Dabas Turjános Nature Conservation Area

 marsh, nature conservation park / area

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Territory of the protected area: 148 hectares.
Location: The protected area is situated in the fields of Dabas.
Visitors: Visiting is subject to permit, only guided tours are available.
Management: Directorate of the Duna–Ipoly National Park

Travelling in the Duna–Tisza köze one can not imagine, what this landscape was like before draining and water control.
At one time 10-15 thousand years ago, the palaeo-Duna went there (the Dunavölgy main channel flows in the bed of the plaeo-Duna). The sections of abandoned beds of the river changing its bed all the time, the lower lying parts of the gently undulating scenery, the gravel bed spread by the river, later made it possible for a vast and extensive marshland to emerge (more detailed description of the district is accessable at the Kiskunság National Park). This warm, dry, flat landscape used to be an immense series of 'turjános' – that is marshes, fenwood groves, watery parts, wet meadows – where only the elevated loess, sanded areas remained dry all the year round.
Draining started at the beginning of the 20th century made these areas – sustained by water, swarming with life, of captivating beauty – disappear for ever. The last patches of them of a few hectares are very precious areas – one of these is the Dabas 'turjános'.
One of the last patches of the Alföld fenwood groves is the ash-alder fenwood grove stretching here, where narrow buckler-fern (Dryopteris spinulosa), marsh fern, water-violet grow. The healing alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus) and the guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) dwell on the thin parts of the forest.
Unparalelled exuberance of protected plants can be found in the wet, boggy areas, marsh-meadows. Just from orchids: burned-, military-, green-winged-, bug-, marsh-, the rare early spider-, fragrant orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) grow in the area. But the fen ragwort, the Sieberian iris, the greater spearwort (Ranunculus lingua) can also bo spotted in the 'turjános'.
The avifauna of the area is also valuable, though it is far from the earlier abundance. Lapwings, snipes (Gallinago media), black-tailed godwits and redshanks still live in the area, but the corncrake and the grasshopper warbler can still be heard.
Unfortunately, the relatively small area is more and more endangered, therefore even conservationists try not to disturb it unless it is absolutely necessary.

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