Dél - Őrjeg (Natura 2000 terület) - Homokmégy

The name of Őrjeg is the southern part of the marshland bordered by the Danube floodplain and the sand ridge between the Danube and the Tisza. In the Hungarian language, the term vernal was used in the Kiskunság region, it was used to describe smaller stagnant open waters and marshy bogs. Over time, the name became known as the proper name of the area. As part of the Kalocsa Sárköz, Őrjeg has been one of the richest areas in the country in stagnant waters for centuries, which was often flooded by the Danube and fed by inland water due to its low location. Flat area is therefore the accumulated waters for a long time. The dry parts were divided in various ways by meadows, meadows, slates, godas, capes, veins and bastards. The locals distinguished several such areas by their own names, such as the Snake or Fatty River, the Malomér, Budzsák, Tulagóda, Csertői-palé, Kákás palé, Rekettye, Csillagos. The area underwent a fundamental change as a result of the regulation of the Danube and the drainage of inland water. The elderly still remember the old image of the area but the majority only know its current form. Only the canals and canals that surround the area, as well as the names that still survive but are slowly fading from the public consciousness, tell about the rich water world that once existed. The most important player in the drainage of the water is the Danube Valley main canal, the Őrjeg River, which collects the water of the canals. Locals use the name Báger for the canal that stuck to it after the dredging machine. The lesser-known name is the Curse Channel because the drained water ruined the hitherto common floodplain farming lifestyle of the people living here. The Őrjeg includes the Emperor Red Swamp Nature Reserve, through which the Red Swamp educational trail leads. In the Őrjeg, peat extraction took place after the drainage. The locals used it for firing, while the peat extracted from the large-scale plant was transported on chill. As a result of the latter, peat mine lakes have formed in several places, thus restoring the former conditions in a part of the area. It used to be an inhabited area, with families living on scattered homesteads. Its last inhabitant moved because of his bent age in the mid-1990s and has been uninhabited ever since. There are still crumbling homesteads in Őrjeg, and locals identify several places from the homestead that once stood there. There are also a few roadside crosses in the area that reveal the deep religiosity of those who once lived here, these crosses have undergone renovations in recent years to commemorate their predecessors. Őrjeg is part of the European Union's Natura 2000 site program, as it is a habitat for rare and endangered species of Community importance, and it is an official nature conservation area officially approved as South Őrjeg (HUKN20032). If you plan to hike in the area, expect the large number of insects that characterize the marshlands, depending on the season. Buds, mosquitoes and other insects are a favorite to join the hiker.