The directorate was established in 1977 with the headquarters in Eger. It covers almost 430 km².

The diverse karst phenomena, caves, ravines and towering cliffs, as well as the rarities of its flora and fauna attract hundreds of thousands of visitors year by year.

Due to its expansive limestone areas that are more often than not subject to karst processes, the Bükk has the largest number of caves of all the mountain ranges in Hungary. Regular and thorough surveys continuously increase the number of known caves that presently total about a thousand (large and small ones added up). Most of the notable ones were found while excavating sinkholes. 

Environmental education includes guided tours by professional staff members of the park, educational trails leading visitors through natural and cultural assets, demonstration and exhibition areas such as the educational caves of Lillafüred, the ‘Western Gate’ Visitor Centre in Felsőtárkány, the camping site at the Rejtek field station that also functions as a visitor centre and publications at all levels of knowledge from information brochures to scientific volumes.