Körös-Maros

Körös-Maros National Park, established in 1997, protects the characteristic lowland landscapes of the southeast Hungarian plain in Békés and Csongrád counties, along the floodplains of the Körös and Maros rivers. Covering approximately 500 square kilometres across multiple non-contiguous units, the park encompasses loess grasslands, alkaline steppes, oxbow lakes, gallery forests, fish ponds, and arable land with traditional farming practices. The park represents the most comprehensive protection of the Great Hungarian Plain's southeastern lowland habitats, an area substantially altered by 19th-century river regulation and drainage works.

Körös-Maros is renowned for its raptors and grassland birds. The white-tailed eagle has recolonised the gallery forests along the Körös rivers, and imperial eagles nest in tall trees in the river corridor. The loess grasslands near Kardoskút support one of Hungary's largest great bustard populations, with counts regularly exceeding 100 birds. The Kardoskút White Lake, a shallow soda lake, hosts spectacular concentrations of flamingos, white pelicans, and shorebirds during migration. The fish pond complexes at Biharugra and Begécsi have become major wetland bird colonies, with breeding spoonbills, little egrets, and pygmy cormorants.

The park's vegetation reflects the Great Plain's original diversity before agricultural transformation. Loess steppe grasslands dominated by feather grasses (Stipa species) and meadow fescue cover the slight ridges between river channels. Alkaline pastures around the soda lakes are dominated by salt-tolerant grasses and alkali grass communities. The Maros riverside forests contain fragments of the natural gallery forest type with white willow, white poplar, and oak. Arable fields within the park support communities of cornfield weeds—poppy, cornflower, and pheasant's eye—that have become rare elsewhere in intensively farmed Hungary.

Körös-Maros lies in the deepest part of the Pannonian Basin, where tectonic subsidence has accumulated several kilometres of Neogene and Quaternary sediments over the ancient basement rocks. The surface is composed of Quaternary alluvial and loess deposits laid down by the Körös, Maros, and Tisza rivers and their prehistoric predecessors. Subtle differences in micro-relief, just centimetres in elevation, determine whether an area is permanently flooded, seasonally waterlogged, or well-drained—creating the fine-scale mosaic of alkaline grassland, wet meadow, and loess steppe habitats. The Körös rivers were extensively regulated in the 19th century, cutting off most of the oxbow lakes from seasonal flooding.

The park experiences an extreme continental climate with hot, dry summers and cold winters. This southeastern corner of Hungary has some of the country's highest summer temperatures, frequently exceeding 35°C. Annual precipitation averages 520–560 millimetres, declining towards the east, and is erratic and insufficient for consistent agriculture without irrigation. Winter temperatures drop below −10°C in severe years, and the flat, open landscape provides no shelter from cold Arctic winds. The Körös rivers can flood significantly in spring during snowmelt, though this is now largely controlled by embankments.

The Körös-Maros region bears evidence of human presence since the Neolithic, and the Körös culture—one of Europe's earliest farming societies—is named for the river. The region was densely settled in medieval times but was severely depopulated during the Ottoman period, when entire villages were abandoned and the grassland expanded naturally. Resettlement in the 18th and 19th centuries brought large-scale agricultural development, including the construction of the Körös river embankments, which fundamentally changed the hydrological character of the plain. The town of Békéscsaba is the regional centre.

Körös-Maros National Park was established in 1997 as a fragmented network of protected units, similar to the Kiskunság model, preserving the best remaining lowland habitats across a heavily agricultural landscape. The Kardoskút unit was the first protected area in the region, designated in 1956 following discovery of the great bustard population. The fish pond units at Biharugra and Begécsi were added to increase wetland representation. The park has worked extensively with the EU LIFE programme on habitat restoration, particularly the re-wetting of former agricultural land in the Körös floodplain to restore oxbow lake and wet meadow habitats.

The Kardoskút unit with its soda lake and great bustard population is the park's prime birdwatching destination, accessible via observation hides and a nature trail. The Biharugra Fish Ponds offer a network of dyke roads for birding, with good views of nesting colonies of spoonbills and egrets. The park's loess cliffs near Békés expose geological layers revealing the history of the Pannonian plain. Guided great bustard tours are organised in winter when the birds concentrate in larger flocks. The traditional village of Szarvas hosts the Tessedik Sámuel Museum documenting the history of agricultural improvement on the plain.

The park headquarters is in Szarvas, approximately 30 kilometres from Békéscsaba. Access to the different park units requires a private vehicle, as public transport connections to remote areas are limited. The park produces maps and guides for self-guided visits to accessible units. Accommodation is available in Szarvas, Békéscsaba, Orosháza, and Gyula. The park authority organises guided tours for specialist birdwatching groups, particularly for great bustard and imperial eagle observation. The Szarvas Arboretum, adjacent to the town, provides an additional botanical attraction.

Great bustard conservation is Körös-Maros's flagship programme. The park collaborates with international partners to monitor the population, reduce incidental mortality from overhead power lines—which are being progressively buried or fitted with diversion markers—and protect nesting areas from agricultural disturbance. Re-wetting of former floodplain to restore oxbow and wet meadow habitat is an ongoing infrastructure project. The park faces the challenge of maintaining ecological function across its fragmented units in a landscape dominated by intensive arable farming, requiring close collaboration with landowners and agri-environment scheme participants.