National Parks: natural and cultural treasures
Hungary’s biodiversity and valuable natural treasures are presented, preserved and studied in national parks. Hungary has ten large national parks in different regions, many of them listed as World Heritage sites.
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Hortobágy National Park
In 2020, the editors of National Geographic Travel selected the 25 best destinations in the world in five categories – adventure, culture and history, nature, family and sustainability – and Hortobágy National Park was included on this illustrious list. The tradition of herding and horse herdsmen is still live alive in Hortobágy, while the undisturbed natural environment, the rich fauna, the unparalleled hiking opportunities and the sheer expanse of endless plain offer wonders. The park has four separate demonstration areas: the Egyek-Pusztakócs swamp world, the Hortobágy fishpond, the Nyírő-Lapos-Nyárijárás puszta, and park sections presenting the wildlife of Lake Tisza. The word puszta is of Slavic origin, by the way, and means emptiness. The name is no coincidence, since only 500 millimeters of rain fall here every year. All of the above contribute to making this landscape one of the country’s World Heritage sites.
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Fertő-Hanság National Park
Lake Fertő, on the border with Austria, is not only a resort and sports center, but also a beautiful home for birds, reeds and saline lakes. Half of the lake (almost 90% of the Hungarian area), is covered with reed beds, and one third is dominated by swamp vegetation. The wildlife of the lake, the reed beds and the saline lakes form a separate world.
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Duna-Dráva National Park
This park presents a world of untouched floodplain forests and swamps abutting the Danube and Dráva rivers.
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Duna-Dráva National Park
Home to the largest forested floodplain in Hungary, the Gemenc is famous for its red deer and wild boar herds, and its important bird sanctuary.
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Fertő-Hanság National Park
Among the fish species living in the lake, weatherfish, perch, the European mudminnow, pike and carp are the most valuable. The graceful great egret, the Eurasian spoonbill, the red heron, and the bullfinch live in the reed beds, and the western marsh harrier also nests here. The saline lakes are also home to several species including the Eurasian teal, the European golden plover and the white-tailed eagle. Another inhabitant of the region is the viviparous lizard, a survivor since the Ice Age.
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Aggtelek National Park
Aggtelek National Park can be reached from Miskolc via road in eie Sajó or the Bódva river valleys. Serpentine mountain roads lead across the park between Jósvafő and Aggtelek. Several hiking trails of varying lengths cross the Baradla Cave area. As incredible as it may seem, in spite of the seemingly adverse habitat, there are almost 500 different species living within the caves.