The world’s first Bird Theater will be built in Hungary that will soon await its visitors in Hortobágy National Park, listed among UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Presumably, the new ecotourism attraction will be inaugurated in 2023, thanks to which visitors can observe the wildlife of the lake from a perspective that only birdwatchers and photographers had the opportunity to do before.
The concept of the Bird Theater was dreamed up by a world-famous Hungarian nature photographer, Bence Máté, who came up with the idea ten years ago in order to show the magical world of nature to the general public. According to the expert, the concept is also important as “nature conservation will be of key importance in the upcoming period”. The first step of the project took place in Tusnádfürdő, whose further development is the larger-scale bird theatre in Hortobágy, which will be realised by the support of the Active and Ecotourism Development Center.
Thanks to the expertise of the idea owner, the project looks very promising. Bence Máté has already built unique shelters in several national parks on different continents, primarily for nature conservation professionals and photographers. Based on these experiences, he dreamed up the unique ecotourism attraction that will take place in the Hortobágy National Park, listed among UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
According to Máriusz Révész, government commissioner responsible for active Hungary, “the planned Bird Theater seems to be a unique world sensation
which investment will play an important role not only in touristic and economic aspects but will also enhance the love of nature.”
Based on current plans, the Bird Theatre can be accessed by one bus at a time, so it can even be a destination for class trips or biology classes.
In the landscape, the audience can observe the natural behaviour and lifestyle of waterfowl on guided tours. The “auditorium” is designed in a way that the water surface – better known as the “stage” – will be roughly at eye level. The interior will be soundproofed so that noise does not disturb the birds. In addition to the glazed building, the Bird Theater will also include an elevated water-filled spectacle pool, educational trail and lookout tower, and will be accessible by the Hortobágy light rail or even on foot.
According to the national park director, Zita Kovács, “The birdlife of the Hortobágy National Park is becoming more and more interesting every year, so it is a great pleasure that the world’s first experience centre of this kind is being built here”.
As the Hungarian news portal Turizmus.com reports, the region is home to 342 bird species, 152 of which nest in the area. The lake was built as the first fishpond system in Hortobágy more than 100 years ago. Over time, man-made fishponds have been reclaimed by nature, so the wetland that has developed here deserves protection along with its rich birdlife and the national park.
Máriusz Révész added that
the visitor centre, which accommodates an audience of about 30,000 a year, will feature egrets, terns, grey herons and black storks,
but depending on the interest, the complex would be further developed, making it suitable for the observation of shorebirds and then birds of prey, but additional sites are being considered in similar observation sites.
As Csodálatos Magyarország reports, the Bird Theater is planned to be built from around EUR 2.8 million (~HUF 1 billion) within two years.
Hungary aims to be climate neutral by 2050, and the government is examining ways to reduce carbon emissions to the level that Hungarian forests can absorb by that time, the state secretary for climate, energy policy and the development of the circular economy said on Tuesday.
Attila Steiner told Portfolio’s Sustainable World 2021 conference that the government launched its National Clean Development Strategy to achieve those goals. The 2050 deadline has also been enshrined in law, he noted.
Making the green transition is an economically viable strategy where widespread social support is also crucially important, Steiner said.
Hungary reduced carbon emissions by 32 percent between 1990 and 2019 — putting Hungary in the top third of European Union emission slashers — while its economic performance skyrocketed, Steiner said.
“Hungary successfully decoupled emissions reduction from its economic trajectory,” he said.
Regarding funding of the green transition in Hungary, Steiner noted that government’s green bonds are oversubscribed multiple times. Profits from the bonds will go towards green projects, among other resources, he added.
Since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report confirmed they have evidence humanity is to blame for rising temperatures across the world, the increasing risk of greater global warming is at the forefront of everybody’s minds.
With over 290 million cars on the road in Europe, research from Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service, has revealed which EU countries are leading the way and making the biggest increases in alternative fuel vehicles.
Over the past 10 years, Cyprus has seen a 167% annual increase in alternative fuel vehicles (783 compared to 0), with Luxembourg and Ireland coming in second and third place for the biggest increases. Luxembourg’s alternative fuel vehicle rate increased by an annual average of 106% (8,957 compared to 0) in ten years, and Ireland’s increased by 105% (20,937 compared to 0) on average per year.
