A new lookout tower was officially inaugurated on Thursday on the highest point of the Zselic Mountains, the Raven’s Nest (358 metres), near the village of Bakóca in Baranya.
János Nagy, the Minister of State in charge of the Prime Minister’s Office, said the new lookout was a „place of honour, satisfaction and joy”, and he hoped that many people would be able to look out over the landscape and „declare with a calm heart and full confidence that Hungary is beautiful, or more beautiful than the rest of the world”.
Csaba Nagy (Fidesz), Member of Parliament for the region, praised the work of Győző Szatyor, a folk artist whose conceptual designs were the basis for the building seven years after the idea was born.
László Őri (Fidesz-KDNP), President of the Baranya County Municipality, emphasized that the „treasure” Baranya has unique architectural and natural values. In addition to the Raven’s Nest in Zselic, he said that during the term of office a lookout was built on Zengov, the highest mountain of Mecsek, another emblematic point of the county, which has become one of the most visited tourist destinations in Baranya. These investments prove that the county government is a good manager of regional projects, as they are investments to boost tourism.
The 28-metre-high, nine-storey lookout is a combination of traditional carpentry and structural steel trusses, and is located on the National Blue Trail.
The Baranya County Municipality carried out the investment as part of a tender awarded under the Operational Programme for Spatial and Urban Development (Top). Another element of the HUF 130 million project was the renewal of the nearby Ibafa pipe exhibition, which presents the collection of the Janus Pannonius Museum and the Diocese of Pécs in an interactive way, using modern museum technology.
