Hortobágy National Park, National park and UNESCO World Heritage Site in eastern Hajdú-Bihar County, Hungary.
Hortobágy National Park is a protected area in the eastern Great Hungarian Plain that includes grasslands, wetlands, and marshes. The area stretches across wide open expanses with few trees, crossed by shallow watercourses and seasonal ponds.
The area was declared Hungary's first national park in 1973 and has since protected a landscape shaped by centuries of grazing. UNESCO added the site to its World Heritage list in 1999 to recognize its importance as a cultural landscape.
The name comes from the Hortobágy River, which flows through the wide plains and has shaped the life of herders for centuries. Riders in traditional dress sometimes demonstrate their horses and show old techniques still used to manage the herds.
The terrain is flat and suitable for walking or cycling, though distances between sights can be considerable. Water and sun protection are advisable, as there is little shade and weather can change quickly.
The darkness over the plain makes this one of the best places in Central Europe to watch the night sky. Old sweep wells with wooden beams still stand scattered across the landscape and recall earlier irrigation methods.
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