuries. There were about 100 little villages in the middle age those are annihilated by the Turkish agressors 1541-1686 in the Zselic hills.
The willages disappeared, thus the forests expanded, and turned into shelter of forest outlows who pillaged the passengers in the near stagecoach-way (the most famous highwaymen were in this region Patkó János and Patkó István who are repeated heroes of the folk-songs…).
You can find a military cemetery (Olasztemeto) of Italian prisoners of war from the time of the First World War near of geocache. These soldiers dead of malaria. You know the malaria is an unfamiliar illness in Hungary because don’t live malaria-gnats here. These solders were enlisted in the Italian army and referred to the battle-line notwithstanding they were seriously ill ones! The deceased warriors were buried with military honour.
How to get Ropoly?
You can park your coach at the beginning of the narrow asphalt forest road branching from No 67 highway. Parking place: N 46° 15,5540' E 17° 49,7120' 255 m.
You can go on foot or you can cycle this road , but you also can drive your car in the narrow asphalt-covered road in the direction of Zselic Starry Park and Hotel Kardosfa.
You go 4,6 km West and you reach Ropoly.
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