Tokaj-Bodrogzugi Tájvédelmi Körzet

The area of the Tokaj-Bodrogzugi Landscape Protection Zone is 4 242 hectares, of which 665 hectares are intensively protected. The Landscape Protection Zone falls under the administration of the Aggtelek National Park Directorate.

Location

The landscape protection zone is located in the Bodrog region, in the “zug” stretching from the Olaszliszka-Zalkod line to Tokaj.

Tokaji Kopasz Hill

Kopasz Hill is Hungary’s largest, highest (512‑metre) and also one of the youngest (Miocene) volcanic monadnocks, whose quartz‑andesite and rhyolite bedrock is covered by loess soil. Due to continuous viticulture for several hundred years, the mountain’s original vegetation has been confined to areas where grape growing was impossible. Until the phylloxera outbreak in the 18th century, the flora survived in these refuges. The vegetation on the southern and northern sides of the mountain differs to a greater extent than usual.

The southern areas, while partly already Mediterranean and the northern side reminiscent of a mountain region, are fundamentally continental in nature. On the strictly protected southern side, oak-hornbeam mixed warm-loving oak forests and the associations of rocky outcrops dominate, while valuable steppe meadows stretch along the mountain’s foothills. In these associations a rich herbaceous flora lives, including more than a dozen species of gentian, great yellow gentian, black and maiden gentian, spring hawthorn, meadow saxifrage, yellow flax, and marsh marigold. Even among this very valuable flora the woolly alpine rose stands out, which is found in the Carpathian Basin only here. On the northern sides of the mountain there are dwarf-beech–oak stands and alder coppice woods, with marsh lily blooming in the undergrowth. In forest clearings and small glades, wood anemones and gentians flower. The fauna of Mount Bare also is very rich. In the water-poor mountain several reptile species live; besides the marsh, green and agile lizards, the especially valuable sand viper and Aesculapian viper occur. The most valuable birds are the relatively common rock thrush, the regularly breeding eagle‑owl and Ural owl, and the nightjar nesting on the scree slopes. In the forests live badger, wildcat, and among the mustelids, hare and weasel.

Bodrog Channel

Today this is the only area in the country that is regularly flooded. In addition to its natural values and untouched condition, it was partly for this reason that in 1989 it was listed as a site of special importance for waterbirds on the international Ramsar list. Due to the multiple annual floods of the Tisza, the river’s surroundings once formed a huge lake. At least twice a year (at the end of winter and early summer), but sometimes more often, the deepest parts of the Bodrog Basin become submerged, thus primarily the several‑thousand‑hectare Bodrog Channel that lies at the confluence of the Tisza and the Bodrog. In the Bodrog Channel area marshy patches, wet fresh meadows, oxbow lakes, and swampy reed beds succeed each other. In addition to willow‑alder floodplain areas and riparian woods, isolated remnants of the characteristic oak‑ash‑willow forests that once covered vast areas can also be found. In the marshy parts, reed beds and tall herb communities occur; the waters of the oxbow lakes are characterized by rich macrophyte communities. In the shallow, becoming marshy waters grow water crowfoot, watercress and marsh marigold, and alpine rose, fairy‑veil and lake rose bloom; on the reed beds wood anemones, various dragonflies and meadow buttercup flower, and on the wet meadows Saxifrage grows. In the water‑rich environment of the Bodrog Channel several frog species and water beetles, pond turtles, and in the shallow, quickly warming waters marsh frog and meadow grasshopper occur. The rich animal life’s real attractions are, of course, the birds: grey and red heron, black‑crowned night heron, little grebe, little and great bustard breed in the area, lapwings use the wet meadows, and hares occupy the drier places. In the less‑traveled forests the black stork also nests. Among the raptors the brown and grey meadowlark, the meadow owl, and more rarely the brown hawk appear in the sky.

Flora and Fauna

The living world of Tokaj and its surroundings is unique and extraordinary. Here the different flora and fauna elements mix in the collision zone of the mountainous region and the Great Plain. Floristically it is the independent flora of the middle‑mountain flora region of the Hungarian flora (Pannonicum) (Tokajense). Particularly valuable are the associations on the southern slopes of the mountain (warm‑loving oak forest, oak forest with hornbeam, dwarf pine, loess grassland, slope steppe meadow, silicate rock grassland, mountain hay meadow). Seventeen species of orchid live on the mountain. The special plant world is linked to a special animal world. Of the nearly 300 species, more than two‑thirds are protected or strictly protected.

Cultural Values

The viticulture and wine production of the Tokaj Hills date back 1,000 years. The documented history of the wine region proves that grape production has always taken place within the triangle defined by the “three tent hills” (Tokaji Hill, the Sátor Hill of Abaújszántó and the Sátor Hill of Sátoraljaújhely). In 1737 the Tokaj Hills wine region was declared by royal decree the world’s first closed wine region, the consequence of which is that wine production in this area has been strictly regulated by law for almost three centuries. In the viticulture and cellar‑building customs of the Tokaj Hills, eastern Caucasian and western Roman grape‑cultivation traditions are combined. Through the built heritage of the settlements, the specific wine‑making processes and old customs of Tokaj can be followed throughout. These old customs shaped the form and appearance of the cellars and wineries, which differ from those of other regions of Hungary.