(file attached to OP. check proper subfolder!) Folder includes placemarks of subareas with tons of informations & illustration pics. Editing finished. FertHansg National Park Size of protected area: 23.588 ha, out of this 7492 ha are protected to a greater extent.
Location: The Fert part is enclosed by Sopron, Nagycenk, Hegyk, Sarrd and Fertjlak, while the Hansg area stretches from the north of Kapuvr to the area enclosed by Jnossomorja, Mosonszolnok and Lbny and within the confines of Lbny.
Visiting: The north of Hansg can be visited without restrictions, but to see the two lakes in Tkz only guided tours are available. The alder woods of Cskos and Kirly Lake can only be visited with a permit, while Kirly Lake can be visited freely.The Szrhalmi woods can be walked on footpaths for tourists, but the highly protected Kistmalmi moor is not open for the public. To get to the Fert Lake marsh it is advisable to start from Fertrkos. More information is available at the Visitor's Centre called 'Kcsagvr' in Sarrd.
It is said that the most exciting parts of the world are those territories where two worlds meet where something finishes and something else is born. The FertHansg area is exactly like that: along the rainy west slopes of Lvrek, in the vicinity of Sopron, it is still alpine climate that is perceptible, but jut a stone's throw away to the east on the hills, it is the submediterranian, thermohphilous oak-woods that thrive. A few more meters and at once we reach the extensive, though shallow saline lake, located westernmost in Eurasia, with vast reeds around it, recalling memories of a world that existed centuries ago. More to the east we can find remnants of a formerly continuous wetland with boggy, marshy/swampy habitats and wide plains reminiscent of the Asian steppes (from where also some peaks of the Alps can be seen in clear weather). All this richness is further embellished by precious historical an ethnographic relics of the past.
credit The FertHansg basin is the westernmost part of Kisalfld (Small Plain), which was formed during the elevation, folding of the Eastern Alps, along the border of the Pannon- and the Vienna-basins. As a homogeneous region, it stretches as far as the Leitha mountains in Als-Ausztria. The sunken basin was later formed by erosion and by the wind (deflation). As long as until the 17-18th century Fert-Hansg was uniform wetlands with an area expanding more than 600 square km, where the waters of the lake Fert and Hansg were contiguous, and were supplied from the Danube, Rba and Rbca and from a number of smaller brooks. Some of the settlements in the region were only accessible by boat all the year round. The draining and drying of the area and converting it into agricultural fields was attempted several times from the 17th century, but the two water-lands Fert and Hansg could only be divided by the lock in Mexikpuszta (presently called Fertjlak ) in 1912. The drying of the low-lying grounds was achieved by the Hansg main channel built (by the youth at a number of summer building camps) in the 1950s.
The lake Fert and the vicinity The Lake Fert , with a roughly north south direction, with length of 36 kms, has 309 square km. Out of this territory only 75 square km belong to Hungary. The average depth of the whole lake is one meter, which is quite shallow in itself, and this widening south part is the shallowest, swampy part of it. During the history of the lake Fert, it dried out entirely several times last time in 1865-70 and later it revived in a rainier period. When there is strong southern wind, the shallow southern part is scattered by masses of dried out mud-banks, because of the high pressure of wind. The name Fert, which originally means a area with stagnant water without an outlet, was given by one of the researchers of the lake. The name characterizes briefly and appropriately this habitat, which can be described by shallow water stirred up even by the slightest wind, constantly full of mud grains and the resulting low oxygen and light supply. The colour of the lake is constantly gray, because of the floating mud grains in it, yet the inner lakes of clearings of extensive areas abounding in reeds are dark oily brown, because of the high organic matter content (eutroph) of humin acids dissolved in the water. The water with a high salt content, being reminiscent of the saline lakes in the Alfld, warms up to the bottom in the summer and it freezes to the bottom in winter. This aging, rather insecure ecological scenery is extremely varied and provides habitat to a valuable wildlife.
