Aggtelek National Park

Last updated
Aggtelek National Park
Hungary Baradla.jpg
Location Hungary
Coordinates 48°28′32.628″N20°29′12.732″E / 48.47573000°N 20.48687000°E / 48.47573000; 20.48687000
Area198.92 km2 (76.80 sq mi)
Established1985
TypeNatural
Criteriaviii
Designated1995
Reference no. 725
Region Eastern Europe

Aggtelek National Park (Hungarian : Aggteleki Nemzeti Park) is a national park in Northern Hungary, in the Aggtelek Karst region. The most significant values of the national park are the special surface formations and caves in this limestone landscape. [1]

Contents

Description

The park consists of 280 caves with different sizes. [1] It covers a total area of 198.92 km2 of which 39.22 km2 are under increased protection. The largest stalactite cave of Europe is situated in this area: the Baradla cave (26 km long, of which 8 km is in Slovakia, known under the name of Domica). Several of the caves have different specialities. For example, the Peace Cave has a sanatorium which help treating people suffering from asthma.

History

The first written documentation of the caves can be dated back to 1549. Since 1920 it has been used as a tourist attraction. The Aggtelek National Park itself was founded in 1985. It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1995 along with the Slovak Karst caves. [1]

Fauna

Animals present in the Aggtelek National Park included the fire salamander, hucul pony, common buzzard, eastern imperial eagle, European copper skink, white-throated dipper, red deer, Eurasian lynx, gray wolf, wild boar, crested tit, goldcrest, Eurasian bullfinch, hazel grouse, common kingfisher, red-backed shrike, old World swallowtail, scarce swallowtail and the saga pedo.

Related Research Articles

Gömör was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. In the 19th century, and in the beginning of the 20th century, it was united with the Kis-Hont County to form Gömör-Kishont County. Its territory is located in southern Slovakia and northern Hungary. Today names Gömör/Gemer are only an informal designation of the corresponding territory without administrative role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borsod–Abaúj–Zemplén County</span> County in north-eastern Hungary

Borsod–Abaúj–Zemplén is an administrative county in north-eastern Hungary, on the border with Slovakia. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Nógrád, Heves, Hajdú–Bihar and Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg. The capital of Borsod–Abaúj–Zemplén county is Miskolc. Of the seven statistical regions of Hungary it belongs to the region Northern Hungary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Hungary</span> Region in Hungary

Northern Hungary is a region in Hungary. As a statistical region it includes the counties Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Heves and Nógrád, but in colloquial speech it usually also refers to Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county. The region is in the north-eastern part of Hungary. It borders Slovakia to the north, the Northern Great Plain region of Hungary to the south-east, and the central region of Hungary to the south-west. The region's centre, largest, and capital city is Miskolc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slovak Karst</span> Carpathian geology

The Slovak Karst is one of the mountain ranges of the Slovenské Rudohorie mountains in the Carpathians in southern Slovakia. It consists of a complex of huge karst plains and plateaus. Since 1973 it has been a protected landscape area. On 1 March 2002 Slovak Karst National Park was declared. It is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and part of it forms UNESCO World Heritage Site Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slovak Ore Mountains</span> Mountain range in Slovakia

The Slovak Ore Mountains are an extensive mountain range within the Carpathian Mountains, located mostly in Slovakia's Spiš and Gemer region, with a small part in northern Hungary. It is the largest mountain range in Slovakia. Geomorphologically, the Slovak Ore Mountains belong to the Inner Western Carpathians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Hungarian Mountains</span> Mountain range in Hungary and Slovakia

The North Hungarian Mountains, sometimes also referred to as the Northeast Hungarian Mountains, Northeast Mountains, North Hungarian Highlands, North Hungarian Mid-Mountains or North Hungarian Range, is the northern, mountainous part of Hungary. It forms a geographical unity with the Mátra-Slanec Area, the adjacent parts of Slovakia. It is a separate geomorphological area within the Western Carpathians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dobšiná Ice Cave</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Rožňava District, Slovakia

Dobšiná Ice Cave is an ice cave in Slovakia, near the mining town of Dobšiná in the Slovak Paradise. Since 2000 it has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage list as a part of the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst site, because of its unique cave formations and its natural beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domica Cave</span> Cave and archaeological site in Slovakia

The Domica cave is a karst cave situated on the south-western border of the Silicka planina Plateau 10 km (6.2 mi) south-east of Plesivec in the Rožňava District of the Košice Region in southern Slovakia. In combination with the Baradla cave, it makes up the most significant section of the Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst cross-border cave network that continues into the Aggtelek National Park in Hungary. The cave is well-known for its complex structure and high density of speleothems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gombasek Cave</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site

Gombasek Cave or Gombasecká jaskyňa and Gombaszögi-barlang is a karst cave in the Slovak Karst, Slovakia. It is named after the settlement of Gombasek, which belongs to the village of Slavec. It is located in the Slovak Karst National Park, in the Slaná river valley, approximately 15 km south of Rožňava. The cave was discovered on 21 November 1951 by volunteer cavers. In 1955, 285 m out of 1 525 m were opened to the public. Currently, the route for visitors is 530 m long and takes about 30 minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasov Cave</span> Cave and archaeological site in Slovakia

Jasov Cave is a speleothem limestone cave and archaeological site in the Slovak Karst in Slovakia. It is located near the village of Jasov, around 25 km (16 mi) from Košice city. Along with a number of caves of the Slovak Karst, Jasov Cave has been induced into the UNESCO World Heritage list as a part of the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst site, because of its unique diversity of speleothems and its testimony to tropical and temperate cave-forming processes. The cave is known for its pagoda-like stalagmites, sinter waterfalls, and straw stalactites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slovak Paradise National Park</span>

Slovak Paradise National Park is one of the nine national parks in Slovakia, situated in East Slovakia. The National Park protects the area of the Slovak Paradise mountain range, which is located in the north of the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slovak Karst National Park</span>

Slovak Karst National Park is a national park in the Slovak Karst mountain range in South East Slovakia. It lies in the Gelnica, Rožňava and Košice–okolie districts in the Košice region. The National Park covers an area of 346.11 km² (133.64 mi²) and its buffer zone covers 117.41 km² (45.33 mi²).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aggtelek</span> Place in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Hungary

Aggtelek is a village in the county of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Hungary. It is known for the vast stalactite caverns of the nearby Baradla-Domica cave system, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Aggtelek and Slovak Karst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst</span> Hungarian-Slovakian caves, UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst are a series of over 1000 karst caves spread out over a total area of 55,800 ha along the border of Hungary and Slovakia. With an exceptional diversity of karst structures and complex cave systems developing from both temperate and tropical processes, the caves and surrounding areas were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aggtelek Karst</span>

Aggtelek Karst is a karst area in northern Hungary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baradla cave</span> Cave system in Hungary and Slovakia

The Baradla Domica cave system is a large cave system in northern Hungary. As part of the Aggtelek Karst, it extends more than 25.5 km (25,500 m) and includes the 5.3 km (3.3 mi) Domica cave. A significant part of the cave has varied colors and shapes providing an unparalleled spectacle of decorative stalactites.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Experience? Naturally! (1 ed.). Budapest: Ministry of Rural Development. May 2014. p. 14.

See also