Gemenc is a unique forest that is found between

Szekszárd Szekszárd (, formerly also ''Szegzárd''; hr, Seksar; german: Sechshard or ; sr, Сексард) is a small city in southern Hungary and the capital of Tolna County. By population, Szekszárd is the smallest county capital in Hungary; by area ...

and Baja, in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

. This is the only remaining tidal area of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

. The wood's fauna include stags,

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

stork Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...

grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more north ...

gyrfalcon The gyrfalcon ( or ) (), the largest of the falcon species, is a bird of prey. The abbreviation gyr is also used. It breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra, and the islands of northern North America and the Eurosiberian region. It is mainly a resid ...

white-tailed eagle The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which includes other diurnal raptors ...

s, and

kite A kite is a tethered heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create lift and drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have a bridle and tail to guide the fac ...

s. Various amphibians and reptiles can also be found. The stag population has worldwide fame, since its genetic stock is outstanding, and the stags' antlers are impressive. Due to the various watery habitats, many fish species are present. Close to the waters,

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

and poplar forests are typical. It is the habitat of the curiosity

Freyer's purple emperor ''Apatura metis'', the Freyer's purple emperor, is a species of butterfly found in Eurasia.

( hu, Magyar színjátszólepke). Furthermore, Gemenc is home to 13 other sheltered butterfly species. Farther from the rivers, large oak-

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

- elm forests spread. These are the homes of the

stag beetle Stag beetles are a family of about 1,200 species of beetles in the family Lucanidae, currently classified in four subfamilies.Smith, A.B.T. (2006). A review of the family-group names for the superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) with corrections ...

s, great pricorn beetles, as well as of a kind of

spider Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

which only lives in Gemenc. Gemenc is a nature reserve that is part of the Danube-Drava National Park.

References

External links

Gemenc Forest and Game Co. Ltd. - forest management

Gemenc Co. Ltd. in English

Dead Link
danubemap.eu

"I Like Gemenc" a video showing a day of the narrow gauge, logging railroad
{{coord, 46, 15, 11, N, 18, 53, 11.4, E, region:HU_type:landmark, display=title Geography of Hungary Bačka Protected areas established in 1977 Ramsar sites in Hungary Forests of Hungary Geography of Tolna County Geography of Bács-Kiskun County Tourist attractions in Tolna County Tourist attractions in Bács-Kiskun County