The report reveals Hungary’s biggest increases in the electric vehicle market, as well as the most popular alternative car fuel.
Further key findings:
Hungary has seen the biggest increase in electric vehicles, with 35 more on the road and an annual growth rate of 100%
Leading the way in alternative fuels is Cyprus, which has seen a 167% annual increase in alternative fuel vehicles in the last 10 years
Following on, Luxembourg and Ireland come in second and third place with 106% and 105% average annual growth on alternative fuel vehicles respectively.
Europe has eight times more electric cars on the road in 2020 compared to 2015
“With Cyprus and Luxembourg leading the way in the electric and alternative fuel vehicle market, across the EU, it shows we are heading in the right direction to achieve more eco-friendly vehicles on the road.
“Here are our top tips if you’re considering buying an alternative fuel car:
Think about what type of vehicle you need. If you live in the city, you’ll tend to drive slower so a small hybrid model would be more suitable for fuel efficiency.
Commit to the upkeep. Learn what the different alternative fuels are and check the price. While they’re likely to be cheaper than petrol or diesel, know what you’re committing to, for example, a replacement battery in the future.
Know how far you can travel. Consider how many fuel stations are in your area that can power your preferred alternative fuel vehicle.
Time to charge. Factor how long it will take to charge or power your energy efficient car. Depending on the battery size, it can take up to two hours for some models.”
Find out more information on the fastest growing car markets by Uswitch here.
Earlier, several reports indicated that masses of fishes in Lake Velence, the third largest lake in Hungary, are perishing. According to the latest news, not only fish but also birds are now dying in large numbers.
Compared to the average level, 80 centimetres were missing from the level of Lake Velence this year. The catchment area of the lake is very small, so the water level of the lake depends to a large extent on the weather conditions. In recent years, a problematic situation has developed due to low rainfall and high heat. Due to the low water level, the wildlife of the lake is dying.
A proposal has been made to restore wildlife, but the Hungarian government has not accepted it as it is too expensive.
They do not completely shy away from the solution, but currently, the economy’s recovery comes first, writes portfolio.hu. The damage is enormous; more than 1800 kilograms of fish died in Lake Velence. Furthermore, the situation has worsened since
more and more bird carcasses are being discovered by the locals.
No official information is available yet, but several individuals and NGOs have reported mass bird deaths. “Several days ago, in addition to another fish death wave, the birds began to die in larger numbers,” writes volunteer Szabolcs Homoródi. In a part where birds were once crowded, 10-20 carcasses and two sick seagulls have now been found. According to Homoród, the animals show symptoms of paralytic disease. This was later confirmed by the Dunaharaszti Tollas Barát Civil Animal Hospital.
Volunteers ask whoever finds a sick bird to ask for help.
This is because many more specimens can be saved, while the animals left alone will almost certainly die. Injured birds should be approached with caution but not feared. The injured birds are transported to Sukoró Wild Bird Hospital, or Dunaharaszti, writes napi.hu.
The volunteers hope that the authorities and the competent authorities will be involved in saving flora and fauna. Without proper infrastructure and money, the problem will not be solved.
Many of us will be familiar with the 2009 story of Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger, aka “Sully”, who made an emergency landing on the Hudson River when a collision with a flock of Canada geese caused his aircraft’s engines to shut down. The moral of the story is that for maximum safety, birds should be kept away from aircraft. Thanks to tried and tested protection and dispersion technologies, the safeguarding of the environment and wildlife is also ensured at Ferenc Liszt International Airport, besides aviation safety.
Millions of passengers pass through the airport every year, but the high volume of traffic is not only characteristic of the terminals. The more than 1500 hectare area can be an attractive environment for wild and stray animals. Budapest Airport therefore attaches the utmost importance to guaranteeing both aviation safety and the protection of the environment, using methods of bird and wildlife control developed over the past decades. To this end, the airport’s bird and wildlife control team patrols the boundaries of the runways and taxiways throughout the year, and uses deterrents (sonic cannon, laser lights, bio-acoustic devices, etc.) on a continuous basis to keep animals away.
