Gerecse Mountains
The Gerecse Mountains are bordered by the Danube to the north, the Zsámbék Basin to the east, the Tata Basin to the south-east and the Small Plain to the west. The Mountains can be divided into three parts: the Western Gerecse, the Central Gerecse and the Eastern Gerecse. The largest part of the Gerecse Landscape Conservation Region is situated in the Central Gerecse and is under the authority of the Danube-Ipoly National Park Directorate.
The Gerecse Mountains mostly comprise Triassic limestone. In addition, limestone of the Jurassic period, which contains an extremely high number of fossils, occurs in significant amounts in certain places. Besides the formations of the Middle Ages of historical geology, fresh-water lime from the Quertarnary Pleistocene has preserved outstanding treasures, especially in terms of vegetal fossils. Several caves – some short, some long – of which nearly 300 have been explored, can be found in the hills. Some caves are uniquely rich achaeological-palaeontological sites.
Turkey oak forests, downy oak that likes lime, and beech groves in the higher regions are the most frequent and extensive in the hills. Many protected species of plants find their home here. Of these the highly protected Ferula sadleriana Ledeb is of outstanding value. Considering the fauna of the region, the wealth of different species of bats and birds must be mentioned. Of the numerous protected bat species, the horseshoe bat and Geoffroy's bat are highly protected. Of the nesting species of birds in the hills, the most important are the highly protected black stork, black kite, the saker and peregrine falcon, the osprey, the white-tailed eagle, the eagle owl and the barn owl. In addition, you can discover the traces of mammals that are characteristic of the area, such as the fat dormouse and muscardine, the otter, wild cat and the badger. Among amphibians and reptiles, the following can be found in the region: the European tree frog, the common toad, the agile frog, the European fire-bellied toad, the Aesculapian snake, the coronella austriaca, the European green lizard and the slow worm.
The Gerecse Nature Park was established in 2013. The founding event was held in Péliföldszentkereszt, which can be considered not only as an ecclesiastical place of pilgrimage but also as the centre (or heart) of the Nature Park. The fundamental aim of establishing the Nature Park was to promote sustainable and value-preserving forms of using the area, to create a uniform image and provide marketing for products and services which are characteristic of the region, as well as to contribute to the conservation of natural and cultural values and traditions with the help of environmental education in relation to the Gerecse Mountains and its adjoining areas (the Danube Valley, the Valley of the Által Brook, and the loess land of the Small Plain and the Eastern Gerecse). The Gerecse Nature Park also aims to promote various types of green tourism and the cause of the nature park movement in Hungary.