Mátra Protected Landscape Area

The area of the Mátra Protected Landscape Area is 12 178.6 hectares, of which 2 191 hectares are strictly protected. The Landscape Area falls under the administration of the Bükk National Park Directorate.

Location

The protected landscape area’s two separate parts are located in the central and western parts of the Mátra. The administrative boundaries of the landscape area in Heves County are Kisnána, Domoszló, Markaz, Gyöngyös, Gyöngyössolymos, Parád, Parádsasvár, Recsk and Mátraszentimre; in Nógrád County they are Hasznos and Nagybátony. The landscape area includes two nature reserves of national significance, the Gyöngyös Sár Hill and the Sirok Nyírjes Lake.

The Mátra Protected Landscape Area was established by decree 5/1985. (XI. 22.) OKTH on an area of 11 862.7 hectares. The purpose of its protection is: the preservation and maintenance of geological values, land‑surface forms that determine the character of the landscape, surface waters, protected plant and animal species, natural plant associations, natural‑type forests, and the favorable natural environment that serves human recreation within the TK area.

Characteristics

The Mátra, as part of the North‑Central Mountains, belongs geologically to the largest young volcanic region in Europe. It spreads around the valleys of the Tarna and Zagyva, and here rise the two highest peaks of the country: the 1 014 m Kékes and the 965 m Galyatető. In the Mátra, few primary volcanic forms have survived because of strong erosion. The best‑known such formation is the Vár Hill at Verpelét, which forms a 35‑metre‑high volcanic cone. In the Mátra, 69 caves are known, most of which are small, with lengths between 6 and 10 m.

The Mátra Protected Landscape Area is divided into two large parts, the north‑northeastern and the western block.

The western block's border starts at the inner boundary of the municipality of Mátraszentimre, then runs from the valley of the Csörgő stream along the Bánya stream towards Fallóskút. After the resort settlement famous for its pilgrimage site, the border follows the main traffic road all the way to Mátrakeresztes, then turns north, touching Óvár and extending to Ágasvár.

In central Mátra the TK border starts from the Kisnána swimming forest house, reaches the central fortress ruin at the border of forest and vineyard plantations, then turns north towards the peak of Kékes. It runs along the municipal border of Gyöngyös – Gyöngyössolymos towards Mátrafüred, then, crossing the valley of the Nagy stream, passes Lajosháza, touches Nyesettvár and leads to Galyatető. In the east it touches Parádsasvár, bypasses Parád and Parádhuta, runs along the Somhegy and Pálbükk stream valley. Avoiding the operating Recsk Csákánykő stone quarry, it still embraces the Sirok Csikójárás forest house and closes back in the Kisnána municipality on the main ridge of Mátra, the Jóidőnyak section.

Flora and Fauna

The mountain range has a rich living world. The High Mátra block stands out with its flora and fauna, providing refuge for many Carpathian high-mountain plant and animal species. The oak woods on the warmer slopes are alternated, depending on altitude and exposure, by beech forests, but the unique woody associations of extreme, specialized habitats can also be found. The atmosphere of the continuous forests is occasionally decorated by rock climbs, meadows formed on them, pearl‑bead shrublands, clear‑cut areas, various lakes and marshes.

These varied habitats have a rich living world, in which the streams' invertebrates deserve as much attention as the colourful butterflies or the special birds.

The most important plant associations occurring in the Landscape Protection Area:

Typical high-mountain species: alpine rose, mountain lichen, mountain ribiszke, peacock-tailed salamander and red meadowsweet. The protected special feature of the spring meadows, as well as the accompanying small streams, is the mountain moss, whose all Hungarian occurrences are found in Mátra, in the southern foreland of Galya, and at the northern foot of the Kékes massif. Also associated with these habitats are the meat-colored dwarf orchid, the forest dwarf orchid and the radiate campion. In the places of former forest clearings, pastures then hayfields, and now species-rich mountain meadows and blue-moss wet meadows have developed. On these meadows live, for example, the Siberian lady's mantle, the Austrian lady's mantle, the corn starwort, the black knapweed and the round-headed knapweed.

The mountain's rare, protected amphibian species are the alpine newt, the yellow-bellied toad, the forest and marsh frog, the tree frog and the spotted salamander. The warm‑loving oaks and shrub forests of Mátra are very rare, a highly protected reptile species is the Pannonian lizard. The extensive, closed forests and the surrounding peripheral areas have a very rich bird fauna: migratory hawk, the imperial eagle, the snake eagle, the white‑headed woodpecker and the black woodpecker can be observed in the area. In Mátra numerous protected mammal species also find habitat, e.g.: wildcat, Eurasian eagle‑owl.

Cultural values

Mátra and its surroundings were inhabited already in pre‑Christian times. Evidence of this are stone, copper and bronze tools uncovered mainly near the settlements at the southern foot of Mátra. An important find is the 4th‑century AD Scythian urn burial uncovered in Gyöngyös in 1907 and the large‑scale Avar cemetery at Nagyréde.

Among the mountain's cultural‑historical monuments stand out the medieval castles: the Lion Castle of Domoszló, the Nyesett Castle of Gyöngyössolymos, the Markaz Castle and the Ágas Castle of Mátraszentimre.

Ilona Valley Educational Trail (Parád)

The 6.5 km long educational trail presents the geological curiosities of Ilona Valley, located in the eastern part of the Mátra Mountains. Stations: Parád Spa — Etelka excavation — Etelka pond — Vaskapu ridge — Deep‑level research, the Rm‑104 borehole — Timsós pond — Saint Stephen spring — Devil’s Gorge — Ilona Valley limestone excavation — Ilona Valley waterfall.

Sár-hegy Trail (Gyöngyös)

The trail length: 9 km, with 12 stations. The signs with colorful plant and animal illustrations present the meadow, forest, and swamp associations of the Sár-hegy Nature Conservation Area, its geology. Stations: Meadow association — Pine‑mixed oak forest — Cherry‑oak forest — Mown trampling meadow — Warm‑loving oak forest — Swamp — Shrub forest — Geology of Sár-hegy — Rock‑rose association — Hairy‑stem grass association — Abandoned vineyards — Dwarf almond