The beating heart of nature

Further information:
Zselici Park of Stars:
www.zselicicsillagpark.hu
Hotel Kardosfa:
www.zseliciutazas.hu
Szenna Skanzen:
www.szenna.hu
Zsippó Bird Park:
www.zsipposzepe.hu

The Zselic Nature Protection Area

The Zselic area situated south of Kaposvár is a generous gift of nature. The gently flowing springs and brooks in the woods, the lakes and ponds hidden in valleys and small villages have an innocent beauty in the eyes of visitors.

The Zselic Nature Protection Area of 9042 hectares was created in 1976, out of which 140 hectares are under special protection. Most of it is covered by woods, the most common plant communities are hornbeam and oak. On the valley sides one can often found submountaneous beeches dotted with sliver linden. At herb level, there are patches of butchers broom as well as tamus communis. The springs are often lined with alder trees or oak, ash and elm groves. Former woods gave way to pasture lands, where rare orchids grow (e.g. green-winged orchid and marsh orchid).

© Gulyás Attila

The Rockenbauer National Blue Trail and a number of other tourist paths and forest roads lead through the region. These trails and roads pass around places with very special names which refer to the history of the Zselic. One of these places is called Csárdahely. In the 18th -19th centuries an inn stood on the border of Somogy and Baranya counties, along the old Stagecoach route. According to the law at the time, cops could not cross their own county borders therefore this inn having a room situated in Baranya and another in Somogy county was a favourite meeting and gathering place for highwaymen. The place was called the Double Inn and the cunny location of the building meant easy access into the territory of the other county for the highwaymen who were usually on the run. The building no longer stands but the site is still called Csárdahely.

The Zselic is one of the least light polluted areas in Europe and a perfect destination for those interested in the starry sky. The Zselic Starry Sky Park is a very modern building complex with five information points and various exhibitions awaiting the visitor plus a planetarium and a dome offering astronomy presentations. On the summit one can climb up to a 25-metre lookout from where – under favourable weather conditions – you can see the hills of Badacsony by the lake Balaton and even the Papuk mountains in Croatia.

© Schmall Rafael

© Schmall Rafael (Facebook)

The tiny villages nestling in the Zselic offer a lot to discover. The Game Management Landscape Centre of Kaposvár University was started as an experimental program, and today it is one of the most important stock in Middle Europe. Attractions include a deer petting zoo, hunting exhibition and a restaurant. You can also observe other interesting animals on the premises. Apart from big game, domesticated animals are also bred here, such as Hungarian grey cattle, racka sheep, pigs, horses, donkeys, goats and water buffalo. Horse-drawn carriage tours and tractor tours are offered on a regular basis to enable the visitor to observe the animals in their natural habitat.

© Schmall Rafael

© Pincehelyi József

Szenna is one of the most characteristic villages of the Zselic and boasts an outdoor ethnographic museum – first to win the Europa Nostra prize in Hungary, which showcases local architecture – timber framed wooden houses – and the old way of life through tools and artefacts. The museum grew up around the Calvinist church built in 1785, in folk Baroque style and considered the most significant monument of the area with its painted panelled ceiling.

© Zselici Csillagpark

Patca is one of the smallest municipalities of Somogy county. Its main attraction is the Ladybug Farm – Leisure Centre which continues to offer new services year by year. Currently its facilities include a unique demonstration farm, a medieval castle, a huge slide park, the Lake Katica and dozens of recreational programmes for the visitors to enjoy.

© Schmall Rafael (Facebook)

© Schmall Rafael (Facebook)

© Berkesi Ágota

© Berkesi Ágota