sil postcongress excursion
TRANSCRIPT
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
1/15
1
ADVENTURINGINTHELANDOFLARGERIVERS
10to15August2013
Minimumnumberofparticipants:8persons
Totalcosts(allinclusive):600EUR/person(100EUR/person/day)
Organizers:
Dr.VeraIstvnovics(BudapestUniversityofTechnologyandEconomics)
Dr.GborBorics(BalatonLimnologicalInstituteoftheEcologyResearchCenter,
Hung.Acad.Sci.)
Importantnotes:
Hospitality will overcompensate for the modest conditions of lodging ascharacteristicforruraltourism(seepictures).Twotofourpersonsmustshare
a room.Alternatively,unsharedtentscanbe setupfree. Internetaccess is
availableatalimitedcapacity.
Awholedayofcanoeing,bicyclingandwalkingmaybeexhausting. Theareaisparticularlyrichinbirdspecies(takeyourbinocs!). Anglersneedpermission;swimmingispossibleintheUpperTiszaRiver. Long-termmean temperatureand precipitation inAugust are around20C
and65mm,respectively.
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
2/15
2
ItineraryDay1(10August)alongdayoftravel
7.00 Departure from Budapest to Tokaj (Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural
Landscape,http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1063/)bybuswithshort stops
attheSajandHerndRivers (1stand2
nd ordertributaries ofthe Tisza
River,respectively).
10.30BoatexcursionontheBodrogRiverfromTokaj(1stordertributaryoftheTisza
River,theconfluenceisinTokajatriverkm544)
12.45Lunchwithwinetesting
14.30Visitingtheregionalmuseum(historyofwineproduction,archeology)
15.15Departure toTiszalkhydropower plant (Tisza River, rkm 523),walk in the
floodplainarboretum.
17.30DeparturetoPanyola,occupyingtherooms,dinner.
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
3/15
3
Day2(11August)adayofcanoeingalongtheUpperTiszaRiver
8.00Breakfast
9.30DeparturefromPanyolatoTiszabecs(rkm744)bybus(40km)
CanoeingtoSzatmrcseke(ca.25km)orTivadar(ca.40km).Alongthissection,the
TiszaistheborderriverbetweenUkraineandHungary.Picniclunch.
LateafternoonbacktoPanyola,dinner.
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
4/15
4
Day3(12August)adayforcultureandnature
8.00Breakfast
9.00 Departure from Panyola to Csaroda by bus (church from the 13th century,
oxbowoftheCsarondacreek).ShortstopattheKrasznaRiver(1storder
tributaryoftheTiszaRiver).
11.00DeparturefromCsarodatoTarpa(horsemill).
11.30DeparturefromTarpatoSzatmrcseke(protectedgraveyard).
13.00DeparturefromSzatmrcseketotheconfluenceoftheTiszaRiver(rkm727)
withtheNewTrRiver(TrCanal),lunchattheconfluence.
15.00DeparturetotheRkspasture(protectedpasturewithsolitaryoakandwild
peartrees,edgedbytheOldTrRiver).
17.30DeparturetoTristvndi(watermillontheOldTrRiver).
18.30DeparturetoPanyola,dinner.
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
5/15
5
Day4(13August)adayofbicyclingalongtheSzamosRiver
8.00Breakfast
9.00DeparturefromPanyolatoCsengersimabybus(40km;13thcenturychurch,the
uninhabitedvillageofNagygc,destroyedbythedevastatingfloodsinthe
1970s;guidedwalkingtourintheprotectedfloodplainforest).
Back towards Panyola by bicycle. Picnic lunch. There are several beautiful small
churches alongtheway. InCgnydnyd, thereis a castlewitha large
protectedpark.Dependingonthetempo,wemaybicyclebacktoPanyola
oraskforpick-upbythebus.
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
6/15
6
Day5(14August)adayofrestfullearning
8.00Breakfast
9.00WalkingtotheOldTrandtheTiszaRivers(rkm688).
13.30Lunch
15.00WalkingtotheplinkadistilleryalongtheSzamosRiver.(Plinkaisa40-50%
shortdrinkmadeofvariouswildorcultivatedfruits.)Threepresentations
willbeheldinthedistillery(ca.2hours).Preliminaryprogram:
(i) History of the Upper Tisza region during the period of nomad
migrations,mostprobablyheldbythedirectoroftheSatuMareMuseum,
Romania.
(ii)Trans-boundaryrivermanagementexperience,obstaclesandfuture
perspectivesheldbyNelliKocsisfromtheUpper-TiszaRegionalAgencyfor
Environment,NatureProtectionandWater.
