Jeli Arboretum Nature Conservation Area

 arboretum, nature conservation park / area

Territory of the protected area: 70 hectares.
Location: The protected area is situated in the fields of the village Kám.
Visitors: Free of access for visitors. (Open: daily from 1st May to June 30th, otherwise only at weekends from 1st April and 30th October.)
Management: Szombathelyi Erdészeti Rt.

The Jeli arboretum located in the fields of Kám was established and created by Ambrózy Migazzi István. Earlier on his estate in Malonya in Felvidék had already created an arboretum, which became foreign land after the Treaty of Trianon. He bought a five hundred hectare area in the fields of Kám called Jeli, which was a part of a plateau of theVas-Zala mountain ridge covered with birch, juniper. This is one of the few arboretums, which were not created at an inhabited village or in its fields. There is a deep valley of a stream stretching in the area, of which original alder-beech associations, genista marsh meadows, heathers were valuable in themselves.
The favourite plants of the fanatic Ambrózy with a lot of professional knowledge, were the evergreen conifers and broad-leaveds. He was convinced that those plants could be planted anywhere with due care creating pretty valuable associations, therefore he started making the arboretum with these species, planting each taxon in little groups, which can still be observed.
The founder of the arboretum, besides exotic plants, also collected bulbs from the neighbourhood, so masses of daffodils, saffron, snow crocus live and bloom in the area.
Still, the most popular plants of the Jeki arboretum are rododendrons – rhododendrons. At present about 300 variations of them is a stunning colourful sight with an amazing riot of scents during flowering (May, June).

The death of the founder – in the 1930s – and the war had a devastating effect on the park: it became weedy, trees were fallen. The Erdészet Rt took over the arboretum in the 1950s and started reviving it. Its territory was expanded, separate areas were allocated for pines, rhododendrons and a zone of landscapes were created, where the characteristic species of pine trees of each continent from Asia to North-America are presented – also aiming at naturalizing them.
Such rare species like the cherry laurel, dawn redwood, giant redcedar, Japanese cedar, Caucasian fir, birches by the dozen, species of cotoneaster etc.

www.foek.hu/zsibongo/termve/tt/angtt/jeli.htm