Sághegyi Tájvédelmi Körzet

The area of the Sághegy Landscape Protection Area is 235 hectares, of which 24 hectares are intensively protected. The landscape protection area falls under the jurisdiction of the Administration of the Őrség National Park.

Characteristics

The Ság’s modest 278‑metre cone was formed roughly five million years ago. The Pannon Sea slowly filled and dried up, and the millennia shaped the mountain, shaping the landscape. The wind and water removed a layer about 60–70 m thick from the area, but the hard basalt layer from volcanic activity on the plateau of the mountain protected the underlying softer rocks. Thus the characteristic double-cone shape was formed.

At the beginning of the century they began, and for about fifty years continued, extracting the valuable basalt of the mountain, so the mountain’s original shape is now only partially visible, and one of the mountain’s large cones is nothing but a spoil heap. However, as a result of the extractions, the volcanic vent, the magma conduit, and large solidified blocks of basalt lava have become exposed.

Flora and Fauna

The vegetation of the mountain differs significantly from its surroundings, forming an independent flora unit, with karstic shrub communities, open and closed heathland grasslands, and thermophilic oak stands. Although the original vegetation was destroyed due to the exploitation of the mountain’s summit, many valuable species are present among the soft‑stemmed plants of the Ság. In addition to the dwarf heather, the area hosts dwarf and black stonecress, spring vetch, spotted lady’s‑mantle, red knotweed, and great knapweed. On the rocky screes grow the typical local species such as stonecress, dwarf milfoil, and sweet-root fern. So far, 25 species of snails and 50 species of diurnal butterflies have been recorded. Among the insects, the noteworthy discovery of the mourning beetle, thought extinct in our country, was made in the Ság scrublands. Among reptiles, the agile lizard and the sand lizard occur. The area is too small for a highly diverse bird fauna, but beyond the common bird species, the raven, red-backed shrike, boreal owl, and the hooting of the boreal owl are also heard. On the abandoned mining pits, the stonechat sometimes nests. Among mammals, the common wood mouse, the wood mouse, the European hare, and the fox are common.

Cultural values

Ság's outstanding cultural‑historical value is its wine and viticulture tradition, which reaches back to the Roman era. Unfortunately the native wild grape was destroyed by the notorious phylloxera, but the mountain's wines are still first‑rate today.

Visitors can see a local‑history exhibition presenting the mountain's history and wildlife in the former mine transformer house, the Sághegyi Museum. The exhibition's games and interactive elements provide spectacular, interesting entertainment for families and school groups. Further information about the formation of Ság can be obtained on the built educational trails. Mining extraction made it possible for the Ság Volcano Trail to lead visitors directly into the interior of the mountain.

At the end of the 19th century, Loránd Eötvös, with his torsion balance named after him, performed control measurements on the mountain plateau in 1891. In memory of his investigations, a basalt memorial column was erected in 1971 next to the tourist house.