Piszkés-tető might not sound like a famous name, but it holds a special title: at 944 m above sea level, it's home to Hungary's highest-altitude astronomical observatory. It's also the highest point of Nógrád County, making it a quiet must-visit for peak-baggers exploring the Mátra Mountains.

This twin-summit peak sits at the western end of the main ridge of the Galya-tető group, about 2 km west of Galya-tető itself. The terrain here is classic Mátra — gentle, forested slopes that shift character with the seasons: cool beech-shaded trails in summer, golden foliage in autumn, and a hush of snow in winter that tends to linger thanks to the elevation. It's a peaceful corner of the range, ideal for hikers who want scenery without the crowds, plus a genuinely unique attraction at the top.

• Ridge trails through the Mátra range — approaching from Galya-tető, roughly 2 km, easy to moderate difficulty, mostly through forest
• Can be combined with a longer ridge traverse across the main Mátra range

• The summit hosts the Piszkéstető Observatory — Hungary's highest-altitude astronomical institute, with parts of the site fenced off
• Nearby lies the Piszkés spring (Piszkés-forrás), now much reduced, originally tapped for hikers in 1929
• The original 1929 'Piszkés-kút' sign survives and can still be seen inside the observatory's fence line

Fun fact: the little spring once supplied water to the observatory before its source was rebuilt into the institute's waterworks — a small spring quietly powering big science.