European Day of (National) Parks

The European Day of Parks is a commemorative day for Protected Areas across Europe that was launched in 1999 by the EUROPARC Federation to celebrate Protected Areas throughout Europe. It celebrates the creation of the first National Parks in Europe – a set of nine parks created in Sweden in 1909.

Held on May 24, the initiative aims to raise awareness of the importance of national parks and other protected areas and the importance of environmentally conscious thinking.

In Hungary, there are ten national parks. The first one, the Hortobágy National Park, was established on January 1, 1973. The World Conservation Union's (IUCN) system for classifying protected areas classified Hortobágy National Park as Category II. The newest national park in Hungary is the Őrség National Park in the southwestern part of the country, which was established in 2002.