After the coordinates of the geographical centre of Hungary were established and marked out, the surrounding area was declared protected by the nature conservation authority.
Its protection is maintained by Decree 60/2007 (X. 18.) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management on the maintenance of the protection of the Geographical Centre of Hungary nature reserve. Its nature conservation management plan was published by the Decree of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management No. 33/2016 (V. 2.) amending Decree No. 60/2007 (X. 18.) on maintaining the protection of the geographical centre of Hungary nature conservation area.
Number and date of the decision on the establishment: Decision No 13/1978 OKTH.
Registration number: 167/TT/78
Extent: 4,6 ha
Boundary of the municipality concerned: Pusztavacs
Main characteristics of the protected natural assets
After the coordinates of the geographical centre of Hungary were established and marked out, the surrounding area was declared protected by the nature conservation authority. The purpose of the protected area is to:
- permanently mark the geographical centre of Hungary,
- ensure the preservation of the landscape in the immediate vicinity of the geographical centre of Hungary,
- ensure the natural environment of the sign tower, which is located in the centre of the country and helps to orientate the country in space and time.
Built at the intersection of 47 degrees 11 minutes north latitude and 19 degrees 30 minutes east longitude, the tower was designed by József Kerényi and the sundial is the work of sculptor Gábor Gáti. The signal tower is an 11-metre-high octagonal cone on a reinforced concrete frame with larch plank roofing. A golden hemisphere on top marks the point.
Among the characteristic points of Hungary, the centre of the country has also been marked by the Hungarian Friends of Nature with a bronze sign on a carved oak pole. The badge is circular, with a white and red dot in Hungary on a green field. The background of the drawing is a golden wind rose.
Main threats, special protection tasks
The tower was inaugurated on 23 December 1978. Until 1985, the weekly newspaper Képes Újság held major annual peace meetings here, with more participants than any other national event, and hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country. Campers and overnight campers in areas without any infrastructure caused untold damage and destruction every year. After the 1984 scandal, the popular festivals planned there were not held. Currently, the area is not under any particular threat, but vandalism, which destroys all unattended valuables, is causing damage.
The tower was renovated in 2022 and inaugurated in a ceremony on 11 March.