Tápió–Hajta Vidéke Tájvédelmi Körzet

The area of the Tápió–Hajta Vidéke Landscape Protection Area is 4,516 hectares, of which 182 hectares are strictly protected. The Landscape Protection Area falls under the Directorate of the Danube–Ipoly National Park.

Location

The Tápió region, located less than 40 km from Budapest, belongs to the least explored landscapes of the Central Hungarian Region. The landscape protection area, consisting of 21 independent units, lies in Pest County, in the valley of the Tápió River, between Farmos, Gomba, Nagykáta, Szentmártonkáta, Tápióbicske, Tápiógyörgye, Tápióság, Tápiószecső, and at the border of the village of Újszász in Szolnok County.

Characteristics

The Tápió region lies at the meeting point of three major geographical units: the Danube–Tisza lowland, the Great Hungarian Plain, and the Northern Central Mountains, which has allowed the development of a diverse fauna rich in rarities. The Tápió–Hajta Vidéke Landscape Protection Area was established in July 1998 to protect this diversity.

Nyík Meadow, Reservoir I–II

The largest contiguous area of the landscape protection area stretches between Farmos and Nagykáta. The marshes fed by the Hajta stream provide nesting and feeding sites for a rich bird fauna. The strictly protected great bustard, the summer crane, and the black stork, which can be observed year-round, breed here. Diverse plant associations (salines, loess meadows, marsh reeds), as well as a multitude of rare plants, are linked to Nyík Meadow: the largest domestic population of the veiled lady's‑tresses, spring hawkweed, and the great pasqueflower and silky ragwort, which are rare on the Great Hungarian Plain, indicate the area's undisturbed nature.

Upper Tápió Valley

Along the Upper Tápió—from Tápiószecső to Tápiószentmárton—lies the second larger subunit. Connected to this is the landscape protection area's only extensive open‑water habitat, the Tápiószecső fish pond. Here the otter can still be considered a regular inhabitant, and the fishing owl appears regularly during migration. Old oak woods line the pond shore, while further away a beautiful meadow on a loess ridge offers a view of the white sea of narrow‑ and broad‑leaf woolly grasses. The greatest value of this area is the exceptionally high‑quality water of the Upper Tápió and its remarkably rich fish population. The protected mountain‑stream species strip and the loess‑dependent loach, which is linked only to the Danube water system, also occur here. Moving away from the stream banks surrounded by meadow and shrubland, we reach steep sand dunes where numerous protected plant species occur: early carnation, hill arnica, bright aster seed, shepherd's purse, and hill lady's‑tresses. Because of their value, these areas (Cseh Hill, Gicei Hill) enjoy heightened protection. At the western end of the elongated subunit, the Erdőszőlősi pasture is the most important breeding site for the great bustard in the region.

Great Meadow and Stream Valleys

It is located on the edge of the Monor–Irsai Hills. The loess valleys of the Gombai and Úri streams are accompanied by beautiful swampy reedbeds and willow patches. In the species‑rich loess grasslands on the valley slopes such rare plants grow as dirty buttercup, forest wind rose, Hungarian cornflower. The steep loess cliffs are densely inhabited by the strictly protected turtle dove. On the Great Meadow, situated between Tápióság and Tápióbicske, the large sandpiper nests in only a few dozen pairs in wetter years in our country. In the transitional zone between the reedbeds and the prominent sand ridges the spider orchid grows, while in the deeper parts Siberian lily of the valley blooms.

Egreskát Salt Lakes

At the border of Nagykáta, in Egreskát, around a flat hill covered with oak forest, there are saline lake basins (Salt Lakes), larger reedbeds, and smaller saline pastures. In the hollows of the old trees lives the blue‑tailed damselfly, while the reedbeds host a multitude of waterbirds, e.g. the little grebe, brown meadowlark.

Székesrekeszi Pasture

Near Szentmártonkáta, on both sides of the Bíbicfészek branch, lies the Székesrekeszi pasture, which is an important feeding area for the predatory birds nesting nearby, red‑blooded hawks, eagle‑owls and the much rarer black‑winged kite.

Rekettyés

Not far from Farmos, in the former bed of the Ancient Zagyva, there is a wonderful reedbed and a smaller saline pasture. Its name comes from the hemispherical rekettyefűz‑bush clusters: Rekettyés. In May the marshy willowherb blooms, and in autumn the corn‑starflower flowers on the area.

Tápiógyörgyei Pasture

The Tápiógyörgyei Great Meadow pasture and the grasslands at the border of Jász‑Nagykun‑Szolnok County and Újszász already clearly recall the saline soils of the Great Plain. Their primary importance is in the autumn‑spring bird migration. As a nature‑conservation project, a 3 ha artificial saline lake was created here, which among others is the nesting site of the strictly protected, upward‑curved‑beaked gull‑winged sandpiper and the long‑legged stork‑bush.

Flora and Fauna

The small lake formed by the two Tápió and the Hajta is a very varied area. Essentially a plain, characteristic lowland landscape, where lakes, fish ponds, reservoirs, marshes, reed meadows alternate, while at Farmos, Tápiógyörgy the remnants of saline wastelands appear; around Nagykáta and Egreskáta loess steppe patches; from Tápiószecső to Nagykáta sand desert soils are found. On the Nagyréta and its surroundings in the Tápió region the veilwort (fátyolos nőszirom) grows on the meadows. The Upper Tápió Valley is characterized by wet habitats. On the highly protected Gicei Hill the homoki vetch and the Készi carnation bloom in mass. The reason for the protection of the Székesrekeszi pasture is the ugartyúk. At the border of Farmos the blind grass appears. Here lives the yellowish helmeted sedge. The Long Meadow (Szilosalja) at the border of Gomba, with its marshy and steppe areas, is a varied region where veilwort, silky dragonfly are found, and here the red‑legged cankó, the haris and the ash‑gray meadow‑hawk are nesting.

Protected plant species occurring in the nature reserve area:

Cultural Values

Traces of human activity can be found in the region dating back millennia. Several old fortifications, earthworks, trenches, monastery and church remains are hidden in the protected area’s forests and meadows (e.g.: remnants of "Csörsz árka", Péceli Castle Hill, Saint Paul Hill in Valkó, Babat‑puszta Temple Tablet slope).