The Hungarian territory of the lake is almost entirely covered by reeds - clear surfaces of water can only be found over the reeds, towards the middle of the lake, in the inner clearings of the reeds and in the tricky, maze like canal systems which are cut in the reeds. The open clear water surfaces and the settlements around the lake, as well as the inner lakes and the reed exploitation areas are connected by this canal system. The canal system has also been used by fishermen from time immemorial. (Unforgettable boat trips can be taken from the beach resort, beside Fertrkos, to the inner lakes.) This habitat is constituted by reeds, bulrush (Typha angustifolia) and hardy sedge (Carex). In the open clear water surfaces various weed associations, bladderwort (Utricularia), the rigid- and soft hornwort live as well as fennel-leaved pondweed (Potamogeton) imported to the area by birds and club-rush (Schoenoplectus). In the weedy habitats of reeds, thousands of lower living beings circle around: water fleas, water-bugs, spiders, cicadas, day flies, dragon-flies and owlet-moths. In the reedy areas, there also lives the European mud-minnow (Umbra Krameri) and the weather-fish (Misgurnus fossilis), but the typical representatives of the fish stock here are the Fert carp, the pelecus and the pike-perch, and the tench, the perch, the rudd in the inner lakes. However the widely renowned inhabitants of the lake are the birds: the great white heron, the spoon bill (Platalea leucorodia), the bittern (Botaurus), the great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), various duck species, the common heron and the purple heron, the gray leg goose, the great reed-warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) and several species of the warblers (Sylvia) live in the vast reeds.
credit The southeast, eastern shores of reed country are surrounded by a wide strip of wet medows, marshes, saline pasture lands and smaller saline lakes, of which habitat is reminicent of the Alfld saline areas. Typical plants are the camphor (Camphorosma annua), the wild chamomile, or the native salt-tolerant Michaelmas-daisy (Aster tripolium), sea blite (Suadea pannonica), salt-marsh (Salicornia) and the Fert puccinellia (Puccinellia limosa). On the saline lakelets the highly protected little ringed plover (Charadrius dubius), avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), the redshank (Tringa totanus) and the black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) nest. On the bird islands of the lakes (eg. on the lakes at Mexikpuszta) bird colonies with a thousand of birds each live: black-headed gulls (Larus ridibundus), the common tern (Sterna hirundo), tufted ducks (Aythya fulingula) etc.The area is an important resting place during the spring and autumn migration of birds, when thousands of birds are twittering in the pools around and in the lake Fert.
A significantly different world can be found at the southeast shore of the lake. White oak karst scrub forest and wooded steppe meddow associations grow on the Leitha limestone of the row of hills along the Fert. More than sixsty protected plant rarities create a fairyland including such curiosities as the two species of pasque flower (Pulsatilla grandis)and (Pulsatilla nigricans), nineteen species of wild orchid including the wonderful lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus), dwarf iris (Iris pumila), burning bush (Dictamnus albus) etc. The habitat of glacial remnants, the small, two hectare marsh medow of Kistmalma stretches along the foot of the hills with the common butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris) living exclusively here and with the cottongrass (Carex) and with the adder's-tongue fern (Ophioglossum vulgatum).This row of hills is also the wintering place of the amphibian and reptille fauna of lake Fert, therefore hundreds of thousands of toads, edible frog (Rana esculenta) and spade-footed toads (Pelobates fuscus), toads (Bufo) leave for the enlivening water in springtime and back in autumn in dense, close formations of rows. Unfortunately thousands of them fall victim to motoring on the roads around lake Fert (especially between Hidegsg and Fertboz). Recently the National Park has started constructing diverting tracks and passages going under the roads so as to help the migration of the frogs.
Hansg Hansg used to be the largest continuos marshland, which was honoured as 'the mother' of the Fert by the ancients. The surface of Hansg is situated 2-3 meters lower than the fringes adjacent to the neighbouring areas. This vast flat basin without an outlet was defined by swamp with marshes, broom bushes, swampy medows scattered by little lakes and floating islands. People, hunting, fishing, fowling, crab catching, were only visitors. The name of the area 'hany' originally means marsh.. Villages were mainly built on hillocks ('goronds') standing out a few meters against Hansg. These former marsh islands can still be found while walking around the area, and in their names still referring to former settlements. As it was already mentioned, the drainage of Hansg was finished just fifty years ago, and its fate was sealed with that. This habitat had literally been kept alive by water. After the darainage, the peat-bog marshes collapsed, dried out, and crumbled. However, at a couple of habitats, underground morphological conditions prevented the water from escaping, preserving the former miracles of the 'hany'. These areas are preserved and looked after by the National Park. Examples of these are Kirly lake, Cskos alder wood and Zsid medow next to Osli north of Kapuvr in South Hansg. In North-Hansg, situated in the north of the Hansg main canal, the area between Jnossomorja and Lbny, and Tkz located a few kms from Lbny with its two strictly protected lakes called Fehr- and Barbacsi-lake.
