Chernel-kert

Kőszeg, Hungary, Hungary

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Chernel-kert is a small 2.5-hectare arboretum and nature reserve located just 100 meters from the Bechtold István Visitor Center in Kőszeg, Hungary, and is the most beautiful of the city's locally protected natural areas.

Named after Chernel István, a Kőszeg-born Europe-renowned natural scientist and ornithologist who began developing the garden in 1896 when it was originally the Chernel family's 1.5-hectare fruit orchard surrounded by vineyards, he transformed it into a memorial garden and bird conservation model site to create nesting and shelter habitats for birds.

The garden currently houses over 300 plant species and features Hungary's only educational trail where visitors can walk among samples of the Carpathian Basin's most endangered plant species including Bánát meadow rue, Teleki's flower, and wide-leaved bellflower. A Bird Rescue Center operates in the garden, where owls and predatory birds are treated and cared for, and the site is home to resident birds including white storks whose chicks have been born there.

The arboretum is under Őrség National Park guardianship, open Tuesday–Thursday 10 AM–4 PM, Friday 10 AM–1 PM, Saturday 10 AM–4 PM, and Sunday 10 AM–5 PM, with a 700-meter winding footpath available for refreshing walks in all seasons.