On average, 30 to 40 dispersals are undertaken along the runways during a day’s service, the vast majority of which are bird-related.
Numerous control technological practices have been developed at the airport over the years. Some of these are constantly being improved, as some bird species are very fast learners; so after a while, these methods lose their effectiveness. One example is the use of sonic cannons, which used to be set to sound every two minutes during the day, with a timer. Birds sitting on the sonic cannons became accustomed to this; they would fly up a few seconds before the blast, and would then settle back on top of the cannons after the bang. The modern devices currently in use are equipped with a GSM module, and can be controlled by mobile phone. They only sound when a call is made to the sonic cannon by the bird and wildlife warden. This prevents birds from learning the time of the burst, thus greatly increasing the efficiency of the system.
In the case of some species, capture and relocation offers a safe solution, such as kestrels and magpies, but it also occurs with other birds. Last year, for example, more than 100 common kestrels and 25 long-eared owls were transported to the Hortobágy National Park, after ringing. In addition to birds, mammals appearing in the area also pose a very serious risk to aviation safety. The airport operator thus ensures that stray animals, such as cats and dogs, as well as wild species, such as foxes, badgers, martens and hares, should be handed over to the competent partners.
Lajos Szabó, bird and wildlife control team leader for Budapest Airport said: “In addition to the usual airport wildlife, we sometimes see species that are rare visitors to the area, such as eastern imperial eagles, badgers and mute swans.” He added: “We also have exceptional cases sometimes in our more than 1500 hectare area. For example, our colleagues recently trapped five specially protected ferruginous ducklings. This is an extraordinary case because individuals of this species have never bred in the area of the airport before.”
Budapest Airport’s bird and wildlife control methods are based on 30 years of global experience, in line with the recommendations of the International Bird Strike Committee (IBSC), a panel of 100 independent experts commissioned by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in close cooperation with the competent partners and ministry. Whilst maintaining aviation safety, the airport operator also aims to place strong emphasis on protecting organisms that make the airport their home.
A local mayor would like to ask for state subsidies to make the toilets on the beaches of Balaton free of charge. He believes that such a step would better the quality of the water in Hungary’s biggest lake.
The “Hungarian Sea”, as many call it, is full of inland tourists this summer, and all the hotels are booked for the weekend, balaton.hu reported. No wonder, the summer is hotter than in previous years, and people would like to spend their holiday enjoying the beauties the lake offers after months of being locked inside their apartments because of the epidemic. Of course, this number of people has a significant ecological footprint on the lake. However, some of
the negative consequences could have been evaded with the help of the state,
a local mayor believes.
Gábor Lombár is the independent leader of Balatonfenyves, a small village with 1,800 citizens, in the north-eastern corner of the lake. According to napi.hu, he would like to transfer money from the beach development program to local governments to help them make beach toilets free of charge for everybody.
and without keeping it at an acceptable level at least, the government’s beach developments are useless. Mr Lombár, the chairman of the Balaton Alliance, already wrote to the Hungarian Tourism Agency and the ministerial commissioner of the lake to help the initiative, hirbalaton.hu reported.
He said that such a measure would not be unique because beach toilets were free of charge before. However, the
local governments could not afford to maintain them without introducing a fee.
For example, Balatonfenyves, Lombár’s village, has five beach toilets, but none of them is free because they do not have enough money to maintain them.
However, tourists would not like to pay for the toilets, so they urinate in the lake. That increases the phosphate level of the water, which causes algae to spread. He said that almost
1.2 tonnes of phosphate get into the lake through human urine.
An average adult drinks 1.5 l of water a day and urinates 1 gramme of phosphate, said Vera Istvánovics, a fellow researcher of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Budapest University of Economy and Technology.
The region of Hortobágy can make it onto an important international list of quiet places around the world.
Real, natural silence is more and more scarce in our days. Having complete tranquillity is almost impossible. Artificial noises produced by humans can be heard everywhere, even in national parks and at the bottom of the Arctic Sea.
