Lake Ferto and Fertozug

The Lake Fertő is the third largest lake of Central Europe. The whole lake area, including the Austrian side, has been a World Heritage Site since 2001 for its natural assets and built environment.

The Hungarian Fertő region is made up of the Fertőmellék Hills range (Fertőmelléki-dombsor), 75 square kilometres of the lake, and the southeast areas of the saline meadows and pusztas of Fertő.

The average depth of steppe lake Fertő is 50-60 centimetres while the deepest parts are no deeper than 180 centimetres. Lake Fertő is the most western example of the continental saline steppe lakes. The lake's typical properties are the large-scale water level fluctuation, and the high salt content. Approximately 20,000 years old, it was created as a result of the movement of the earth's crust at the end of the ice age.

Water birds nest regularly and in large numbers on and around Lake Fertő. Typical fish of this water are the weather loach (Misgurnus fossilis), zander (Stizostedion lucioperca), pike (Esox lucius), and sabrefish (Pelecus cultratus). The invertebrate fauna is valuable and rich in species and the insect world of the reedy edges hides many rare species.

Parallel to the western shore the Fertőmellék range of hills are particularly beautiful parts of the Fertő region. The 'lajta' limestone from the Miocene age is a typical geological feature of the area. It can be best observed in the quarry at Fertőrákos which was operational from the Roman times up until 1948.

The Szárhalom forest is home to warmth-loving fauna and flora of the medium height mountains. The habitat enjoys strict protection because of the rare plants to be found here. Accessible areas can be visited on the Gyöngyvirág (Lily of the Valley) study trail starting from Tómalom.

Saline meadows and pasture lands can be found with typical halophyte flora in the southeast areas of Fertő on the borders of Hegykő, Fertőszéplak, Sarród and Fertőújlak. Under the supervision of the Fertő-Hanság National Park, habitat reconstruction is in progress in certain areas in order to restore the fauna and flora of drained swamps and saline lakes.