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• I have been several times - well worth it

  23.12.2014

• Tatra National Park is located at the southern tip of Poland in the Western Carpathians and covers the highest part of the Polish Tatra Mountains. It is characterized by a landscape of highmountains. The sculpture of the Tatras is the result of long-term activity of various factors in many epochs of earth's history, beginning with the Carboniferous period (Carboniferous) through the Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary, and ending with the Ice Age, which gave the final face to this part of our country. During the Ice Age, the Tatra Mountains were glaciated as many as three times, with the forms created and left by each glaciation visible in varying intensity in different parts of the Tatras in the form of numerous glacial forms; glacial basins often occupied by lakes, glacial mangers, suspended valleys, rock bolts, dikes of terminal and lateral moraines, glacial outcrops. Associated with this geological structure is the richness of the rocks found here. Transformed rocks are considered to be the oldest. These are different types of crystalline schists and gneisses - found today on the main ridge of the Western Tatras. From magmatic rocks (granites) are built the highest Tatra peaks, the northern part of the Western Tatras is formed by a mosaic of sedimentary rocks (limestone, dolomite, sandstone and shale). This complex geological structure is reflected in the relief of the area. Developed karst phenomena - caves (650 have been recognized so far), such as. Wielka Śnieżna ( with a length of corridors 11000m and a depth of 776m), Mylna, Mroźna Magurska (in the Jaworzynka valley on the slope of Jaworzynskie Turni, known for the found bones of cave bears, is not open to tourists), funnels and karst gouges The hydrographic peculiarities of the Western Tatras are ponors, in which the waters of streams unexpectedly disappear, dry sections of valleys and very efficient wywierzyska from which water flows back to the surface. Efforts to protect the Tatras began in the late 19th century. As early as 1865, measures were taken to protect the chamois and marmot. Thanks to the efforts of E. Janota and M. Nawrotny in 1869. The Lviv State Diet passed a law prohibiting hunting of these animals. In 1873 the Tatra Society was founded, emphasizing in its statute the need to protect Tatra nature. In 1939 a Nature Park was established, covering a small part of the Tatra Mountains - Javorina. In July 1947, an administrative unit of state forests was established in the Polish part of the Tatra Mountains called the Tatra National Park. In 1948 the first strict reserve, Pyszna, was established in the upper part of the Koscieliska Valley. However, it was not until January 1, 1955 that the Park became formally enacted as Tatra National Park with an area of 11500 hectares. The Park has a rich and well-appointed Natural History Museum and a scientific laboratory. Tatra National Park borders with the Slovak National Park (TANAP) together with which it constitutes an International Biosphere Reserve established in 1992 by UNESCO. Nearly 250 km of hiking trails of varying difficulty have been marked out in the Park, and are only accessible to hikers. Exceptionally, mountain biking is allowed on some sections. In addition, horse-drawn vehicles operate in the Chochołowska and Koscieliska valleys and on the road to Morskie Oko. There are 6 caves available for tourists (one in the Valley on the Hole and 5 in the Koscieliska Valley (Mylna, Obłazkowa, Raptawicka, Smocza Jama and Mroźna (the only one with electric lighting). There are 8 tourist hostels in the area of the Park, but the primary base for trips to the Tatra Mountains is Zakopane and villages located in the Tatra sub-communities of Koscielisko, Poronin and Bukowina Tatrzanska. On the territory of the park there is a cable car from Kuźnice to Kasprowy Wierch, opened in 1936 and open all year round, as well as 2 chairlifts in Goryczkowa Valley and Kotle Gąsienicowe. In the area of Kasprowy Wierch and from this area towards Kuźnice, ski areas and ski runs have been designated for skiers. On the outskirts of the Park - in the area of Krokwi, there is a complex of ski jumps, cross-country trails and an ice track, and on Nosal there is a slalom track along with a cable car and a ski lift. Ski trails are also located in the Cyrhla area. A specific area of the park is open to mountaineers conquering rock walls and caves. Monuments of material culture are less and less visible in the area of the park, traces of former mining and metallurgical activities found in Kuźnice, Koscieliska Valley and Chocholowska Valley. The rank of monuments are shepherd's huts and some shelters and religious buildings. Tatra Mountains - the highest mountain massif in the Central Western Carpathians stretching over 1,300 km. They consist of characteristic tectonic units: granite core, crystalline and foliated and displaced in the form of mantle sedimentary rocks of the ridge and glacial series. The Tatras stretch latitudinally for 56 km. Located on the border between Poland and Slovakia, between low-lying basins: Podhale in the north and Spiš and Liptov in the south. They occupy an area of 785 km2, of which 175 km2 is within Polish borders The highest peak - Gerlach 2655 m above sea level, in Poland Rysy - 2499 m above sea level Traditionally, they are divided into 3 parts: the High Tatras, the Western Tatras and the Belian Tatras (in part in Slovakia). They were eventually folded and uplifted at the turn of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras during the Alpine movements. The climate is characterized by a high variability of weather conditions: rapid drops in pressure, temperature inversions, high humidity and the formation of local foehn winds, called halny. The consequence is the formation of 5 floors of vegetation in the Tatras. The climate, soils, vegetation and animal world show a differentiated overstory: ˇ forest floor dividing on sedimentary substrate into lower and upper regiel ˇ lower regiel up to 1250 m originally covered by mixed fir and beech forests, has been mostly transformed by human economy. Today, it is dominated by spruce forests ˇ upper regiel to 1550 m with prevailing spruce forest, with specimens of limber in the zone of the upper forest boundary ˇ dwarf pine floor to about 1850 m above sea level with dwarf pine thickets forming smaller and smaller patches with altitude ˇ alpine floor - to about 2200 m above sea level. ˇ subnival (crag) floor - above 2200 meters above sea level. - around the rock walls there are only patches of grasslands with few species of flowering plants. 