National parks have been set up in the most strictly protected environments. They have been designated to maintain their ecological unity now and for the future and are protected from all types of agricultural and industrial use. They are also for scientific research and for various educational and leisure activities. These were the principles taken into consideration when the Yosemite area was placed under national protection in the United States in 1864 and consequently the Yosemite National Park was set up in California. The first area that was set aside with the intention of creating create a national park was the Yellowstone National Park, set up in 1872. The first national parks in Europe were set up in 1909.
HUNGARY contains ten areas where parks are organised in a mosaic pattern or in a continuous span are maintained by state in a planned and systematic manner to protect natural assets. Several of these are on the World Heritage list.
Aggtelek, covering on an area of 20 hectares, includes a cave system which is a unique natural phenomenon, jointly with the Slovak karst caves. (World Heritage)
Upper Balaton is a territorial unit that includes the Tihany peninsula, Lesser Balaton and the Balaton lakeshore plus the surrounding hills.
Protected natural assets in the Bükk Hills include special geological and surface features and cave systems. No less than 853 caves have been discovered in the area, of which 45 are highly protected. Some of the most significant archaeological sites were inhabited by prehistoric people.
The Danube-Drava area contains rivers, their supply branches, surface waters and underground reserves, as well as wooded areas and renewable natural resources.
The Danube-Ipoly region’s uniqueness results from the combination of river valleys, hills and plains. Its most scenic part is the Danube Bend.
The Fert?-Hanság was once large marshlands and wetlands with a unique flora and fauna, as well as a sanctuary for folklore and cultural history, together with Lake Fert?. (World Heritage)
Hortobágy is the largest alkaline steppe in Europe, spanning an area of 81,000 hectares. The rich traditions of breeding in the wild have been maintained in this area, as well as the ancient breeds of livestock that have been a feature of the landscape for centuries. (World Heritage)
The Kiskunság park includes a combination of natural and ethnical features. Its two large lake systems – White Lake and Csaj Lake – are famous for their bird life.
The Körös-Maros national park lies from the feet of the Romanian mountains to the River Tisza. Many of the original features of this unique area have been maintained, most of them linked to waters.
The ?rség is the westernmost area of Hungary, where folk traditions and customs have been preserved in their original forms.
SLOVAKIA boasts 9 national parks. The Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area includes the majority of the Little Carpathian Mountains. The special features of the Protected Landscape Area include rock formations, valleys and karst. Also to be found in the Smolenice karst mountains are the Driny Caves, the only caves in Western Slovakia that is open to visitors.
The Stráov Mountains Protected Landscape Area in western Slovakia has an attractive combination of bizarre rocks, dense forests and picturesque valleys. The Ponitrie Protected Landscape Area has been set up to protect the flora and fauna of undivided wooded areas and steppes. The sun-soaked Zobor wooded steppe is a fine example. The Mala Fatra National Park is Slovakia’s westernmost high mountainous area. Its major spectacles include canyons, ravines, peaks and ridges, the latter being very popular hiking trails for visitors. The area’s most protected features are the pine forests and carnivorous animals including wolves, lynxes and bears. In the heart of Slovakia is the Po?ana Mountains Protected Landscape Area, with its characteristic dense forests and wonderful mountain meadows. It is one of the world’s few biosphere reserves. The area also includes the best preserved inactive stratovolcano.
Slovakia’s oldest national park is the Tatra National Park. The High Tatra area possesses fauna and flora unique in Europe. Conjoined with the national park located on the Polish side of the border, it is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. For safety reasons, tourist trails are closed from October 1 to June 15. Visitors to the national park must be accompanied by trained guides if they wish to go off the designated tourist and educational trails. The Low Tatras National Park is Slovakia’s largest national park. It is in Central Slovakia and its most popular sights include caves and karst formations. The Pieniny National Park is Slovakia’s smallest national park, located near the Polish border. It includes the Dunajec River Gorge, which is a popular tourist destination for rafting. The Slovak Karst National Park lies in southern Slovakia, along the Hungarian border; it is part of Central Europe’s largest karst region and contains numerous karst caves as (1,110 caves and chasms, listed among the UNESCO World Heritage sites).
The CZECH REPUBLIC’s most protected national park is the Krkonoše National Park. It lies in the Krkonoše Mountains, the highest range of the country. The lower areas of the park are covered by pine forests and above the forests are alpine meadows. The Podyjí National Park is a national park in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It is the smallest national park in the country and protects some of Central Europe’s river-valley natural assets. The Šumava National Park and Protected Landscape Area lies along the Czech-German border. It comprises three natural regions: Cesky Krumlov, Prachatice and Klatovy. The park includes many mountain springs and rivers, as well as 8 lakes. The slopes of lower areas are covered by beech and other deciduous forests but higher up it is spruce that dominates. Bohemian Switzerland is located in the north-easterly part of the Czech Republic. The most popular destination within ?eské Švýcarsko National Park is the gate of Prav?ice, Europe’s largest sandstone bridge.
ROMANIA’s Danube Delta National Park has been set up by merging two national reserves. The Rosca-Buhaiova-Herecisca Reserve is a large area covered by reeds and lakes. Europe’s largest White Pelican colony lives on this area. Its large heron community includes Grey Herons, Little Egrets and Great Egrets, Black-crowned night Herons and Squacco Herons. The Perisor-Zatoanele Reserve is located on the eastern part of the delta, next to the sea. Most of it is marshland, covered by reeds and sand bars. The fascinating Sacalin Island is also part of this area. The Retezat National Park is the oldest national park in Romania, located in the western side of the Eastern Carpathians. Its unique feature is that the height difference between its lowest and highest parts is as much as 1,500 metres. It includes a hundred permanent and temporary glacial lakes and more than 300 protected plants grow in the area. The Ceahl?u Massif is one of the most renowned mountain ranges of Romania. It is located in the Eastern Carpathians chain. Ceahl?u National Park shelters a large variety of flora and fauna; some of the species are endemic or rarely seen elsewhere in Romania.
