Aggtelek National Park
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Aggtelek National Park is the 4th biggest national park in Hungary, and has been founded in 1985. It is situated in the nothern part of the country in a karst close to Aggtelek. Until 1962 only the Baradla (1951), Béke (1953), Szabadság (1956) and Vass Imre (1958) caves have been under protection but since then, the whole region has become a preserved area.
Two caves of the National Park are reputed to be one of the bests: Baradla-Domica is the longest (25 kilometres) with stream, while Szilice is the lowest-situated ice cave being explored around the world. Furthermore, many of the caves offer some specialty. For example, inside the Peace Cave there is a sanatorium where people suffering from asthma are treated.
The fossils of Rudapithecus hungaricus has turned up from this region. The first written documentation about the caves are from 1549. Most of the villages are exist since the Middle Ages. In this area we can find Hungary’s biggest castle at Szádvár which was built in 1250.
The Aggtelek National Park has been part of the World Heritage since 1995.