The Bükk National Park Directorate

The Bükk National Park Directorate performs its many-sided nature protection tasks in the north of Hungary, in the area with the most varied nature conditions of the country.

In the operation area you can find the forest-steppe vegetation of the Alföld, the water wildlife, the shrubbery forests of the tide lands of the Tisza River, the mosaics of the hills formed by traditional land use, and the varied forest combinations, mountain meadows, rock vegetation of the medium mountains alike.

In the operation area of 892,564 hectares (in Nógrád, Heves and Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén Counties) one national park, 9 landscape protection regions, and 14 nature conservation areas can be found, the significant part of which comes under the ruling of the Natura 2000 network based on international conventions.

Our highlighted values:

• the Borsod-Mezőség Landscape Protection District, which is a water wildlife habitat of international significance, under the protection of the Ramsar Convention;
• the Hollókő Landscape Protection District, which is on the UNESCO “World Cultural Heritage” list;
• the Bükk National Park, which has been declared a Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA);
• the Ipolytarnóc Fossil Landscape Protection area, which is part of the Pan-European natural heritage based on the honorable title, European Diploma Area.
• the Bükk Region Geopark is the newest geopark of our country, currently aspiring for UNESCO GeoPark qualification.

About one fourth of the Hungarian caves can be found on our operation area. Talking about nature protection, today it is not just natural values, natural memories that we mean, but also the cultural heritage strongly connected to the landscape, like earth fortresses, or at the foothills of the Bükk, the beehive stones and the stone culture, awarded with the title “Hungaricum”, are included..

All who are interested are most welcome at our visitor and presentation places! Find the fossils in Ipolytarnóc, the Baglyas-kő Castle Nature Protection Visitor Center in Salgótarján, the Harkály House in Mátrafüred, the Western Gate Visitor Center in Felsőtárkány, the Szent István Cave and the Anna Cave in Lillafüred, the Szalajka Valley Information House and the Millennium Lookout Tower in Szilvásvárad. In the autumn we open our newest show place in the heart of the Bükk National Park, the Bükk Astronomical Observatory. Our nature protection educators await children of all ages with a wide range of program offers in Felsőtárkány, Mátrafüred and Salgótarján. Our summer camps are very popular. Almost 50 of our educational trails help visitors gain knowledge on their own. You can make appointments for our professional guided tours, special days programs online.

Further information is available at www.bnpi.hu site.