Sokszinuvidek.24.hu highlights the negative effects of noise pollution. It can lead to heart and vascular conditions and most often to mental problems. When it comes to animals, noise pollution has an even worse effect. It can interfere with their ability of orientation, mating rituals, and communication.
That is why it is crucial to preserve those areas where natural silence still exists, where humans and animals can enjoy the relaxing quiet.
“We’re losing the ability to listen to nature without noise pollution,” said sound recordist Matt Mikkelsen to CNN. He is a member of Quiet Parks International, a “non-profit committed to saving quiet for the benefit of all life”. They aim to preserve the last quiet places on this noisy planet. Making it onto the list is not easy at all. Areas must meet several criteria. One of them is to have a maximum of one human-produced noise every 15 minutes in the given location.
The organisation is currently working on checking 260 different quiet places, divided into categories such as Wilderness Quiet Parks or Urban Quiet Parks.
Hungary is represented by the Hortobágy National Park.
A team travels to the region to collect noise samples and analyse them based on factors like aerial and motorway traffic in the proximity or the existence of an industrial sector.
As of today, only one quiet place belonging to the category of Wilderness Quiet Parks was certified: the area on the shores of the Zabalo River, in the northern part of the Amazonas in Ecuador.
During the coronavirus, mainly due to the restrictions and lockdowns all around the world, the level of noise pollution decreased considerably. Scientists even say that the quantity of noise produced by humans dropped by 50%.
Mikkelsen says that it was wonderful to finally be able to once again hear the world without that much noise pollution. It made people get closer to nature. Since the pandemic, the need to preserve quiet places has become even more evident.
Although the official recognition does not bring any legally enforceable protection, the organisation hopes that the list will at least help these areas gain recognition,
receive interest from international media, which will inevitably boost ecotourism. At the end of this process, maintaining the tranquillity of the places will be in the best interest of the local authorities.
A group of people arrived with two camels on Szabadság Square on August 11.
According to index.hu, whose reporters were at the demonstration, the organisers wanted to stand up against the wrong water management in Hungary. They would like to draw people’s attention to the
catastrophic consequences of the lack of proper measures in this issue.
They did not randomly choose camels. They said that Hungary would become a desert because of the lack of water. Therefore, Hungarian citizens will have to substitute their cars with camels. The protest was organised by three environmental protection NGOs, and there were approximately 60 people at the scene. Many of them spoke about the errors in Hungarian water management and how the lack of water is threatening the globe.
Some of them warned that
Hungary would become a desert.
They cited the example of Lake Velence, in the case of which 40 pc of the former water content evaporated, and many say that the second-biggest lake of Hungary is dying.
The demonstrators said they wanted to show a future when an animal of the desert would feel at home in Hungary because of climate change affecting the Carpathian Basin.
Therefore, they urged immediate measures in environmental protection and water management. Euronews.com said that the camel caravan looked very strange near the Hungarian Parliament. They also reported that some demonstrators highlighted that the Kiskunság on the Great Hungarian Plain is
already a semi-desert.
Even so, the government does not do anything to upgrade the country’s water management.
The main organiser of the event said that the water Hungary lacks equals the amount of water in two Lakes Balaton. Szubotáj Bagatur, the coordinator of the communication committee of the Green Guerilla Movement, added that trees will die out, and only the most resistant grass will remain if there is no change.
This year’s One with Nature World of Hunting and Nature Exhibition will be Hungary’s most complex international event to date, giving the country a fresh chance to showcase its skills in organising large-scale events, the government commissioner responsible for organising the world exhibition, Zoltán Kovács, said in an interview to the news portal Origo published on Wednesday.
Kovács, who is also the state secretary for international relations and communications, said the event provided an excellent opportunity to relaunch conference and international exhibition tourism in Hungary.
Asked why the hunting exhibition had been derided by the left wing, Kovács said the issue of hunting was being exploited by the opposition to create divisions in society and turn people against each other. Hungary’s 70,000 hunters come from all walks of life and subscribe to a wide range of political beliefs, and the event focuses on issues promoted by left-wing activists such as ecology and sustainability, he said, adding that politicising the event therefore made no sense.
As for its cost, the opposition’s charges that huge sums are being spent bear no scrutiny, he insisted.
