Giant Mountains National Park

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Giant Mountains National Park
Karkonoski Park Narodowy
Krkonose Karkonosze Biosphere Reserve, Czech Republic Poland (13).jpg
View from Szrenica towards the West
POL Karkonoski Park Narodowy Logo.svg
Park logo with Giant Mountains skyline
Relief Map of Poland.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Poland
Location Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Nearest city Karpacz, Jelenia Góra
Area55.76 km2 (21.53 sq mi)
Established1959
Governing bodyMinistry of the Environment
Official nameSubalpine peatbogs in Giant Mountains
Designated29 October 2002
Reference no.1566 [1]

Giant Mountains National Park (Polish : Karkonoski Park Narodowy) is a National Park in the Giant Mountains in the Sudetes in southwestern Poland, along the border with the Czech Republic. [2]

Contents

The national park is located in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in the highest part of the Sudetes. It was created in 1959, covering an area of 55.10 km2. Today it is slightly larger at 55.76 km2 (21.53 sq mi), of which 17.18 km2 is strictly protected. The majority of the park area, around 33.80 km2, consists of forests. In 1992 Karkonosze National Park, together with the neighbouring Czech Krkonoše National Park, became part of the Krkonoše/Karkonosze Transboundary Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme. [3] Also, 40 hectares of peat bogs were designated a Ramsar international wetland site.

Geography

The Giant Mountains are the highest range of the much broader Sudetes mountains stretching horizontally from south-western Poland along the northern border of the Czech Republic to eastern Germany. Its highest peak is Śnieżka at 1,602 metres (5,256 ft) above sea level, forming a triangle with (similarly sounding) Śnieżnik, 1,424 metres (4,672 ft), [4] as well as Ślęża peak, further apart. They are connected by a red hiking trail only for qualified tourists. [5] The characteristic features of its landscape are the glacial kettles with boulders and ponds hidden inside. Weathered granite rocks shaped like mushrooms or maces can also be found on the mountainsides.

The Giant Mountains are situated on the division of the European water system between the basins of two major rivers – the Elbe and the Oder – which means that it also separates the basins of the Baltic Sea and North Sea. Many of the local streams come down the hills, creating waterfalls, the largest of which in the Polish part of the mountains (300 m) is created by the Łomniczka stream.

There are about 100 various birds living in the park, the most numerous of animal species living there. In the higher parts of the mountains there are fewer species of them; in the lower levels there are 100 varieties, but in the peaks there are not more than 10. The park has four species of fish, six species of amphibians, and five species of reptiles. The park's attraction are mouflons, brought here at the beginning of the 20th century.

Karkonosze National Park is visited by more than 1.5 million tourists yearly. They can use 112 kilometres of walking paths, 10 ski lifts and 12 guest houses. The park has its headquarters in the town of Jelenia Góra.

See also

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Krkonoše National Park is a national park in the Liberec and Hradec Králové regions of the Czech Republic. It covers most of the Giant Mountains, which is the highest range of the country. The park has also been listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve site. It borders Karkonosze National Park in Poland.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant Mountains</span> Czech and Polish mountain range

The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše, or Karkonosze, are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system. The Czech-Polish border, which divides the historic regions of Bohemia and Silesia, runs along the main ridge. The highest peak, Sněžka, is the Czech Republic's highest natural point with an elevation of 1,603 metres (5,259 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish–Czech Friendship Trail</span> Public walking path in the Giant Mountains

The Polish–Czech Friendship Trail is a public walking path in the Giant Mountains. The path runs on both sides of the Czech–Polish border, along the main ridge and crosses or traverses all its summits. The maintenance of the trail is performed by the staff of both adjacent national parks: the Polish Karkonosze National Park and the Czech Krkonoše National Park. The trail is marked red and the signs mostly bilingual. The start point is located on Szrenica and the end in the Okraj pass / Pomezní boudy; the length of the trail is approx. 30 km; the level of difficulty is moderate. The trail partially overlaps with ski trails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mały Staw</span> Lake in Karkonosze National Park, Poland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Czeskie Kamienie</span> Peak in Giant Mountains, Czech Republic-Poland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krkonoše/Karkonosze Transboundary Biosphere Reserve</span>

The Krkonoše/Karkonosze Transboundary Biosphere Reserve is a MAB transboundary biosphere reserve, mixed mountain and highland system designated by UNESCO as Krkonoše/Karkonosze Mountains in 1992. It is shared by the Czech Republic and Poland. Notably, it is one of only two successful transboundary management structures in existence, aside from the East Carpathians Biosphere Reserve, due to contrasting goals in other shared areas covered by MAB.

References

  1. ↑ "Subalpine peatbogs in Karkonosze Mountains". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "Karkonoski National Park". Polish National Parks. Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland). 2008. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  3. ↑ UNESCO (2007). "Krkonose/Karkonosze; Czech Republic/Poland". General Description. Biosphere Reserve Information. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved January 13, 2013. (See: UNESCO brochure in PDF).
  4. ↑ Wirtualne Stronie Slaskie (2007–2013). "Masyw Śnieżnika - najwyższe pasmo górskie Sudetów Wschodnich" (in Polish). Europejski Fundusz na rzecz Rozwoju Obszarow Wiejskich: Europa. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  5. ↑ Krzysztof Strasburger. "Śnieżka, Śnieżnik i Ślęża". Co to jest turystyka idiotyczna (in Polish). Retrieved January 14, 2013.

50°46′N15°39′E / 50.767°N 15.650°E / 50.767; 15.650

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