With a 6 year old and a one year old child we were both on Lysica and Lysa Gora - both ascents by trails. Lysica - ascent from St. Catherine about 1h uphill, trail fairly easy. Descendcie by the trail to Kakonin about 1,5h, the trail similar to the uphill. At the top only a plaque, views zero - obstructed by trees. Return to St. Catherine by bus. Lysa Gora - ascent by trail from Nowa Slupia, descent the same way. You can also descend from the other side by an asphalt road. On top of the mountain is a church and the Goloborza and amazing views. About an hour one way. Toddler in a carrier on all trails. There are entrance tickets to the park areas. These are not high mountains, but being in these areas these two mountains in my opinion are worth scoring. Any child can do it, as well as an older person. There is nothing on Lysica, on Lysá hora we have a bar, stores, souvenirs, a visit to the church, crypt, and gołoborza so the whole trip takes a little longer.
22.08.2013The park is located in the central part of the country, within the Świętokrzyskie province. It covers the highest range of the Swietokrzyskie Mountains - Lysogory, with the highest peaks: Łysica (612 meters above sea level) and Lysa Gora (595 meters above sea level), the eastern part of the Klonowski Range (with Mt. Bukowa, Mt. Psarska and Mt. Miejska) and part of the Pokrzywiański Range (with Mt. Chelmowa). The history of efforts to protect the Swietokrzyskie Mountains dates back to before World War I. In 1921 the first reserve in the Swietokrzyskie Mountains, named after Józef Kostyrka, was established on Chelmowa Gora (163 ha), and the following year two fragments of the Lysogory Mountains were placed under reserve protection: on the southern slope of Lysa Gora a fragment of 196 ha and on the northern slope of Lysica - 115 ha. In 1932, the area of the reserves was expanded to 1347 ha. The national park was officially established in 1950 on an area of 6054 ha. In 1954, two more strict reserves were established in the park: the Black Forest with an area of 26.45 ha and the Mokry Bor with an area of 38.44 ha. The current area of the park is 7626 ha, of which 7212 ha are occupied by forests. There are 5 strict protection areas in the park with a total area of 1731 ha. The Swietokrzyskie Mountains are the oldest in Poland and Europe. They were uplifted during Caledonian tectonic movements 520-400 million years ago. Their present shape was given to them by Hercynian tectonic movements about 300 million years ago. During the reign of the sea in the area, various sediments accumulated at the bottom of the area, which formed several basic types of rocks such as shale, conglomerate, sandstone and limestone. In these rocks, numerous evidences of the rich life in the seas of the time were preserved in the form of fossilized traces of plant and animal organisms, many of which were described for science only in 1960-1985. In the Quaternary, lasting the last 2 million years, the Holy Cross Mountains were periodically covered by glaciers. They are distinguished from other Polish mountains by their original geological structure, consisting of exposed layers of older rocks lying at a great depth in the lowlands. The biggest peculiarity of the park are the gołoborza, i.e. sub-peak debris flows of quartzite boulders of the Cambrian period, usually devoid of vascular vegetation. Vegetation The flora of the park is represented by 129 species of lichens, 190 species of bryophytes and 670 species of vascular plants, 49 of which are under legal species protection. Among the most valuable plants of the park are the Siberian scythe, European creeper, ostrich plume and broad-leafed waterlily. Within the park, 674 trees have been recognized as natural monuments. A major achievement is the restoration of yew trees, whose population is now over 1,300. The most stable habitat is considered to be that of the goiter with valuable flora and fauna. It is believed that the communities of lower plants, such as lichens, bryophytes, liverworts, may have a primary character on the gołoborza. Most of the park's area is occupied by forests with fir and beech. Less numerous are pine forests, mixed pine-oak forests with admixtures of fir, larch, spruce and beech found in the lower parts of the mountain ranges. In richer habitats there are oak-hornbeam forests, while in wet and swampy areas, wet and swampy forests and alder forests. Thirty-five tree species were found in forest ecosystems. A species of special concern among the trees is the silver fir, which for a number of years dominated the Swietokrzyskie forests. Of great importance for the park are the open areas, which form meadow communities and gołoborza that diversify its forest landscape. The park's peculiarities include the endemic Świętokrzyski fir forest Abietetum polonicum and stands of Polish larch on Chelmowa Gora. Animals The park's fauna is represented by more than 4,000 species of invertebrates and 210 species of vertebrates - including 187 under legal protection. From the territory of the park 8 species of invertebrates new to science have been described. The presence of mountain and north-mountain species is considered the most important value of the fauna. They tend to be components of the most valuable biocenoses, i.e. fir forest, beech forest and mountain glades. Unique in this regard are mollusks, among which mountain species account for 30%. Mountain species are also abundant among insects. Many mountain relict animal species live in rock debris. Material culture and tourism In addition to natural values, there are valuable architectural monuments in the park or its immediate surroundings. Most of them are of a religious nature. The most valuable monument is the Benedictine monastery complex dating back to the first half of the 12th century, located on St. Cross, where probably the oldest Polish writing monument - the Swietokrzyskie Sermons - was written. An interesting element of the landscape are the chapels. Among the best known are the chapels of St. Francis and St. Nicholas, located on the tourist trail from St. Catherine to St. Cross. Other historic buildings are located outside the park. These include the Benedictine nuns' monastery of 1633 in Św. Katarzyna; churches in Bieliny - an early Baroque church from the first half of the 17th century, in Bodzentyn - a Gothic church from the mid-15th century, and in Słupia Nowa - a late Renaissance church from the second half of the 17th century. Among the more important monuments are, for example, the ruins of the bishop's castle from the second half of the 14th century in Bodzentyn, the cult rampart around Lysa Gora from the 9th century, the building of the former hospital abbey from the 16th century in Słupia Nowa, and the metallurgy museum also in Słupia Nowa, where historical iron smelting is recreated during the so-called "Dymarki" period. Within the park and the buffer zone there are also many objects commemorating battles and martyrdom from the times of national uprisings and wars (mainly World War II). The natural values of the park can be explored using numerous hiking trails and the museum of nature and forestry at the Holy Cross, as well as didactic paths. Swietokrzyskie Mountains are among the oldest in Poland on whose territory the National Park was established, covering over 7600 hectares rich in plant and animal species Ticket prices: normal - 5 PLN reduced - 2,5 PLN
04.07.2013