The budget for four venues, HUNGEXPO, Hatvan, Keszthely and Vásárosnamény and a series of events spanning several weeks, together with the European Equestrian Championships, will amount to the originally planned 17 billion forints (EUR 48m). The HUNGEXPO grounds have undergone a 55 billion forint upgrade linked to the world exhibition and future events of similar size and quality, Kovács said. Moreover, there will be a return on the investment in the coming decades from rents and revenues, he added.
Fully 6 international conferences will be held during the 20 days of the world exhibition held from Sept. 25 to Oct. 14, he noted.
Fully 75,000sqm of HUNGEXPO’s space, including 8 exhibition halls, will be used. Exhibitions include the thousand-year history of Hungarian hunting as well as presentations on the wetlands of the Carpathian Basin and conservation organisations, he said.
Due to a weak cold front, the sunny weather may be temporarily disturbed by clouds today, but only in a few places may showers and thunderstorms appear. 14-20°C in the morning and 29-35°C is expected in the afternoon.
The National Meteorological Service has issued a country-wide alert: most counties are warned of thunderstorms. In the other half of the country, the warning was issued due to extreme heat.
Met writes that there may be some thunderstorms in the country on Wednesday. The lowest chance of their occurrence is in the Southern Great Plain; the highest probability is in Western Transdanubia and the Northern Central Mountains.
Heatwave to peak on Sunday
According to Index, there will be a lot of sunshine on Thursday; only a few veil clouds or cumulus can appear in the sky. No significant precipitation is expected. In some places, northerly winds may pick up. The temperature will be around 12–19°C at dawn and 27–33°C in the afternoon.
On Friday, we can expect mostly sunny weather. A short-term rain or a thunderstorm is only likely in a few Western spots. The peak temperature will be between 28 and 34°C.
On Saturday, the main role will be played by the sun, only rarely will a running shower or thunderstorm develop. In the north and the northwest, the southwest wind can pick up. 30-35°C is to be expected in the afternoon.
On Sunday, there may be more clouds, especially in the west and north, accompanied by scattered showers and thunderstorms. South-southwest winds will pick up in several places; the temperature will be around 30-36°C.
The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) on Tuesday slammed the government for refusing to spend 40 billion forints (EUR 112m) on replenishing the water of Lake Velence, in central Hungary, where large parts of the lake have dried up and the remaining water quality has deteriorated due to recent construction on its shores.
Judit Rácz Földi told a press conference that the government had spent 13 billion forints of European Union funding targeted for environmental projects around the lake on “cementing” green areas.
Masses of fish dying early in the summer and poor water quality since have driven away locals and Budapest visitors, she said.
Investments on the lakeshore have hampered environmental protection in the past years, resulting in the disappearance of 13 million cubic meters of lake water, she said.
Local reservoirs cannot replenish this amount, she said, and insisted the “destruction of the lake is the responsibility of the investors and local governments”.
President János Áder discussed the water quality, wildlife and water management of Lake Balaton, Hungary’s largest natural lake and top tourist hotspot, with a fishing engineer in his latest environmental Blue Planet podcast on Monday.
In the discussion with Zsolt Szári, who is also the government commissioner for preserving Lake Balaton, Áder highlighted the excellent water quality of the lake. Szari said the water quality has considerably improved as a result of a significant cleansing of the lake over the past decades.
Commenting on the emergence of floating algae in the lake’s water in earlier decades, Szári said it had been triggered by “heat waves” and an absence of oxygen in the lakebed.
The president also addressed the issue of water management, noting that the regulation of the lake’s water level had been raised several times in recent years.
“In the event of poor water management, part of the lake’s southern shore could even become a desert,” Áder cautioned and suggested that it could be more advantageous to keep the water level higher.
Discussing fishing, Áder noted the establishment of Balaton Fishing Nonprofit, a company tasked with managing and protecting the lake’s fish stock and fish breeding, as well as fighting poaching. He said that as a result of systematic fish farming, the bream and carp stocks had increased significantly in the recent years.
If it is left up to the government, Hungary will be overrun by waste from other countries, the group leader of opposition LMP said on Wednesday.
