Dr. Kubassek János szerk.: A Kárpát-medence természeti értékei (Érd, 2004)
Dr. János Kubassek: Mosaics from the natural heritage of the Carpathian Basin
° ' te DR. JÁNOS KUBASSEK MOSAICS FROM THE NATURAL HERITAGE OF THE CARPATHIAN BASIN (Cy' he study of the natural heritage of the Carpathian Basin has a long history, ti' The present volume is not enough for a detailed survey and analysis of the milestones in this history. However, an overview of the major results will help the reader form a real picture of the long chain of research work that developed our knowledge of the natural heritage of the Carpathian Basin. This study wishes to flash some bits of this chain that spans over centuries and aims to show that so many excellent scientists worked very hard to study the geography, geology and botany of the region. The work of several natural scientists has become an integral part of the cultural history of Hungary - I may add, of world science. We all have a moral obligation to know more about their life work. THE FIRST NEWS CyHie charters written during the time of the Árpád dynasty already listed sevti^eral geographical names (river, mountains, rocks, and even caves) of Hungary. Gesta Hungaroriim written by Anonymus contains very important information about the geography of Hungary. The author mentions the highest mountains, more than fifty rivers, nine lakes, and gives a list of the major crossings on the Danube and Tisza rivers. This is among the most important sources of information for the study of the historical geography of Hungary. Scholars often referred to this book over centuries. The work was prepared in the early 13th century. The author certainly lived in the court of King Béla III. It is probable that the author himself knew the regions of the Carpathian Basin. What is more, the introduction to the gest tells us that the author of Gesta Hungarorum travelled a lot and visited the countries of West Europe. During his travels he had the chance to get acquainted with the genre of history writing (gest). He
