Explore the archaic natural world

Lake Neusiedl-Seewinkel’s cultural and natural landscape is a special trans-boarder region meeting at the lowest point of the Lesser Hungarian Plain and the eastern end of the Alps creating a home for diverse forms of life. You will find this area teeming with unique flora and fauna.

Seewinkel was mostly forested before it became settled. Clearing was made and transformed the area into valuable pastures, which the surrounding villages used for centuries. Up until the middle 20th century, herdsmen with the help of their dogs used these pastures from March - September for their livestock such as cattle, pigs, goats and geese. These animals where driven from the small farms in the villages and taken out to graze in the great wide-open plains of Seewinkel. Today, this cultural landscape is primarily used for vineyards.
Carefully selected races of livestock have been introduced into National Park Lake Neusiedl-Seewinkel to help preserve and maintain the original habitat. In the conservationist area of Apelton, “Lange Lacken” (The long pond) hosts a herd of Fleckvieh cattle. This area is located southwest from St. Martins Therme & Lodge.
There are around 40 “Lacken” (salty ponds) found in the Seewinkel area. They are not fed by rivers or streams, thus are very salty. The amount of salty ponds has been reduced to half of what they were since the second part of the 20th century. The “Lange Lacke” is the largest from them all.