“Ancient world without borders - geoscientific and other natural values”
Novohrad-Nógrád UNESCO Global Geopark lies at the border of Hungary and Slovakia and is the first UNESCO Global Geopark that has been an international (cross-border) Geopark from the beginning. Being transnational, the Geopark's name comes from the Slovak and Hungarian names of the very county, where the Novohrad-Nógrád UNESCO Global Geopark is located.
The geology of the Geopark includes diverse past volcanic events and a geological history dating back the last 30 million years from the birth of the Pannonian basin. Within a small area, the Geopark contains a wide spectrum of volcanic sites of spectacular sights, and several landscape protection are-as and other territories.
The comprehensive scientific value and Earth heritage of the area are present through the following topics: geological structure/description of the formations, neogene palaeogeography, volcanology, mineralogy and petrology, palaeontology, Nature Reserve, Ipolytarnóc Fossils, caves, topography, engineering geology, hydrology/hydrogeology, climatic conditions, pedological conditions, preservation of landscape, and mining.
The UNESCO Global Geopark comprises the administrative area of 64 settlements in Hungary (including urban county Salgótarján) and 28 settlements in Slovakia. The total area is 1.610 km2 (1. 272 km2 in Hungary and 338 km2 in Slovakia). The number of inhabitants is close to 150,000. Lučenec is the biggest Slovak city in the area. Novohrad-Nógrád UNESCO Global Geopark comprises the settlements of two micro-regions in Hungary (Salgótarján and Szécsény) and some of the micro-regions of Balassagyarmat, Bátonyterenye, and Pásztó. In Slovakia it comprises the southern parts of the districts Rimavská Sobota, Lučenec and Veľký Krtíš, the settlements of micro-regions of Velické jazerá, Obručná, Pod Bučeňom and Medveš.
The area is also recognised as an important centre for the Palóc ethnic group’s folk art and living traditions. The rich cultural herit-age of the area has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site with Hollókő located within the confinement of the Geopark.
The members of the UNESCO Global Geopark and the local people have made great efforts to preserve and present the many sites of earth-scientific values, cultural heritage and the famous hospitality of the palóc peoples. In the Geopark - which is a result of a unique cross-border cooperation in Central-Europe, geotouristism is developing the local economy and the conservation of the geological and cultural values of the region.
The UNESCO Global Geopark delivers educational presentations for the general public, enhancing consciousness for the value and protection while also promoting cultural (intellectual, physical and built) heritage. Its emphasis is on the complementarity between natural and cultural landscape, and the harmonization between different projects, the development of new geosites and their interpretation. The UNESCO Global Geopark maintains existing geosites in good condition, promotes them and includes them in the touristic supply of the micro regions. It constructs and maintains interpretive infrastructure facilities at the geosites, new study trails, trails for hikers, bikers and horse riders. The UNESCO Global Geopark supports landscape revitalisation programmes, with special regard to wet habitats and contributes to the implementation of the national programme of the European Landscape Convention.
