Balaton Uplands National Park, National park in western Hungary
Balaton Uplands National Park is a national park and Ramsar wetland site in western Hungary, covering 57,000 hectares around the northern shore of Lake Balaton. The terrain combines lakeside areas, rolling hills, wetlands, volcanic landforms, and limestone plateaus within a single protected zone.
The administration merged six already protected areas under a single park status in 1997. The Tihany Peninsula became Hungary's first protected landscape zone in 1952 and remains a central part of the territory today.
Wine cellars in the Pécsely Basin show centuries-old building techniques and storage methods from Hungary. Visitors can watch local winemakers continue their traditions in the historic cellars.
Multiple visitor centers offer guided tours and exhibitions, including the Levendula House in Tihany and the geological display near Hegyestű. Trails across the park vary in length and pass through different habitats, allowing visitors to choose based on interest and time.
The Kápolnapuszta reserve at Kis-Balaton is a water buffalo reserve, not a cattle farm: its herd of water buffalo grazes the wetlands, keeping the marshland open for birds such as the great egret that returned after the 1984 reconstruction works.
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