Addressing an online press conference in the town of Tamási, in western Hungary, László Lóránt Keresztes said several thousand cubic metres of plastic waste from Italy had been dumped in the area, some 200 metres from the closest residential area.
Though a Budapest-based company has been given a permit to process the waste, there is as yet no sign that it was being processed, Keresztes said, adding that the company was not even connected to the public utility grids and had not observed basic fire safety regulations.
Keresztes blamed the “flawed legal environment”
and procedures for the company in question being given the permit to process the waste. After the opposition’s victory in next year’s election, the new government will have to review the relevant laws and new ones that apply stricter punishments in such cases, he said.
Attila Tóth of the Democratic Coalition criticised the Tamási local council for its silence
on the issue and called for immediate steps to remove the waste.
Hungary is among 11 European Union member states to have sent a letter to Frans Timmermans, the Vice-President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal, calling on him to review the EU’s planned forestry strategy, which they said was skewed against social and economic considerations and unduly favoured “green aspects”.
Agriculture Minister István Nagy said the EU’s forestry strategy so far had been a “model of sustainable economy”, striking a balance between the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability. Shifting that balance towards “Brussels bureaucrats only considering green aspects” was “unacceptable”, Nagy said.
According to a recently leaked document, the new srategy would “narrow the tasks of a multifocal, sustainable forestry strategy to preserving biodiversity”.
“This would marginalise the economic and social role of forests, jeoparising jobs and the sector’s role in circular economy,” the statement said.
Hungary joined Austria’s initiative with a view to protecting the interests of some 500,000 Hungarians making a living in the sector, the statement said.
The letter to Timmermans was signed by the ministers of the Visegrad Group, Austria, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia and Romania.
President János Áder discussed the problem of the overconsumption of clothing with journalist and style consultant Eszter Mengyán in his latest environmental Blue Planet podcast on Monday.
The clothing industry is one of the most water-intensive and polluting sectors, the president said, adding that consumers could avoid unnecessary clothing purchases by buying quality or second-hand clothes. Also, people should donate or recycle clothes they don’t wear anymore, he said.
Mengyán advised consumers to pay close attention to environmental eco-labels on clothing to see if they apply to the products’ raw materials, a part of the manufacturing process or its entirety.
She also spoke about a pledge she had made not to buy new clothes for 13 months, saying it had helped her adopt more conscious buying habits, and adding that several people had joined her in her pledge.
Áder also talked about the so-called slow fashion movement aimed at the preservation of the ecosystem.
Mengyán praised the goal of the movement, adding, however, that there was no one-size-fits-all strategy to making eco-friendly buying decisions, and everyone needed to find the solutions that best fit their own lifestyle.
The Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden has joined the European Commission’s Together for biodiversity international coalition set up with the goal of raising awareness of nature protection, the zoo said on Friday.
The coalition already has some 300 members including nature parks, research institutes, universities, museums, zoos, aqua parks and botanical gardens in 51 countries, it said in a statement. “Adolf Lendl, the director of the Budapest Zoo hundred years ago, already set presenting biodiversity to the public as a goal,” the statement said.
Among Hungary’s zoos, the Budapest City Park facility
shows the most types of animal species and groups and has a rich botanical garden.
With its diversity it is outstanding in international comparison, the zoo said.
Beside the Budapest Zoo, the other five Hungarian facilities that have joined the EC biodiversity coalition include the Botanical Garden of Debrecen University, the Ecological Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Hungarian Natural Science Museum, the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Food Sciences and the National Botanical Garden.
The international coalition will hold a major conference in China in October with the goal to take key decisions on saving the world’s wildlife.
If you are visiting Budapest, you might be mesmerised by the beautiful architecture and façades of the buildings all around Budapest, but sometimes, the clutter of the concrete jungle, the noise of traffic, and all the man-made objects can easily overwhelm you. For this reason, parks are essential parts of huge cities, and this is also true for Budapest.
If you are visiting Budapest and you would like to escape from the jungle of buildings and be closer to nature, here are some of the best parks you can find shelter in throughout Budapest.
