Zone de protection paysagère du Mecsek oriental, Landscape protection area in Baranya County, Hungary

The Kelet-Mecsek Landscape Protection Area covers 9,348 hectares of the eastern Mecsek Mountains in Baranya County, of which about 1,180 hectares are strictly protected. Its highest point is the Zengő. Deep valleys, streams and broad ridges cut through a folded, faulted block mountain whose base is ancient crystalline rock, with limestone, sandstone and the ringing phonolite volcanic rock of the Somlyó and Kövestető cones.

This area received protected status in 1977 as part of Hungary's national conservation strategy. The designation aimed to safeguard the region's natural ecosystems during a period of increased environmental awareness.

The protected area takes in twelve settlements, among them Óbánya, Mecseknádasd, Pécsvárad and Zengővárkony. Visitors can see the Árpád-era church at Mecseknádasd, the castle at Pécsvárad, the arboretum and bishop's palace at Püspökszentlászló, and the sweet chestnut grove at Zengővárkony. The Zengő summit carries the ruins of Zengővár.

The area is accessible via several marked hiking trails that wind through forests and along streams. The best time to visit is during the warmer months when paths are dry and wildlife is most active.

The area harbors rare plant species found nowhere else in the Mecsek mountain range. Some of these plants were only scientifically documented in recent decades and remain of great interest to botanists exploring the region.