1000 species of vascular plants have been described in the Tatras - so it is, thanks to the great diversity of habitats, the richest region of Poland in terms of species. Fauna is also equally richly represented in the Tatras. Until 1880, copper, silver, gold and iron were exploited in the Tatras on an industrial scale. For centuries the Tatras have been an area of intensive tourism. In the High Tatras, marked trails lead to only a dozen peaks: Rysy, Krivan, Slavkovský Peak, Mala Wysokie, Kasprowy Wierch, Jagnięcy Peak, Świnica, Kozi Wierch. Entry to other peaks is possible only with an authorized Tatra guide. Since 1949 the Slovak part of the Tatras and since 1955 the Polish part have been covered by a national park. The name of the Tatras as Tritri first appeared in documents from 1086 in a privilege of Emperor Henry IV for the Prussian bishopric. The name of the mountains in Polish sources as Tatry is mentioned from 1255 and probably comes from the word tatry meaning rocks. Waters There are numerous streams and about 30 lakes called "ponds" in the park. They are an important scenic feature of the High Tatras. The largest Tatra ponds are Morskie Oko (34.9 hectares and 50.8 meters deep) and Wielki Staw Polski (34.4 hectares and 79.3 meters deep). Tatra lakes are characterized by very poor biological life and remarkable water transparency. The length of the largest streams exceeds 20 km. Occurring waterfalls and vents, which, such as the Mickiewicz Waterfalls, are one of the attractions of the park. The largest waterfall is the Great Siklawa (70 m). Vegetation The vegetation is characterized by a typical overstory arrangement. In the lower alpine (up to 1,250 m above sea level) fir and beech forests dominate. In the upper alpine (up to 1550 meters above sea level) spruce forests grow, which pass into the zone of blackbrush and grassland (up to 1800 meters above sea level) above which is the alpine and turny floor. The number of vascular plant species in the park is estimated at more than 1,000, among which 85 are under species protection. The park is also home to some 600 species of bryophytes, 700 species of lichens and has 900 species of algae. Many of the plants growing in the park are endemics of the Tatras, Carpathians or rare species. The most valuable of these include the limber tree, Tatra rockrose, Tatra holly, eight-petaled oak, grape rockrose, gentians and crocuses, and edelweiss, which is one of the symbols of the Tatras. Among the more well-known are also sit skucina and boimka bicolor, which form an endemic complex of high-mountain grasslands that discolor red in autumn and give a distinctive color to larger mountain areas such as the "Red Peaks" Animals The park's rich fauna is characterized by many endemic and rare species and species under species protection. Among the park's faunal peculiarities are the chamois and marmot, which have been protected since the mid-19th century, as well as the brown bear, lynx, wolf, otter and more than a dozen species of birds, including the golden eagle, falcons, pomeranian and mountain plover. Grouse, black grouse and hazel grouse nest in the higher parts of the forests. Deer, roe deer and small rodents are also abundant in the forests. Material culture The material culture of the Tatras is as important an element of the Tatra National Park as nature. It is characterized by a peculiar distinctiveness and is widely cultivated. Among the most valuable components of the culture of the Tatra highlanders are the dialect, costumes and customs. In turn, the past is evidenced by wonderful storytelling, numerous huts, chapels and churches. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries a distinct Tatra architectural style developed in the area. Threats and tourism The Tatras have been heavily exploited in the past. In summer, numerous flocks of sheep, goats and cows grazed in the clearings and pastures. Excessive grazing lowered the upper forest boundary and initiated erosion processes. Between the 17th and 19th centuries there were numerous mines and steel mills, which needed huge amounts of timber. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tourism developed, and faulty forest management led to the creation of artificial spruce monocultures in beech and fir forest habitats. In recent years, air pollution and acid precipitation have threatened TPN's forests and aquatic ecosystems. The park's nature is also threatened by poaching, sports and tourist investments and the economically expanding Zakopane. Covering only 0.07% of Poland's area, the Tatra National Park is visited by about 3 million tourists a year, which is about 8% of the country's population. The park's rich infrastructure (numerous hiking trails, hostels, etc.) can hardly withstand the huge number of tourists. Due to the high natural values and high interest of visitors, entrance fees to the park have been introduced. Ticket prices: normal from - 4 PLN

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  04.07.2013