New environmental-friendly trail to be built in Budapest’s favourite location
If you are a nature lover and you are visiting Budapest, there are several areas that you can see. One of the most beloved locations to go to is the Normafa, which is on the Buda side of the Danube in District 12. The Normafa is a location in the Buda Hills, but you can explore several places from there, and there are also several ways you can reach Normafa.
Normafa is a special place for both Hungarians and tourists alike. It is the part that connects the Buda Hills to Svábhegy and János Hill. You can easily explore the surrounding forests and can even visit the Elisabeth Lookout Tower, which is a beautiful sight to behold in itself, but also provides an excellent view of the entire capital. The area of the Normafa is also home to the Budapest Children’s railway. Throughout the years, many poets, such as Sándor Petőfi and other artists, have visited the area to get inspired, and thanks to some modern developments, there are a plethora of trails to choose from. You can get there by car, public transportation or by using the ‘libegő’ or chairlift.
Hegyvidék reported that a brand new and modern educational trail might be built on Normafa after the Hegyvidék municipality and environmental and civil organisations have discussed the issues concerning the trail’s initial path.
The area is home to colourful flora and fauna, and there are 400-years old oak trees and 2-300-years old beech trees in the area, making it one of the most extensive forests in Hungary with such ancient and diverse trees.
The original plans wanted to connect the parking lot with the Buda Sport Hotel’s remains and would have been one kilometre long, but the green organisations did not agree to the path. The second iteration included several smaller tracks but was rejected by the environmental organisations, including WWF Hungary. The third iteration for the educational path is planned around the remains of the Buda Sport Hotel. This would make the recultivation of the area, which is not used and is littered with building waste, possible and, in turn, create a much greener area as well. There is also one extra benefit, which will be the feature of the path.
The area is on a slope, so while the path could start level with the area, it could easily continue into the canopy of the forest surrounding the area and providing a mesmerising view of the hill and the entire Hungarian capital.
One of the companies to design the path is Hello Wood. They would like to create an educational path where they can raise awareness of global warming and show children the beauty and importance of nature.
According to plans, they would like to include special booths for bird spotting and educational plaques to present the different species of animals and plants living in the area.
The aim is to create a modern educational path that harmonises with nature and would not burden the area with too many visitors which could cause quite the opposite effect. They plan to have a maximum of 150 visitors at once with a possibility to limit the overall number of visitors. While designing the new path, the main reasons were sustainability and moderation.
Source: Hegyvidék.hu