Zselic Landscape Protection Area

Physical geography

In geological terms the area is characterised by Mesozoic sediments deposited on Palaeozoic crystalline and metamorphic rocks, covered by a loess layer over looser marine sediments of the Cenozoic era. It is covered partly by grey and partly by brown forest soils. Its climate is slightly cooler and wetter than the surrounding area, with mild winters and a sub-Mediterranean character. The average annual temperature is around 10 °C and annual total rainfall is 700-800 mm. Its average altitude is 200-250 m above sea level, with the higher points located along the northwest-southeast Danube-Drava watershed division line. It has numerous springs and stream-like watercourses. Its natural values are largely due to its characteristic forest plant associations with a large number of sub-Mediterranean flora elements and the fauna associated with them.

Formation of the Zselic landscape

The characteristic feature of the Zselic landscape is the continuous forests cover on the wide, flat hillsides and the valleys between them. The majority of the settlements are located along streams running along the foot of the hills of approximately 200-250 m a.s.l. elevation. The highest point of the Zselic is the 358-metre high Hollófészek in the east. Although the Zselic is not a striking mountain range, yet the most important factor in the development of its wildlife is the mixing of climatic elements. In simple terms, it could be described as being influenced by cooler, wetter air masses from the west and north-west in summer and by Mediterranean air masses from the south and south-west in winter. The spring-autumn precipitation maxima are another factor responsible for the presence of a unique, lush forest wilderness in the Zselic. In the Middle Ages, several small villages settled in clear-cut areas, where people were then engaged in pig keeping on wild acorns and in apiculture. The acceleration of deforestation was caused by the arrival of German settlers, who brought with them the knowledge of potash baking, which was followed by the gradual spread of charcoal making and the establishment of small sawmills along the fast-flowing streams. The woodland resources of the protected landscape area, which are of great value and have a rich diversity of wildlife, have been protected since 1976, on a total area of about 10,500 hectares.

Values of the landscape

The typical Zselic landscape is dominated by the continuous, vast woodlands covering the wide and flat hilltops. If walking between Kaposvár and Szigetvár, about half of the 45 km distance leading mostly on hillsides on a dirt road which has been used since historical times, can still be covered in almost continuous forests. The majority of the settlements in the Zselic were established in the valleys of the streams, where the local communities collected hay in the surrounding wet meadows, whereas the crop fields and pastures were located on the sides of the less steep hills. People did not cultivate the steep, rugged slopes which thus have remained woodland to the present day. Approaching from the north, from the direction of Lake Balaton, the hilly landscape of the Zselic rises steeply and abruptly from the valley of the Kapos river. Approaching from the south, however, it rises gently and almost unnoticeably from the lowland landscape of the Drava plain. If arriving from the west, the differences in altitude suddenly increase after the slightly undulating surface of the Inner-Somogy sandy area, revealing a distinctly hilly landscape. Towards the east, the Zselic forms a woodland continuing into the forests of Mecsek, separated only by the narrow valley of the Baranya canal widening towards the north. If seen from the Mecsek, the Zselic Hills are characterised by broad, flat, forest-covered hilltops. Typical landscape elements are steep-walled loess gorges, with sandstone outcrops at places. The long-used dirt roads in the vicinity of the settlements have gradually become carved into the terrain and have turned into high-walled trails. The decomposing rock material of the steep loess walls contains calcareous concretions, loess blocks which can be observed at the bottom of gullies. Unique landscape features in the area include sweep wells, stone crucifixes, solitary mature trees and tree lines, traditional sheds and granaries.

Flora

A special feature of the area is the silver lime - beech forest association, in which the beech, preferring cooler climates and higher mountainous regions, forms a forest together with silver lime typical for lowlands and hills, which phenomenon is unique in Hungary. In springtime, before the canopy closes, flowering plants emerge and the fauna also comes to life. Another typical forest association in the cooler valley bottoms and drier margins is silver lime – oak-hornbeam forest. Shrubby hellebore and lesser periwinkle are typical in its herb layer. Just like in the silver lime - beech association, the evergreen prickly butcher’s broom and the spineless butcher’s broom are also found here. The common lungwort is almost all around the place, and orchids are also found in small numbers, though in quite many places. The natural flora of the South-Transdanubian region is characterised by a large number of plant species of southern origin (Illyrian, Balkan, Atlantic-Mediterranean, Pontic-Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean), these plants being the main distinguishing features of the landscape protection area. The distribution ranges of these species reach their northern or eastern limits in the South-Transdanubian region, meaning that they are rare or absent further north and east. Examples of plant species originating from the west and belonging to the Eastern Alpine and Western Balkan (Illyrian) flora include the Zala vetch, the dog’s tooth violet and the western squill; the range of the Eastern Alpine wood cyclamen extends to the western edge of the hilly region only. The Eastern Balkan and Southern Transylvanian (so-called Dacic) plant species, however, arrived in Zselic from the south-east or east, via the Mecsek Mountains or the Villány Hills. Such plants include the evergreen butcher’s brooms, the black bryony, and the bastard-agrimony. According to our current knowledge, the number of protected plant species in the Zselic is 67, of which 52 species either are surely known to exist or are likely to occur within the Landscape Protection Area.
Size of the protected area: 10,500 ha

Zselic Starry Sky Park

There are less and less locations in Hungary as well as in the entire world where the dark night skies have remained in their natural status. One of such few places is the Zselic region. In order for this favourable situation to be sustained in the long run, the first European Dark Sky Park, a category established by the International Dark-Sky Association, was created in the Zselic Landscape Protection Area by Duna-Drava National Park Directorate and the Hungarian Astronomical Association. On cloudless nights with no moonshine, thousands of stars are visible from the park even with to the naked eye. On clear summer nights, the distant light of the Milky Way is a dominant feature. On spring evenings after sunset, and on autumn dawns before sunrise, one can observe the zodiacal light, which is sunlight reflecting off the interplanetary dust. There are several easily accessible points in the Starry Sky Park where you can observe the wonders of the sky away from distracting lights.