Csóványos is a mountain in the Börzsöny

Börzsöny

Börzsöny is a mountain range in Northern Hungary. Its tallest peak is the Csóványos with 938 metres.It is the westernmost member of the North Hungarian Mountains, which in turn are part of the Inner Western Carpathians. The varied landscape offers good hiking opportunities. A large part of the...

 range of the North Hungarian Mountains. It has an altitude of 938 metres and spans the border of Nógrád County and Pest County. This area was geologically active in the Miocene era, 18 to 19 million years ago. In the Quaternary, when volcanic activity commenced, the immediate environment of Csóványos emerged. These movements created water features, high above the forests. The forest on the mountain is dense with blue beech and Austrian oak.

Geography

The mountain lies within the Ipoly River

Ipel

Ipeľ or Ipoly is a 232 km long river in Slovakia and Hungary, tributary to the river Danube. Its source is in central Slovakia in the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains...

 Basin, which is a transboundary river between Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 and Hungary with the middle and lower basin lying in Hungarian territory. The Hungarian territory of the basin covers an area of 1521 km² formed by the hills of Nograd, Cserhat and Borzsony; Borzsony includes the Csóványos The Csóványos mountain peak as part of the Börzsöny Mountain ranges, lie in the Danube-Ipoly National Park in northern Hungary; the park is one of ten Hungarian national parks set up to "protect forested hills as well as riparian and lowland habitats."

Flora

The nearby alder forest of Drégelypalánk

Drégelypalánk

Drégelypalánk is a village in Nógrád County, Hungary. It was first recorded in 1274 and was created as a merger of two settlements named Drégely and Palánk...

 and the red pine forest of Diósjenő

Diósjeno

Diósjenő is a village in Nógrád county, Hungary. It is surrounded by hills and beautiful landscape.-History:The village was first mentioned in 1282. Its name comes from Jenő, the name of one of the seven tribes conquering present-day Hungary, while the word "diós" refers to walnut trees. The...

 have been described as "almost mystic". Common wildlife found in this area are over 100 protected species of birds, pheasant

Pheasant

Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...

s, rabbit

Rabbit

Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...

s and deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

. The plant life is equally rich in the region turning lush green in spring season. Blasia pusilla and Anthoceros laevis have been recorded in this region of Hungary.

Trails

In the mid-1960s, the railway was developed in the area as well as mountain bike trails. It has since became a popular hiking and biking route. A 28 metre high building tower (a geodetic station) near the Peace Monument was built in 1973 and offers panoramic views of the countryside.

Literature

A poetry book A Csóványos északi oldala by Győrffy Ákos about this mountain was published in 2000, and won the Hungarian Writers' Association Gérecz Attila Prize.