There are so many great things about Hungary, a European nation with a land area of 93,030 square kilometers (23 million acres). The population is 9.8 million. Hungarians are among the smartest people in the world—that is if you base it on their Nobel laureates. There have been 13 Nobel laureates from Hungary since 1905. A Hungarian has won every category of the Nobel except for peace. Hungary is home to the inventor of the Rubik’s cube, Erno Rubik, and the inventor of the biro ballpoint pen, Laszlo Biro.
There are so many significant water bodies in Hungary like Lake Balaton, which is the largest lake in Central Europe. There are also more than a thousand natural springs in the entire country, including the world’s largest thermal lake at Heviz. The Szechenyi Thermal Baths is said to be the biggest bathing complex in Europe.
One of the most popular places to visit in Hungary is the capital city of Budapest. It is also popular among Hungarians as over 1.7 million of them live in the city. Almost all important institutions are found in Budapest like 40 of Hungary’s colleges and universities, the Museum of Fine Arts, Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Hungarian Parliament, among others.
Ten percent of the country has also been set aside to protect important natural resources. The country has to national parks and here is a list of five unexplored areas, which will give tourists a glimpse of what the Hungarian wilderness truly looks like:
1. Danube-Ipoly National Park
The park was created in 1997 by combining two defunct parks: Borzsony National Park and Pilis National Park. The floodplain of River Ipoly, a 232-kilometer river that runs through Hungary and Slovakia, is also part of the park, which was aimed at protecting native species of plants and animals. Among the most common flowers in the plains are Alpine rose and Cephalanthera rubra.
The river and other water bodies within the park are home to some European native fish species like the Barbus Peloponnesus and Schraetzer. Brown trout is also abundant in the river system. Among the fauna in the park, the most popular is the mallard. Terrestrial birds include Eastern imperial, short-toed eagles, and saker falcon. Other animals within the park are caddisfly, ephemeridae, European pond terrapin, greater mouse-eared bat, Plecoptera, and yellow-bellied eagle.
2. Ferto-Hansag National Park
This park in Gyor-Moson-Sopron County connects with the NeusiedlerSee National Park of Austria. Both parks are also attached to Lake Ferto, which is the third-largest lake in Central Europe. But something is exciting about this lake than just its size. The shape of the lake changes depending on the water level and the wind.
The lake is also home to many kinds of water birds and is a favorite roosting place during migratory season. Among the more common birds found in the lake are common spoonbill, great egret, greylag goose, and purple heron. Among the famous migrants belong to the Scolopacidae family. There are also rare birds that found a home at Ferto-Hansag: hen harrier, red-breasted goose, and white-tailed eagle.
In the meadow, beautiful flowers abound including the rare fly orchid, Hungarian iris, and yellow lady’s slipper. The large flower population also brings in an abundance of butterflies that add colors to the park.
3. Kiskunsag National Park
This park comprises vast grasslands and wetlands in the Bacs-Kiskun county. It was established as a national park in 1975 and was later designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. By 1997, the park was also recognized as a Ramsar Wetland for its contribution to the habitat of various water birds. The grasslands of the park cover Little Cumania, which is a historical region in Hungary. Part of the park is called the open-air museum.
The park also contains a steppe area where annual festivities are organized to showcase the traditional old pastoral life, as well as the breeding customs of Hungary. Kiskunsag’s main body of water is Lake Kolon, which is famous for housing marsh tortoises, herons, and various other avifauna like avocets, geese, and black-winged stilts. Over tens of thousands of migratory birds rest near the water bodies. The wetlands also grow around nine species of orchids. Another interesting natural form within the park is the dunes, which are always moving depending on the weather conditions.
Kiskunsag provides a unique experience for tourists, who can camp in the area for a night or two.
4. Körös-Maros National Park
This part in Bekes County was established in 1997 to protect the birds within the park—and there are tens and thousands of them. In 1975, a Bustard reserve was put up in the area. Bustards are large terrestrial birds that grow between 16 and 59 inches. The bustards prefer roosting in dry grassland, which is the primary habitat of this park. Other commonly sighted birds in the park are cranes, ducks, plovers, which are water birds.
Among the park’s regions are the Faspuszta Major-puszta, Kardoskuti Feherto, and Kis-Sarret swamp.
5. Orseg National Park
This is Hungary’s youngest national park, established in 2002. Orseg means watch post, which was the intention of the park. Watch posts were set up by ancient Magyars around the park’s premises to protect Hungary’s Western gates. The park looks extremely neat as if it was carefully curated. The community around the park help keep the landscape pristine.
The park is surrounded by hills blanketed with forests and peppered by rivers and brooks. The highest point in the park is at 387 meters called Harmashatar Hill. The lowest part of the area is the Zala Valley of the Zala River. Other water bodies in the park include Kerka, Os-Mura, and Raba Rivers. There is also a vast hay meadow with a sprinkling of beautiful wildflowers of different colors. Among them are pale purple bluebells, pink wild thymes, yellow buttercups, yellow meadow sweets, and white daisies. There are also various species of orchids.
With a large population of flowers also come to a large population of butterflies, which provides an added attraction to the park.