Afforestation Museum
The memorial of the afforestation of the Great PlainForest-steppe was the last natural flora of the Great Plain, characterised by forests, marshes, swamps, loess and sand steppes. At the time of the Hungarian conquest, forests and trees were more abundant on the Great Plain than today.
However, due to developing agriculture and extensive animal husbandry, the landscape has changed. During the Turkish occupation of the 16th-17th centuries, most of the forests on the Great Plain were harvested, which resulted in the expansion of the steppes. This process did not end with the end of the Turkish rule, as revitalizing agriculture took over large forest areas. Changing hydrological and climatic conditions have lead to the development of drift sand. In order to stop drift sand, afforestation of the Great Plain has been a constant effort since the mid-18th century, but with slow progress. Only after the First World War, in 1923, was an act initiating afforestation in alkaline and drift sand areas approved. Since significant afforestation began in 1947, the forested land area of the Great Plain has increased by 300 thousand ha.
The Great Plain’s Afforestation Museum in Bugac is a tribute to this enormous undertaking. The exhibition, maintained by the KEFAG Zrt., was opened on the occasion of the Hungarian Forestry Association’s congress on 5 August 1984. Free admission. Visitors are welcome beyond opening hours, by appointment only. |
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Education Cabinet The thatched Education Cabinet is opposite the rustic Bucka Guesthouse. Its well-equipped, 60-person main hall and the two smaller upstairs halls are suitable for smaller conferences, training programmes and official and family programmes. |