Kollr Adrin: Hansg The South Hany areas around Kapuvr are dominated by alder marshes, and gorses. The area of Cskos alder wood is of outstanding significance, where on the 'legged' alders common herons live in colonies, and nesting of the black kite (Milvus migrans) and the black stork is not uncommon.. Following the Cskos alder wood towards Kirly lake, the Kirly lake alder wood and the alder wood marsh meadow stretching along it. The male-fern and shield-fern (Dryopteris carthusiana) grow in the hardly wadable woods standing in water, with thick underwood. Corncrakes /landrails (Crex crex), short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) and curlew / whaup nest on its terriotory. The former Kirly lake - because of draining - is mearly the shadow of its former self. The lake, according to more and more indications, is starting to find its old self and it is reviving, because of continuous turf/peat-cutting. We can already see thousands of birds around the lake, and its vegetation is reviving, too. Describing this lake, we cannot miss the legend of Hany Istk, who was caught from the lake by fishermen from Kapuvr in 1749. The creature caught from the lake was an uncivilised, lost, orphaned child that surrived somehow in the wetlands around the lake. The child absolutely wild, not being able to speak, adapted completely to living in the marshes: he was naked, his skin got thick as bark, his body was covered by hair, he had webbed fingers. He was able to catch fish even while swimming under the water, according to eyewitnesses. 17th March 1749 the child was christened Istvn, according to the parish registry in Kapuvr.
Cskos gererd (Alnus sp. wood) Located next to Csfordjnosfa, south of Kapuvr, the regerd (Old woods) with snow flakes is one of the last survivors of the common oak in gallery forests along watercourses formerly flowing into Hansg.
The territory of the North Hany is larger, but a bit more disturbed than the southern parts. The majority of its territory is constituted by the idillic scenery of wet hayfields, marsh meadows and pools. At a summer dawn, a misty morning can be an amazing experience at these wet areas.
The habitat of the common hardgrass, hare's tail grass meadows of the marshes in rhany, Pintrhany and Nmet-hany, is constituted by the elite of marshlands: several species of orchids, gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe) wild leek (Allium suaveolens), large pink (Dianthus superbus) and many more. Black storks, herons and possibly hobby (Falco subbuteo) again nest in the wooded parts. A considerable population of bustards, not to speak about the meadow wiper live in the North Hany near Jnossomorja.
Tkz is located in the south-west of Lbny. The two well known lakes of it Fehr lake and Babarcsi lake are highly protected areas. The small areas mearly 200 ha each yet preserve an extremely valuable wildlife. There are bitterns, dwarf-, purple- and common herons, and reed-songbirds among its several hundreds of nesting birds. During migration the lakes are inundated by thousands of water birds.
Beyond the wonders of nature, visitors can also see some valuable historical and cultural-ethnographic sights in the National Park.
Tkz First of all the internationally renowned, ancient stone quarry should be mentioned. Its easy-to-carve Leitha limestone was already used by the Romans to build the walls of Scrabantia (Sopron). Later the palaces of Vienna were built from it, nowadays the stone-quarry provides a mythical scene for concerts and operas in the summer. The east-west Pannon road and the Amber road from Rome heading to the north crossed in the city. Relics of them, among other Roman finds, can be found in Sopron. Such relics are the Mithras grotto sanctuary and the remains of Roman villas unearthed around Sarrd. Later Huns, Avars, Pechenegs, Magyars settled in the area. The church in Lbny built in the age of the Arpads is one of the nicest Romanesque style relics of architecture in Hungary. The round church in Hidegsg is also from this era. The area is also a treasury of Baroque (after the period of the Turkish ravages) historical monuments (Fertrkos, Fertboz, Nagycenk, Fertszplak, Fertd etc.). The ethnographic relics of the area are constituted by the typical costumes and material remains of peasants livinig on the 'fert' and the 'hany'. Eg. the national costume around Csorna and Kapuvr, the village museum in Fertszplak, the area and cultivation remains of the free 'hany' near Fard and the special way of growing of willows used for making arts and crafts in the vicinity of several villages.
Foek.hu pages g
Previous Topic
Index