City Park (Városliget)
For most people, the first thing that comes to mind about parks in Budapest is the good old City Park, or simply Liget, for short. That is no coincidence. Many of Budapest’s attractions can be found in the park. It is also the second-largest public park, following just behind People’s Park (Népliget) with a total area of 1-1.2 km2.
Photo: facebook.com/miligetunk
Photo: facebook.com/miligetunk
Photo: facebook.com/miligetunk
Photo: facebook.com/miligetunk
Photo: facebook.com/miligetunk
Heroes’ Square is a must-see if you are travelling to Budapest, and it is one of the main “entrances” to the City Park. Surrounding it are the Museum of Fine Arts and the Műcsarnok (Kunsthalle). One of the best zoos in Europe, the Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden, is also located in the area of the park. Another worthy destination is the Széchenyi Thermal Bath which is located only a few minutes’ walk from Heroes’ Square.
And these are just the tip of the iceberg. The City Park is rich with many possibilities and things to see. There is the beautiful Vajdahunyad Castle and the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture. There is also a giant lake in the middle of the park which is an ice-rink during winter and a boating lake in the summer, but currently, it is a fan zone for the duration of the EURO 2020 Championship.
Photo: facebook.com/miligetunk
Photo: facebook.com/miligetunk
Photo: facebook.com/miligetunk
For the past couple of years, the City Park has been reworked as per the Liget Budapest Project, and many areas around the park have been rebuilt or reimagined. A new Museum of Ethnography is being built in the City Park, along with the House of Hungarian Music, the new National Gallery, and the House of Hungarian Millenium, among many other things. The park also has a birding trail, several playgrounds, a running track, a botanical garden, a fitness playground, sports fields, many statues and memorials, and a lot of green areas as well as a few terraces where you can eat and drink. All in all, it is a must-see location, and there is always something new to discover.
Margaret Island (Margit-sziget)
Margaret Island is a 2.5-kilometre-long and 500-metre-wide island in the middle of the Danube, near the centre of Budapest. It is one of the most popular recreational areas of Budapest, with many green areas, but it also houses a few establishments. The island has a long history, which you can explore in detail HERE.
There is a running area around the island, which is 5.35 kilometres in length and is one of the most beloved destinations for runners. It goes past most of the important things to visit on the island. You can explore several ruins, such as the ruins of a Dominican Order nunnery, a Franciscan monastery, and there is also a Premonstratensians convent.
Photo: Országalbum / NIKZSIG
Photo: Országalbum / TKMARI
Photo: Országalbum / KRISTYÁK GIZELLA
Photo: Országalbum / KOVÁCS FERENC
Photo: Országalbum / NIKZSIG
If you would like to go for a swim, you can go to the Palatinus Bath located on the island, and there is also the Alfréd Hajós Sports Pool. There are two hotels on the island, and there is a water tower you can visit. The other sights include a Japanese garden with a fishpond, a small zoo, a music well, and, last but not least, a music fountain with light shows. The island is easily accessible both by car or public transportation. It is an ideal location to spend your free time.
Millenáris Széllkapu
This is one of thenewest additions of green areas to Budapest and probably one of the most modern-looking parks in the capital. The park is located in Budapest’s district II, and it is over 26,000 m2, which makes it one of the largest recreational parks in Central Europe, according to their website.
Photo: facebook.com/Millenaris
Photo: facebook.com/Millenaris
Photo: facebook.com/Millenaris
Photo: facebook.com/Millenaris
Photo: facebook.com/Millenaris
Photo: facebook.com/Millenaris
Photo: facebook.com/Millenaris
Photo: facebook.com/Millenaris
Photo: facebook.com/Millenaris
Photo: facebook.com/Millenaris
It has 355 live trees, a 700 m2 lake, and three different zones (forest, field, lake). It can be visited every day of the week, and the entire park is obstacle-free. According to their website, there is also a fountain with light shows, and there are many solar panels installed all across the park. Next to the Margit Boulevard entrance, there is a digital water veil that can be programmed to display words or shapes, but the main attraction of the park is probably its hanging garden.
