A Short Introduction of Vas County

   County Vas, the operation territory of our society is one of the most western counties of Hungary.  Its area is 336km2 .  It borders on Austria, Slovenia in the west, where the counterforts of the Eastern Alps are.  In the south it accosts the Zala hill-country, in the east the foot of the Bakony mountains and on the north-east the Smaller Hungarian Plain.
   Its most important regions are:

Kőszeg Hills with its highest peak, Írottkő – 882 m
Vas Mountain of dolomite – 415 m
Vas Basin with many streams which tail into the river Pinka, then the Rába.
Őrség and Vas Chine are on the left gravelly bank of the Rába.
Kemeneshát - a gravelly monadnock between the rivers Rába and Marcal
Répce Plain – in the north along the river Répce

   The climate of the area is determined by the weakened continental and oceanic influences.  Temperature extremes are smaller, humidity of the air is greater, and the amount of rainfall is larger than in the other parts of Hungary.  There are thousands of springs and the biggest river is the Rába, a fast-flowing, capricious river carrying a lot of load.  The original vegetation of the region is closed forest and it is still one of the most forested areas.  The flora is a mixture of the east-Alpine and Pannonian elements.  The climate is favourable for Abietineae (pine trees).  On lower hillsides oak trees, on higher ones beech trees are dominant.  On the lower foot of hills we can find sweet chestnut trees, along the rivers oak-ash-elm groves are typical.

virágos rét a Csörnöc menténThe settlement structure is dominated by the densely located small villages.  The biggest town is Szombathely with 86000 inhabitants.  Other important towns are: Kőszeg, Csepreg, Sárvár, Celldömölk, Vasvár, Körmend, Szentgotthárd.
   A prominent protected area along the river Répce is part of the  Fertő-Hanság Nationali Park.  Its protection was initiated by our society in 1999.
   Other regional protected areas: Kőszeg TVK, Sághegy TVK, Őrség TVK, Szentgyörgyvölgy TVK.