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Smrk (Moravian-Silesian Beskids)
Encyclopedia
Smrk is a massif and a mountain in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids
range in the Czech Republic
. With a height of 1276 m (4,186 ft) it is the second highest summit of the range after Lysá hora
. Its Northern slope steeply rises from the surrounding lowlands and is separated from the rest of the mountains by the deep Ostravice River
(in the East) and Čeladenka
(in the West) river valleys; in the South it merges in the lower Zadní hory (i.e. Rear mountains) area.
Although its name (it means Spruce
) suggests differently it was originally covered mainly in Beech
and Fir
forests, with a higher Spruce
share closer to the summit. During the industrial revolution in the region under the mountains in the 18th and 19th centuries when many ironworks were established, with a center in Frýdlant nad Ostravicí, there was a high demand for firewood and the original forests were felled out and replaced by secondary Spruce
plantations. These were heavily damaged by industrial fall-out from the Ostrava
region also because non-native Spruce
varieties, which were not well adapted to the local climate, were planted there. Thus everyone coming to Smrk from North will see a mountain stripped of trees in its upper parts. Other slopes were not so heavily damaged and are still forested in most places. Especially in the Čeladenka
river valley there any many stretches of preserved or newly planted Beech
trees.
There are limited views from the summit which is covered in most places by also secondary (non-native to the Moravian-Silesian Beskids
) Mountain Pine
s. Next to the secondary summit of Malý Smrk (i.e. Little Spruce) there are a John Lennon
and Jan Palach
memorials.
Smrk belongs to the Beskydy Landscape Protected Area . Its summit lies partly in the first (most protected) zone. Furthermore there are Smrk and Malý Smrk Reserves ( and ) in the best preserved and most valuable areas of both summits.
Moravian-Silesian Beskids
The Moravian-Silesian Beskids is a mountain range in the Czech Republic with a small part reaching to Slovakia. It lies on the historical division between Moravia and Silesia, hence the name...
range in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. With a height of 1276 m (4,186 ft) it is the second highest summit of the range after Lysá hora
Lysá hora
Lysá hora is the highest mountain of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids range in the Czech Republic and also of Cieszyn Silesia. It is considered the rainiest place of the country with an annual precipitation over .-Etymology:...
. Its Northern slope steeply rises from the surrounding lowlands and is separated from the rest of the mountains by the deep Ostravice River
Ostravice River
Ostravice is a river in Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. It originates in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids and then flows through Ostravice, Frýdlant nad Ostravicí, Frýdek-Místek and Paskov to Ostrava where it enters the Oder as its right tributary...
(in the East) and Čeladenka
Celadenka
Čeladenka is a small river in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic, with the source in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids, flowing through the village of Čeladná and entering the Ostravice at Frýdlant nad Ostravicí....
(in the West) river valleys; in the South it merges in the lower Zadní hory (i.e. Rear mountains) area.
Although its name (it means Spruce
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
) suggests differently it was originally covered mainly in Beech
European Beech
Fagus sylvatica, the European Beech or Common Beech, is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:...
and Fir
Silver Fir
Abies alba, commonly known as the European silver fir, is a fir native to the mountains of Europe, from the Pyrenees north to Normandy, east to the Alps and the Carpathians, and south to southern Italy and northern Serbia.-Description:...
forests, with a higher Spruce
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
share closer to the summit. During the industrial revolution in the region under the mountains in the 18th and 19th centuries when many ironworks were established, with a center in Frýdlant nad Ostravicí, there was a high demand for firewood and the original forests were felled out and replaced by secondary Spruce
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
plantations. These were heavily damaged by industrial fall-out from the Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
region also because non-native Spruce
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
varieties, which were not well adapted to the local climate, were planted there. Thus everyone coming to Smrk from North will see a mountain stripped of trees in its upper parts. Other slopes were not so heavily damaged and are still forested in most places. Especially in the Čeladenka
Celadenka
Čeladenka is a small river in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic, with the source in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids, flowing through the village of Čeladná and entering the Ostravice at Frýdlant nad Ostravicí....
river valley there any many stretches of preserved or newly planted Beech
European Beech
Fagus sylvatica, the European Beech or Common Beech, is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:...
trees.
There are limited views from the summit which is covered in most places by also secondary (non-native to the Moravian-Silesian Beskids
Moravian-Silesian Beskids
The Moravian-Silesian Beskids is a mountain range in the Czech Republic with a small part reaching to Slovakia. It lies on the historical division between Moravia and Silesia, hence the name...
) Mountain Pine
Mountain Pine
Pinus mugo, the Mountain Pine or Mugo Pine, is a high-altitude European pine, found in the Pyrenees, Alps, Erzgebirge, Carpathians, northern Apennines and Balkan Peninsula mountains from 1,000 m to 2,200 m, occasionally as low as 200 m in the north of the range in Germany and Poland, and as high...
s. Next to the secondary summit of Malý Smrk (i.e. Little Spruce) there are a John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Jan Palach
Jan Palach
Jan Palach was a Czech student who committed suicide by self-immolation as a political protest.- Death :...
memorials.
Smrk belongs to the Beskydy Landscape Protected Area . Its summit lies partly in the first (most protected) zone. Furthermore there are Smrk and Malý Smrk Reserves ( and ) in the best preserved and most valuable areas of both summits.