Normafa
If you have heard people from Budapest speak about ‘Normafa’ (Norma tree), you might picture a single tree somewhere and wonder why so many people want to see that tree. Actually, it is not a tree, it is a place. This might be a bit of cheating as it is technically not a park in the city, but it is one of the most beloved destinations to leave the noisy city behind.
The area was a popular destination for many people as early as the 19th century. It was especially popular among artists, poets, writers, and actors as well, as it seemed to inspire whoever went there. It is a special place for Hungarians and tourists alike. 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 is easily accessible via car or public transportation. The main area has a huge field and a playground, as well as public toilets and drinking fountains. From there, you can choose from many trails to hike on, including some trails that help improve your heart rate and have some other activities at certain intervals.
Not far from the main area, you can find the Budapest Libegő (chairlift) and a catering unit. If you go a little bit further, you can reach the beautiful Elisabeth Lookout Tower. However, if you go a different direction from the main area, you will soon reach the Children’s Railway, which holds the world record for being the longest children’s forest railway in the world.
Photo: facebook.com/gyermekvasut/
Source: Hegyvidék.hu
If everything goes well, Normafa will be expanded by a brand new and modern educational and environmentally friendly trail. According to plans, they would like to include special booths for bird spotting, as well as educational plaques to present the different species of animals and plants living in the area.
Lake Bottomless (Feneketlen-tó)
It is a small lake surrounded by a park on the Buda side of the Hungarian capital. The lake is located a few minutes’ walk from Móricz Zsigmond körtér, a hub for public transportation.
Despite its small size, this park is a great destination if you are in the area and have a few minutes of free time on your hands. It has a running and a walking track around the central lake of the park, the former having a rubbery material that prevents damage to your joints and feet. If you are the athletic type, there is also a small fitness playground next to the trail where you can have some workouts. If you are there to relax, there are several benches all around the lake from which you can look at the birdlife of the lake, as it is populated by ducks, and you can occasionally spot some turtles as well.
Photo: Országalbum / JUHASZJ
Photo: Országalbum / HOZSU
Photo: facebook.com/Budaiparkszinpad
Photo: Országalbum / KRISTYÁK GIZELLA
Photo: Országalbum / HOZSU
This small park has a relatively large playground area, and it even houses an open-air theatre, which is currently open as a restaurant. They also have a projector for the EURO2020 Championship. Additionally, for tennis lovers, there is also a club at the park with a couple of courts.
Crises related to water, global warming and changes in public health conditions are following one another increasingly fast, Hungarian President János Áder said in his address to a UN online conference focusing on sustainability in a post-Covid 19 world, on Friday.
The conference was opened by Han Seung-soo, past president of the UN General Assembly session, Volkan Bozkir, President of the UN General Assembly, and Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General. In his speech, Áder noted that the issues of floods, water shortage and water pollution have been eclipsed by the coronavirus pandemic over the past one and a half years while security threats related to climate change and the water crisis have increased.
Damage caused by natural disasters had further increased last year to total 300 billion dollars,
the Hungarian president said, adding that the prices of basic foodstuffs in the global markets had gone up by 40 percent. “This all goes to show that the topic of today’s conference is all the more important, since it concerns our future,” he said.
Highlighting conclusions drawn from the experience of the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters, Ader said that water, climate change and public health related crises follow one another in a domino effect.
Global efforts are necessary to speed up prevention which is more effective than tackling the consequences of a crisis.
The president stressed the need to adapt to the new situation, develop water-related infrastructure, and invest in science and technology research which can help develop in a record time a vaccine in the case of another pandemic.
Áder highlighted measures Hungary had taken in the fields of adaptation and prevention. He noted the installation of a monitoring system for the early projection of droughts, the expansion of the country’s flood protection system and the central bank’s drafting of a financial regulatory system to support investments aimed at enhancing sustainability. He noted that Hungary was among the first countries in the world to incorporate sustainability class in the national curriculum. In connection with the pandemic, the president noted the regime introduced to monitor waste water for the traces of coronavirus which allows to locate “a surge” of infections seven to ten days in advance.
The Hungarian president closed his address by underscoring the importance of international cooperation, noting the work of the UN’s Water and Climate Leaders’ Panel he is also a member of.
