Hidden World: The Story of Hungary's Wild Waters

Hungary is a water kingdom. Created by the raging forces under the Carpathians and by time itself. Life here has to fight an ongoing battle against the elements, the changing climate and the human activity. Where rivers ran wild, brooks nourished the magical forests, and the wildlife of the swamplands are richer than anywhere else in Europe. This is the story of Hungary's wild waters.

The Tisza has meandered through the Great Plain for thousands of years. Ever since man first appeared on its banks, he has been trying to put the blonde river at his service. He has drunk its water, irrigated it, cut it up and levelled it. And 50 years ago he stopped it to turn it into a big reservoir. Little did he know then that his work would conjure up the world of the ancient Tisza. Thanks to the river’s waters, a unique ecosystem has been created. Man built it, nature built it. Thus was created a man-made paradise: the Tisza Lake. The narrator of the film, Dimitry Ljasuk, takes the viewer by the hand and shows, through all 4 seasons, what this special place has become over the decades. Millions of special birds and fish have settled here, and the dense vegetation has painted the banks of the blonde river green. Today, wild meanders, black-water inland lakes, labyrinths of reeds and thousands of islands are reminiscent of the ancient Tisza.

Throughout history, Hungary's waters have changed almost beyond recognition. Our swamplands have been replaced by reservoirs and fish ponds, and our largest floodplain is now an arid lowland wilderness. Today, 75% of our lakes are artificial and 90% of our floodplains are gone. But wildlife has had to adapt to this changing world or face extinction. Surprisingly, our artificial lakes provide the last refuge for some rare aquatic ecosystems and our former floodplains provide temporary shelter for hundreds of thousands of migrating birds during the winter. But this world is no longer governed by nature, but by man. In this new nature documentary from the creators of the highly successful Where Rivers Run Wild: Aqua Hungarica, the man-made aquatic world is revealed in stunning new images. From the crane migration in the Hortobágy National Park to the hidden labyrinths of Lake Tisza, the winter marshes of the Hungarian Great Plains and the jellyfish hovering in crystal clear mine lakes.

In West Hungary, north of Lake Balaton, we find a lake that is completely unique. The world's largest biologically active, medicinal thermal lake, Lake Hévíz. Its name is familiar to many people, both in Hungary and internationally. Its gentle, warm waters are used for medicinal treatments, and the spa is open to visitors all year round. But Lake Hévíz also has a hidden world. Today, this is the setting for a strange but completely unsuspected ecological experiment. Both the lake and the outflow channel, known as the Hévíz Stream, have become home to tropical fish species. Hidden among the Indian water lilies, Central American cichlids, known from pet shops, live their daily lives. Huge swarms of firehead cichlids forage on the bottom, jewel cichlids protect their young in the cover of aquatic plants, and predatory jaguar cichlids hunt unsuspecting small fish. But how did this diverse yet alien community come to be? And what are the consequences of their presence for native wildlife?

The forest. A mysterious and rich ecosystem where all species - animals, plants and fungi - are interconnected. Where alpine honghorn beetles and legless lizards forage for food and mates in the undergrowth. In the cool streams, stone crayfish and alpine newts live their daily lives. And all this is watched from the canopy by flycatchers, finches and majestic birds of prey like the goshawk. But Hungary's forests are no longer pristine. Only 2% are older than 120 years - and it would take even longer for them to reach a wild state. Today, forests are fragmented by roads and residential areas, and entire habitats are disappearing or become uninhabitable as a result of deforestation. We will explore the complex relationships that define these communities, and travel back in time to uncover the wild past of the Hungarian mountains. These are the lost forests of Hungary.