Pilis Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 1980, in Hungary. North-west of Budapest, bound by the andesite block of the Börzsöny and Visegrád Hills, the Danube flows through a narrow, meandering valley forming an almost U-shaped bend known as the Danube Bend. Bernard Newmann described this stretch as one of the grandest along the 2,000-mile river. The Pilis and Visegrád hill ranges on the west bank, once a royal hunting ground, were designated a Landscape Protection Area in 1978 to conserve the landscape and its abundant natural values. Owing to these values and the notable opportunities for environmental education, it was recognised as part of UNESCO’s International Network of Biosphere Reserves.