Members of our research team Mátyás Hencz and Károly Németh participated in the IAVCEI Volcandpark 2024 conference in May. Thanks to their active participation, the HUN-REN Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science will host a prestigious international conference, as the next IAVCEI Volcandpark conference will take place here in May 2026.

The Volcandpark conference is the flagship event of the IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Geoheritage and Protected Landscape, which was held in 2012 in Olot (Spain), in 2016 in Lanzarote (Spain, Canary Islands) and for the first time after the pandemic this year in Jičín (Czech Republic). The aim of the conference is to bring together experts in the research, assessment, protection, education and management of volcanic sites from many regions of the world to disseminate new ideas, concepts and techniques in the management and promotion of volcanic heritage. The ultimate goal is to contribute to building a more resilient society, to better understand the impacts of volcanic processes, both physical and social, and thus to ensure more effective preparedness for volcanic hazards and threats to volcanic geological heritage.

The Sopron location is ideal for accessibility and also for the planned field days. About an hour away is the Kemenes Volcano Park (with the Volcano House) and Ság Hill, where a relatively new and spectacular geotourism site will be visited during one of the field days. The other field trip site, the Bakony-Balaton Highland UNESCO Global Geopark (Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field), is an hour and a half away from Sopron, where participants will learn in detail about the formation of monogenetic volcanoes in a geomorphologically very interesting volcanic area of several million years of age. They will also gain insights into the functioning of a geopark operating in a volcanic area, into heritage conservation and geotourism work, as well as into the multidisciplinary research actively carried out in the area.

We look forward to welcoming you all in Sopron in May 2026! More details coming soon.

Main organisers: Mátyás Hencz, Károly Németh