Dr. Kubassek János szerk.: A Kárpát-medence természeti értékei (Érd, 2004)
Dr. Kubassek János: Preface
o PREFACE DR. JÁNOS KUBASSEK The conservation of the natural heritage in Hungary - just before joining the European Union in May 2004 - needs a lot of effort. The Carpathian Basin forms a unique physical geographical unit in the heart of Europe. This region owns so many natural resources, rocks, minerals and natural beauties that the land very much deserves special attention. The above explains why several outstanding scientists came to explore and study the region. The strange rocks, ranges, gorges, caves and medicinal springs always attracted the visitors. Those natural scientists who came from Italy, Germany, Great Britain, France and Sweden drew the attention of the people in world languages to the supreme natural treasures of the land. The works of foreign scientists and their monographs published in Paris or Göttingen did not only raise the interest in the region, but they also contributed to the recognition of Hungary in the world. These valuable publications were well known among the European scientists, and most of the books were in use over centuries: scientists often cited them, referred to their data or discussed their scientific analyses. The works of the French Francois Sulpice Beudant and the British Robert Townson were well known for the Hungarian scientists; there were, however, scientists - such as the Swedish Göran Wahlenberg - whose valuable works were almost completely forgotten. The activity of the Hungarian natural scientists had always been linked to the European research schools through thousands of threads. Mátyás Bél, a polyhistor and explorer of the Carpathian Basin, went to various universities in Western Europe, sttidied at the University of Halle, and then he became the director of a secondary school in Bergen, Norway. Lajos Lóczy, considered a genius of geography and geology, studied at the Technical University of Zurich. His professors included several great scientists of the age such as Ascher von der Linth and Albert Heim. He had good relationship with Eduard Suess, the recognized geologist in Vienna. He extensively explored the vast ranges of the Swiss Alps, and during his field trips he learnt a lot about the minerals. vC
