Shepherd Life – Wooded Pastures – Birds – In Baranya

The wooded pastures and their associated pastoral and avian ecosystems are among the most significant aspects of Baranya County’s natural and cultural heritage. These areas serve as model sites for natural and healthy food production and for farming practices that adapt to climate change. They hold exceptional conservation value in terms of biodiversity. Their preservation depends on the continuation of farming practices based on natural, grazing-based livestock management. 

At our event, visitors can learn about both the history and the present-day reality of these traditions through the screening of a short ethnographic film featuring the shepherds of the nearby Sumony Puszta; we look forward to welcoming the film’s participants and creators in person. 

During the evening, the Misina band will perform folk songs once sung by the village’s shepherds, preserved in folk music archives. 

The event will be complemented by interactive children’s activities, family programs, a guided tour of the exhibition, a discussion about the film with the participants and filmmakers, and a tasting of food and drinks sourced from wooded pastures. 

Our event is also timely because in 2026, the Habitat Conservation Section of the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society selected wooded pastures as the “Habitat of the Year.” Furthermore, the FAO and UNESCO have designated 2026 as the International Year of Shepherds and Pastures.

Location:

• Department of Etnography of Janus Pannonius Muezum, Pécs, Rákóczi út 15, Hungary

Organisers: 

• Dr. Réka Kurucz, ethnographer, head of the Ethnographic Department of the Janus Pannonius Museum
• Dr. Anna Varga, Institute of Botany, Institute of Vegetation Ecology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic

Co-organizer:

• Dr. Péter Gaszler, MME Baranya County Local Group