Miskolc, the third largest town in Hungary, lies in the northeastern part of the country directly to the east of the Bükk Mountains. Here several geological areas meet: the Mesozoic formations of the Bükk Mountains (see for instance Bükkszentászló ), the Tertiary of the Bükk Foothills and the Quaternary sediments from the Great Hungarian Plain.

Miskolc has large iron and steel mills, lime and cement works, and a large food processing plant. The region's numerous limestone caves are used as cellars by local winemakers. Miskolc also has an important trade in metal products and agricultural goods.

The city is the seat of a Protestant bishopric. An old settlement, Miskolc was granted the status of a free city in the 15th century. Frequent invasions (by Mongols in the 13th cent., Turks in the 16th and 17th cent., and German imperial forces in the 17th and 18th cent.) marked the city's history.

Industrialization began in the second half of the 19th cent. Present-day landmarks include the Avas Reformed Church (15th cent.), the remains of a 13th-century castle, and a museum containing Scythian art. The city also has a law school and a technical university.

The Avas Hill, site of the first discovered flint mine in Hungary, lies directly to the southwest of the city-centre. It is a quite pronounced hill, predominantly formed by Miocene volcanic activity, rising about 100 metres over the valley of the Szinva, reaching an altitude of about 230 metres above sea level.

The hill is now a park with an arboreum and topped by a large TV-tower as can be seen in the photo above. Even now, there is still some volcanic activity in the area, as can be seen from the mineral waters at the nearby spa of Miskolctapolca.