Sós-tó

The Sós-tó Nature Protection Area in Székesfehérvár is located on 218 hectares, of which 121 hectares are nationally protected, the rest enjoy local protection.

Geographic location

Geographically, Sós-tó lies at the border of three different types of landscape. The western side of the area is the marshy Sárrét, the southern side the sandy, loessy terrains of the North Hungarian Plain, and to the north the city of Székesfehérvár and further away the Zámolyi basin. The elevation of the lake’s surroundings above sea level is 105–120 m a.s.l.

Historical description

The earliest mention of the Sós-tó area dates from 1473, from Istvánffy. The two largest marshes near Székesfehérvár at that time were Sós-tó and Ingovány. Sós-tó developed as the Sárvíz marshes. It received its name from its water, because it was salty despite being fed by the fresh water of the Sárvíz. Dr. Máté Brigelius, a city physicist, examined the water of Sós-tó on a governmental commission in 1713 and, as a result of the examination, determined that Sós-tó contains alkalinity.

The life and development of Székesfehérvár were determined by the fact that the present downtown was, even in the post‑Ottoman period, surrounded by extensive, impassable deep waters and marshes (Sós-tó, Ingovány). The marshy areas provided a breeding ground for many epidemic diseases. The removal of the marshes, which were a public‑health hazard, was already planned in 1731, but the drainage was only carried out in the second half of the 19th century. Lipót Schmeltz (Schmölcz Leopold) financed public‑purpose afforestations around Sós-tó from his own fortune. The afforestation helped to bind the shifting sands and to shape the urban public space. The area around Sós-tó, as a forested public space, served the city’s inhabitants, and already then it played a significant role in the outdoor recreation and relaxation of the townspeople.

As an innovative initiative associated with the Reform Era, the permanent city-building committee was established in Székesfehérvár in 1839. In the early period of their activity they devoted most of their energy to the beautification of Sóstó. In the year of its formation the island of Sóstó was planted with trees, and in the following year a guesthouse was built. The proceeds from events were allocated to the care of Sóstó.

In 1848 the beautification matter became part of the municipal administration, receiving official duties and jurisdiction. Beyond urban planning, tree planting and the care of Sóstó were the most important tasks. The city council provided the funds necessary for development. On the military survey map of the II. survey recorded between 1850-60, the southern areas are shown as being used for grazing and military purposes. In the Sóstó area one finds natural dry and fresh meadows. The condition of the landscape and environment is no longer natural, its character having become agricultural land. Vince Udvardy's 1858 description characterized the reed‑bordered surroundings of Sóstó as a pleasure garden, the most pleasant place for a walk.

In a 1932 development plan the lake was divided into three parts, areas suitable for water sports, fishing and bathing. The plan also included the construction of two deep‑drilled wells to replenish the lake's water. After World War II the use of the lake as a bathing place ceased because of reed growth on the shore and periodic mixing with sewage. With the city's industrialization, Sóstó gradually deteriorated after World War II, especially in the 1970s‑80s. The lack of maintenance, silt accumulation due to direct sewage discharge, the settling of the destroyed organic parts of the poorly cared for reeds, and the sedimentation caused by downpours and snowmelt accelerated the lake's infilling.

The injection of pumped sewage took place over about 10 years. During this time the estimated amount of sewage supplied was about 600‑650 m³ per year. With the development of the city’s sewer system, from the 1990s onward the amount of sewage introduced into Sós-tó gradually decreased. After the modernization and expansion of the municipal wastewater treatment plant, the city of Székesfehérvár terminated the introduction of mechanically treated sewage into Sós-tó on 27 March 2000.

In the history of Sós-tó, after the centuries of pleasant memories, a rapid degradation occurred in the 1980‑90 s. The abandoned sand pit, for a long time more or less undisturbed, has developed habitats rich in natural values. In order to preserve these, the declared protected areas can still serve the city’s residents for relaxation and nature‑related recreation in small patches along the edges. Maintaining, developing and caring for the nature protection of Sós-tó with areas that can be visited as reception or public parks suitable for serving the population requires financial sacrifices. Among the former uses of the lake, hunting, fishing and angling are no longer possible, therefore no revenues can be generated from them for the current beautification of Sós-tó.

Works on the creation of the nature trail

Members of the Fejér County Group of the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Association began the botanical and ornithological survey of Sós-tó and the sand pit in 1986. As a result, in November 1990 the sand pit’s “botanical relic”, the gypsy‑wort and shore‑fly colonies of the sinkholes, and the blue‑capped damselfly settlement of the water‑works pond received national protection.

During the years 1991-93 several tons of garbage were removed from the Homokbánya quarry pits by waste and trash collection camps organized by the Gaja Környezetvédő Egyesület. In 1993 the first bürü was built in the large quarry pit for the protection of orchids, but the bridge timber was taken away due to lack of supervision. In 1996, with the help of the Zöld Kerekasztal Társaság (ZKT) and the Herosz Fejér Megyei Szervezete, the first botanical trail was created. This first information board was prepared in 1998 by the Herosz, the Directorate of the Duna-Ipoly National Park and the ZKT to present the Székesfehérvár Homokbánya Nature Protection Area. The students of the camps that created the trail worked for three summers on the development of the first track, but maintenance was omitted due to lack of funding and the trails were overtaken by vegetation.