Ôrség (Marches): a historical/ethnographic region in Western Hungary, at the source of the Zala River. An area of table-lands carved up by water-courses, it is rich in precipitation, and has some wonderful evergreen forests. Formerly a military frontier zone (as its name indicates), its population enjoyed administrative autonomy from the start. Typical of the Ôrség is the szeres settlement type (small, self-contained communities-szerek-built on hilltops). The region's Subalpine climate has had a decisive influence on agricultural practices, which include burning the brush to clear the land, the intensive use of natural fertilizers, and cattle raising. The Ôrség has always played a major role as food supplier to Austria, and was one of the first regions to have a prosperous middle class.