(iii) Presentation of a film either about the Tisza River or the Szatmrregion.(Theregionwheremostofourexcursionstookplace.)
X.XX Farewelldinnerwithplinka testing in the distillery,possibilityofbuying the
products.
MapcenteredtoPanyola,lefthandinthe19thcentury,righthandtoday
(http://archivportal.arcanum.hu/maps/html/katfelm2b_google.html)
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
7/15
7
Day6(15August)adayoflongtravel
8.00Breakfast
9.00 Departure from Panyola to Hortobgy Unesco World Heritage Site
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hortobgy). Rehabilitation of the nearly dried up
HortobgyRiver,a3rdordertributaryoftheTiszaRiverisunderconsideration.Visit
tothebirdhospitaloftheHortobgyNaturalPark.
13.30DeparturefromHortobgytolunchonthebankoftheTiszaRiver(rkm434).
15.00DeparturetoBudapestpassingthenorthernpartsofLakeTisza,apermanently
inundatedfloodplainreservoiroftheTiszaRiver.
ca.17.00ArrivaltoBudapest.
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
8/15
8
Maps(moreinformationcanbefoundintheGoogleEarthfile:SIL_excursion.kmz)
Day 1: Budapest (A) - Tokaj (B, 252 km, highway) and Tokaj (A) Tiszalk (B)
Panyola(C,118km)
Day2:Panyola(A)Tiszabecs(B,41km),wereturntoPanyolaeitherfrom
Szatmrcseke(C)orTivadar(D).
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
9/15
9
Day3:Panyola(A,H)theKrasznaRiver(B)-Csaroda(C)-Tarpa(D)-Szatmrcseke
(E)-confluenceoftheNewTrandtheTiszaRivers(F)-Tristvndi(G).Total:107
km.
Day4:Panyola(A)-Csengersima(B,36km),possiblytakingbusfromFehrgyarmat
(C).
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
10/15
10
Day6:Panyola(A)-Hortobgy(B)Budapest(C,329km,includinghighway)
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
11/15
11
TheSzatmr-Beregregion(http://www.szatmarbereg.hu/)wevisit
is the North-Eastern part of Hungary situated at the foots of the Carpathian
Mountains.TheareaissoflatthatthevolcanichillnearTarpaiscalledtheLarge
Mountain, although it erects from the
alluvial plain only by 60 m. The region
was particularly busy during the
Migration Period, also known as the
Barbarian Invasions from the Eurasian
steppetoEuropebetween400and900
AD. Barbarian visitors included Goths,
Gepids, Vandals, Alans, Huns, Avars,
Slavs, Bulgars, and Magyars
(Hungarians).ThepictureshowstheMagyarearthfortressfromthe10thcenturyon
the bank of the Tisza River (a bit
upstreamofTokaj). The richmosaic
of meadows and forests, the
extensivewetlands fed by the large
rivers providedaperfecthabitat for
these Nomad or semi-Nomad tribes
and their large herds. The map
provides an impression on the
historical extension of inundated
areasalongtheTiszaRiver.
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
12/15
12
The axis of the region is the
TiszaRiver,thelargesttributary
oftheDanube(lengthis965km
after a 30% reduction,
catchmentis157,000km2).The
Tisza River springs in Ukraine
andmergeswiththeDanubein
Serbia.Wewill see five of the
seven large trans-boundary
tributaries that enter the Tisza
River in Hungary. The Tr, Kraszna, Krs and Maros Rivers descend from
Transylvania(Romania),theBodrogandtheSajRiverstaketheirorigininSlovakia.
ItisofvitalimportanceforHungarytofindthesuitablemeansofcooperationwith
her neighbors in managing the ecological status and water quantities (floods,
droughts) of these rivers. A number of international organizations (GEF UNDP,
WWF,ICPDR)haveassistedtostrengthenthiscooperationfollowingthecyanideand
heavymetalspillsthroughtheSzamosRivertotheTiszaRiverin2000.
River Catchment Length Confl. at Q (m3 s-1)
km2 km rkm 10% 50% 90%
Tisza 9700 222 53 115 592
Tisza 138000 803 249 420 2398
Tr 1200 105 727 1 3 35
Szamos 15500 554 686 26 61 362
Kraszna 3100 235 684 1 1 20
Bodrog 12900 238 544 36 58 333
Saj 12900 233 492 6 12 46
Krs 28000 298 243 24 46 360
Maros 30000 795 177 52 99 434
The Szatmr-Bereg landscape suffered major changes during the past 150 years.
