The park represents the Pieniny mesoregion. It covers the central part of the Pieniny range (Pieniny Czorsztyńskie, Massif Trzech Koron and Pieninki), with the highest peak Trzy Korony - 982meters above sea level and numerous enclaves, including the Czorsztyn Castle and Zielone Skałki reserves. The Pieniny Mountains are formed by hard limestone embedded in very soft formations made of shale, marl and sandstone. This has an impact on the considerable diversity of landscape forms - numerous rocks and deep ravines and gorges (Sobczanski, Gorchanski). The Dunajec Gorge is picturesque, with rocks rising up to 300 meters high. Rafting trips on the Dunajec River are among the biggest tourist attractions. Almost the entire Park is located in the zone of lower alpine fir and beech forests The northern slopes are dominated by Carpathian beech with fir and beech, characterized by a particularly floral spring fleece with glandular resin and heart-shaped resin. In damp places, covered with limestone rubble, patches of sycamore forest can be found with common lingcod and monthlily. The steeper southern slopes are occupied by Pieniny-specific thermophilic beech and fir forests. They include Styrian panicle and white sedge (not actually found in Poland outside the Pieniny). Also noteworthy are the relict pine forests, which are the most xerothermic forest ecosystem in the Park. Low, bizarrely twisted old pines overgrowing the tops of rocks are a symbol of Pieniny nature. One encounters here, next to natural forest ecosystems, rock and scree ecosystems, as well as meadow and pasture ecosystems associated with human activity. Meadow ecosystems are among the richest in Poland. On 1 square meter one can count 30 - 40 species of flowering plants, and on 100 square meters - 70. Among the most interesting here is the ecosystem of the moderately dry Pieniny meadow, with the common fowler and hill clover. The occurrence of this ecosystem is limited almost exclusively to the Pieniny Mountains. Such a meadow is characterized by a high proportion of thermophilous plants, with many orchids (lilac, female, male, ball orchid, long-stemmed turtle dove). As one moves toward the peaks, the floristic composition of the meadows changes. In the irregularly mowed clearings under the Three Crowns, herbaceous meadows with broad-leaved periwinkle, sub-baldachian goldenrod and green hellebore are developing. Mudflats are developing in the vicinity of water exudates. Since the waters of the Pieniny are rich in calcium carbonate and other mineral salts, only the eutrophic calcareous-sedge thresh is developed here. Its characteristic components are valerian, sedges and broad-leaved cotton grass. An interesting group of the Park's ecosystems are rock grasslands. On the rocky shelves of the central part of the Park we encounter mountain grasslands, which are endemic to the Pieniny Mountains. The dominant plant here is rock sesleria - a species that rarely grows in the Polish Carpathians. One of the most striking features of the rocky mountain grassland is the co-occurrence of ecologically different groups: mountain and thermophilous plants. The rock walls and ledges of the western part of the Park have chosen for their habitat a thermophilic rock grassland, with the dominant species - pale fescue. Particularly noteworthy in this part of the Park is the Pieniny pszonak - endemic only to the Czorsztyn stronghold. The Park's tourist base consists of spas in Szczawnica and Kroscienko with numerous guesthouses and private accommodation. The Park has 25 km of hiking trails leading through the most beautiful corners of the Pieniny Mountains. The Park can be explored along an 8.5 km water trail in the Dunajec Gorge. Waters The area in question is located in the Dunajec River basin and drained by a system of short streams ranging from 0.3 to 4.0 km in length. In Pieniny 377 natural water outflows were found: 290 permanent springs (including 3 mineral springs) and 79 threshers. The Dunajec River occupies an important place among the factors shaping the relief of the Pieniny. Vegetation In less than 100 km2 of the area of the Polish part of the Pieniny about 1100 species of vascular plants (almost 50% of the species of the Polish flora), 400 species of algae, 330 species of mosses and liverworts, 400 species of lichens have been found so far. Very numerous are fungi: 640 cap species and 560 microscopic parasites of plants. A characteristic feature of the flora is the great ecological and geographical diversity. Sometimes species with opposite habitat requirements grow on the same rock, but in different exposures. The distinctiveness of the flora is determined by the occurrence of endemics and geographic relics. The endemics are the Pieniny dandelion and the Pieniny pszonak. A great peculiarity is Zawadzki's chrysanthemum. There is an exceptionally large number of orchids (about 30 species), including the Mediterranean moss dicotyledon and the largest Polish species - the baneberry. The park has 12 natural and 9 substitute plant ecosystems, which have developed under the influence of agricultural management and are considered very valuable from a scientific and aesthetic point of view. Currently, more than 70% of the park is occupied by forests. The basic ecosystems are Carpathian beech, thermophilic fir and beech, as well as sycamore forest with lingonberry, relict pine forests and Carpathian alder. The geobotanical distinctiveness of the Pieniny is made up of non-forest ecosystems. Grasslands are floristically very rich (150 species of vascular plants and more than 25 species of mosses and lichens). Meadows owe their creation and maintenance to man. They are among the richest plant ecosystems in the country (30-40 species of flowering plants per 1 m2). Animals So far, about 6,500 species of animals have been shown from the Pieniny area. It is believed that 13,000 to 15,000 or half of the fauna of Poland live here. A thorough study of the fauna, mainly invertebrates in 1971-1974, allowed the identification of as many as 3000 species new to Pieniny, many of which turned out to be new to the fauna of Poland. New species for science were also found. Southern European fauna, especially xerothermophilous, is numerously represented here. 17 species of fish, 10 species of amphibians and 6 species of reptiles have been found in Pieniny. A very well-studied group of vertebrates are birds, of which there are more than 160 species in Pieniny, including 95 nesting ones. Among the rarities are the eagle owl, the pomeranian, the nagor, the owlcatcher, the three-toed woodpecker, the black woodpecker and the black stork. The list of mammals includes 61 species. A peculiarity is the occurrence of the small-eyed mouse - a steppe element, as well as the mountain shrew and the dwarf toothpick. The largest predator is the lynx. An otter is found on the banks of the Dunajec River. Material culture and tourism Traces of the first Paleolithic settlement discovered in the Pieniny Mountains date back to 13-10 thousand BC. The beginnings of the settlement action are associated with the granting of this area in 1257 to Princess Kinga and her founding of the Poor Clares Monastery in Stary Sącz in 1280, as well as the construction of Pieniny Castle, the highest mountainous castle in Poland (779 meters above sea level), which served as a refugium. Along the trail, running along the Dunajec River valley, 2 castles were built: on the Polish side Wronin (now Czorsztyn) and on the Hungarian side Dunajec Castle (now Niedzica). These castles, continue to face each other until today separated by the Dunajec valley, turned since 1997 into a complex of water reservoirs In the area of the park more than 34 km of hiking trails have been marked out, leading, among others, through the most beautiful peaks (Sokolica, Trzy Korony), which offer wide panoramas of the Pieniny, Dunajec and Tatra Mountains. The main attraction of the park is rafting down the Dunajec River gorge in dugout canoes, which is one of Europe's biggest tourist attractions.
05.07.2013
