The Vértes, or more rarely the Vértes Mountains, is often and incorrectly the narrow area of the Vértes Mountains, which is the 314 square kilometer part of the Transdanubian Central Mountains that stretches between Bakony and Gerecse in the neighborhood of the Velencei Mountains and Lake Velencei, two county seats, Székesfehérvár and Tatabánya in the area. Vértes, as a landscape unit, includes a 300-400 meter high mountain and the surrounding wastelands and meadows. Vértes is part of the Transdanubian Central Mountains, and fits between its southwest-northeast ranges. In the southwest, it is separated from the adjacent members of the Transdanubian Central Mountains by the Móri ditch (northwest-southeast direction) and the Tatai ditch in the northeast (the former from Bakony, the latter from Gerecs). The length of the mountain range is approx. 30 km, width 10–15 km.
At the junction of the plains and the mountains, as a result of extremely diverse relief conditions and climate effects, a rare and rich wildlife can be observed. The southern edge of the mountain slopes divided by snow-white dolomite blocks is covered with rock meadows and karst bush forests in sub-Mediterranean climate conditions, while on the northern side of the valleys there are hidden subalpine plant rarities reminiscent of high mountains.
In autumn, the visitor can enjoy the colorful foliage of the cypress, which decorates the sparkling white rocks in the southern Vértes, and which, according to many, is reminiscent of a Canadian Indian summer.
Castles in Vértes in the Komárom-Esztergom county
Gesztes Castle
Gesztes castle was the largest and most important member of the Vértes castle system. When it was first mentioned in a certificate, in 1332, it was already listed as a royal castle. The inner castle has a regular rectangular floor plan, the outer walls of which are mostly at the height of the window sills of the second floor. On the northern facade of the castle is the gate entrance - which has a semi-circular closure and is decorated with simple edging.
The archaeological research started in 1960 served as the basis for the preparation of the sketch plans according to which the restoration was carried out. They strove to satisfy the various needs - stone store, warehouse, kitchen, restaurant, tourist inn, caretaker's apartment - but prioritized restoration aspects, of which the opening additions were the biggest problem.
Lionstone Castle
Oroszlánkő, Csáky-vár, Csáki-vár, Cset or Oroszlán vár is a now-destroyed castle in Vértes. It belonged to the ancient residence of the Csák family, whose name was mentioned in the form of Oroszlankew in 1383. The castle was surrounded on all sides by a deep ditch and a rampart. Its ruins are located southeast of today's Oroszlány along the National Blue Trail, towards the Öregbükk mountain in the Vértes Mountains, in the Vérteskosma border, but the forest has already overgrown the ruins.