Drivenprimarilybythehungerforlandduringtheboostincerealproduction,river
regulationsstartedinthe19thcentury.Fromthe1950s,threereservoirswerebuilt
on the Tisza River for irrigation and hydropower generation. Theupper reservoir
(Tiszalk,20km2area,10millionm
3storagecapacity)isamainstreamstoragearea
dammedatrkm518.Themiddlereservoir(LakeTisza;104km 2area,253millionm3
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
13/15
13
storagecapacity,dammedatrkm402)wascreatedbypermanentlyinundatingthe
floodplain.Thelowerreservoirisdammedatrkm63(Becej,Serbia).
In spite of these severe hydromorphological alterations and water pollution, the
TiszaRiverhasremainedoneofEuropesmostnaturalrivers.Itsbasincomprises167
oxbow lakes and more than 300 riparian wetlands including 12 Ramsar sites.
Althoughfragmented,thewetlandsformalivinggreencorridoralongtheriver.The
soft wood gallery forests (Salicetum albae-fragilis) and the scattered hard wood
forests (Querqo-Ulmetum) re-grow naturally,
they support an outstandingly high
biodiversity. Many of the endangered and
threatenedbirdsarerelativelycommoninthis
regionincludingtheBlackStork(Ciconianigra),
Trush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia), Hobby
(Falcosubbuteo), LesserSpottedEagle (Aquila
pomarina), Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca),
Corncrake (Crex crex), Saker falcon (Falco
cherrug), SandMartin (Riparia riparia), Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) andmanymore.
TheTiszaRiversupportsarichfaunaofmayflies,dragonflies,amphibians,fishand
mammals.TheTiszamayfly(Palingenia longicauda)isthelargestmayflyspeciesin
Europe,measuring12 cmfromheadtotail.Unfortunately,August isnot the best
season for the beautiful and strictly protected flowers like the Snake's Head
(Fritillariameleagris)ortheOrchislaxiflorasubsp.palustris.
Come to explore the intimate connections between
natureandcultureinanunderdevelopedbutthemost
picturesquecornerofEurope!
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
14/15
14
The great Hungarian poet, Sndor Petfi wrote in 1847 (translation by WatsonKirkconnell)
The TiszaRiver
When in the dusk a summer day had died,
I stopped by winding Tisza's river-side,just where the little Tr flows in to rest,
a weary child that seeks its mother's breast.Most smooth of surface, with most gentle force,
the river wandered down its bankless course,lest the faint sunset-rays, so close to home,should stumble in its lacery of foam.On its smooth mirror, sunbeams lingered yet,dancing like fairies in a minuet;
one almost heard the tinkle of their feet,
like tiny spurs in music's ringing beat.Low flats of yellow shingle spread away,from where I stood, to meat the meadow haywhere the long shadows in the after-glowlike lines upon a page lay row on row.Beyond the meadow in mute dignity
the forest towered o'er the darkening lea,but sunset rested on its leafy spireslike embers red as blood and fierce with fires.Elsewhere, along the Tisza's farther bank,the motley broom and hazels, rank on rank,crowded, but for one cleft, through which was shownthe distant steeple of the tiny town.
Small, rosy clouds lay floating in the skyin memory-pictures of the hours gone by.Far in the distance, lost in reverie,the misty mountain-summits gazed at me.The air was still. Across the solemn hushfell but the fitful vespers of a thrush.
Even the murmur of the far-off millseemed faint as a mosquito humming shrill.
To the far bank before me, within hail,a peasant-woman came to fill her pale;
she, as she brimmed it, wondered at my stay,and with a glance went hastily away.But I stood there in stillness absoluteas though my very feet had taken root.
My heart was dizzy with the rapturous sightof Nature's deathless beauty in the night.O Nature, glorious Nature, who would darewith reckless tongue to match your wondrous fare?
How great you are! And the more still you grow,the lovelier are the things you have to show!Late, very late, I came back to the farm
-
7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion
15/15
15
and supped upon fresh fruit that made me warm,and talked with comrades far into the night,while brushwood flames beside us flickered bright.Then, among other topics, I exclaimed:"Why is the Tisza here so harshly blamed?You wrong it greatly and belie its worth:
surely, it's the mildest river on the earth!"Startled, a few days later in those dells
I heard the frantic pealing of the bells:"The flood, the flood is coming!" they resound.And gazing out, I saw a sea around.There, like a maniac just freed from chains,the Tisza rushed in rage across the plains;roaring and howling through the dyke it swirled,greedy to swallow up the whole wide world.