The Park was established in 1997 on almost 570 km². The headquarters of the Directorate is in Csopak. This park was a dream-come-true for nature conservation: when it was established, several previously separate areas finally became connected and created a protected ecological system in the Balaton Uplands area. One of its subregions, the Little-Balaton is also a designated area of the Ramsar Convention that internationally protects wetlands. To acknowledge the achievements of nature protection on the Tihany Peninsula as well as the unique geologic formations that can be found here, this area was awarded with the European Diploma of Protected Areas in 2003. The sites of the Natura 2000 network partly overlap with the protected areas and extend the protection to other habitats of European importance. The Natura 2000 is an effective means to conserve animal and plant species outside the protected areas. The Bakony-Balaton Geopark – which is a part of the National Park – was established to raise awareness about the local geologic, natural and cultural assets and to highlight their importance for the local societies. The website of the Balaton Uplands National Park Directorate presents the characteristics of the National Park and additional information about other places of interest, accommodations, hiking options and the routes of educational trails of the Directorate.