en
sk
hu
The cross – border program continued in the autumn – Gallery 1 – Gallery 2
At the end of September Ipoly Erdő Zrt. (Ipeľské lesy a.s.) hosted 109 Slovak pupils during two exchange stays. Children between the ages of 10 and 12 and their accompanying teachers visited the Somoskő area. At the end of October, the state enterprise LESY SR also accepted ninety children and their guides who visited St. Anton. On these occasions, young pupils were able to participate in a meaningful program co-financed by European Union contributions.
Both professional excursions were part of the Slovak-Hungarian cooperation project entitled “Foresters for raising public environmental awareness” between the partners of LESY SR, š. p. (OZ Levice) and Ipoly Erdő Zrt .. Within the implementation of the project LESY SR, š. p. is building a unique forest school in Levice and the already existing visitor center and forest school in Somoskő is being developed on the Hungarian side. In addition, both partners have already organized several professional exchange events in recent months.
Guests from Slovakia were welcomed by Ipoly Erdő Zrt Magdolna Farkasné Parditka, Public Care Officer, and Zoltán Pintér, Project Manager. Participants were informed about the project, the simultaneous completion of the Visitor Center and attractions in the area.
The Somoskő visitor center offers a wonderful panoramic view, which Slovak students could also enjoy. At the same time, two castles are visible – Somoskő and Salgó. The landscape is unique: in front of the Tatra silhouette you can see the Karancs mountain range and the Medves plateau, then the Mátra and Bükk mountains. In nice sunny weather, participants went to a nearby zoo. Here the students moved to watch the domestic game. The next stop was the conquest of Somoskő Castle.
During the second day of the excursion, the group visited Salgó Castle and the “Witch’s Stone”. Along the way, Zoltán Molnár, chairman of the Somoskő Environmental Education Center, provided interesting information on forest flora, fauna, geological formations and the history of the surroundings.
After an exhausting hike in the afternoon, guests from Slovakia took part in the “Lifestyle” nature trail programs in Somoskő. On the next day of the exchange, those interested could try out creative workshops – pottery, felting and carving.
Thanks to the educational trail, visitors had the opportunity to get acquainted with the history of the Krepuska family from XIX-XX. century with a significant period in the history of the village and at the same time learned about the values of the environment. Near the Visitor Center on Dobó István Street is an interactive farmyard, which serves to demonstrate the similarities and differences in farming today and during the Krepuskov family, ie in the XIX-XX centuries. This form of farm presentation can inspire visitors to sustainability and, by engaging visitors in experiential life and promoting the values of agriculture, can help society lead an environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Exchange stays continued in the autumn in Slovakia. Approximately 90 pupils and teachers from two primary schools in Salgótarján traveled to St. Anton, where they had the opportunity to visit the local manor house. Here, as a thank you, the Hungarian students attending the choir sang beautiful songs to the hosts. In addition, the participants of the exchange stay visited the area of Banská Štiavnica and the Maximilán Hill Primary School in Štiavnické Bany, where they had the opportunity to get acquainted with falconry. Pupils at the school learn falconry as a compulsory subject and also provide demonstrations of training with predators to visitors. Their mini zoo amazed every little guest, because there are parrots, monkeys and even caimans.
What could best describe the experiences of students as their handwritten letters to the organizer Ipoly Erdő Zrt .:
“I really liked the variety of animals, we saw huge parrots, eagles, vultures and a small rainforest, where three little monkeys jumped. We also saw fish and caimans in the aquarium. In the yard in the stables we had the opportunity to observe the horses that could be fed and stroked. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to ride them because we had to get back on the bus, where we all got a little attention. My friends and I took a lot of photos and gained a lot of experience. “Vanessza Oláh 5. B Petőfi Elementary School
“… We came to the first stop of our trip, to the manor house of the Koháry family in Svätý Anton. Our guides were very nice, they showed us the manor, we saw beautiful rooms, clothes and furniture. In the end, our tour of the main guide (the director of the mansion) imitating the sounds of animals was really fun, we even had the task to find out which animal he imitated. Our choir also showed its talent and sang a few songs from the repertoire for our hosts as a thank you.