Tatra National Park, Slovakia
Encyclopedia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. It is situated in North Central Slovakia in the Tatra Mountains
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
. The Tatra National Park protects the area of the Western Tatras
Western Tatras
The Western Tatras are mountains in the Tatras, part of the Carpathian Mountains, located on the Polish-Slovak borders. The mountains border the High Tatras in the east, Podtatranská kotlina in the south, Choč Mountains in the west and Rów Podtatrzański in the north...
(Západné Tatry) and the Eastern Tatras
Eastern Tatras
The Eastern Tatras form part of the European Tatra Mountains range in Poland and Slovakia.The Eastern Tatras consist of the High Tatras and the Belianske Tatras ranges.-See also:*Western Tatras*Tatra National Park, Slovakia*Tatra National Park, Poland...
(Východné Tatry).
The National Park covers an area of 738 km² (284.9 mi²), and the buffer zone around the park covers an area of 307 km² (118.5 mi²); 1045 km² together.
The park offers 600 km of hiking trails and 16 marked and maintained bike trails.
The highest peak in Slovakia, Gerlachovský štít (2,655 m) is situated in the park. The park is important for its diverse flora and fauna with many endemic species, including the Tatra chamois
Chamois
The chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra, is a goat-antelope species native to mountains in Europe, including the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, the European Alps, the Tatra Mountains, the Balkans, parts of Turkey, and the Caucasus. The chamois has also been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand...
.
Park creation and history
The park was established on 1 January 1949, and it is the oldest national park in Slovakia. In 1987, the Western TatrasWestern Tatras
The Western Tatras are mountains in the Tatras, part of the Carpathian Mountains, located on the Polish-Slovak borders. The mountains border the High Tatras in the east, Podtatranská kotlina in the south, Choč Mountains in the west and Rów Podtatrzański in the north...
were affiliated to the National Park. In 1993, the National Park became a part of the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's Man and the Biosphere Programme
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
. The areas of the park and its buffer zone were adjusted in 2003. Since 2004, the National Park belongs to the Natura 2000
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.-Origins:In May 1992, the governments of the European Communities adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. This legislation is called the...
ecological network.
Geography
Žilina Region
The Žilina Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts .-Geography:It is located in northern Slovakia and has an area of 6,804 km² and a population of 694,763 . The whole area is mountainous, belonging to the Western Carpathians...
and the east part in the Prešov Region
Prešov Region
The Prešov Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions. It consists of 13 districts.-Geography:It is located in north-eastern Slovakia and has an area of 8,975 km². The region has diverse types of landscapes occurring in Slovakia, but mostly highlands and hilly lands dominate the...
.
The Tatra National Park is located in the area of the Western Tatras
Western Tatras
The Western Tatras are mountains in the Tatras, part of the Carpathian Mountains, located on the Polish-Slovak borders. The mountains border the High Tatras in the east, Podtatranská kotlina in the south, Choč Mountains in the west and Rów Podtatrzański in the north...
(Západné Tatry) and the Eastern Tatras
Eastern Tatras
The Eastern Tatras form part of the European Tatra Mountains range in Poland and Slovakia.The Eastern Tatras consist of the High Tatras and the Belianske Tatras ranges.-See also:*Western Tatras*Tatra National Park, Slovakia*Tatra National Park, Poland...
(Východné Tatry).
The Western Tatras are divided into Osobitá, Roháče, Sivý vrch (literally Grey Mountain), Liptovské Tatry (Liptov Tatras), Liptovské Kopy, Červené vrchy (Red Mountains).
The Eastern Tatras consist of High Tatras
High Tatras
High Tatras or High Tatra are a mountain range on the borders between Slovakia and Poland. They are a part of the Tatra Mountains...
(Vysoké Tatry) and Belianske Tatras
Belianske Tatras
Belianske Tatras is a mountain range in the Eastern Tatras in North Central Slovakia. Eastern Tatras are part of the Tatra Mountains, which are part of the Inner Western Carpathians....
(Belianske Tatry).
There are more than a hundred of mountain lakes (tarns) in the park. Veľké Hincovo pleso is the biggest one with an area of 0,2 km² and the deepest one with 58 m. The area around the settlement of Štrbské Pleso
Štrbské Pleso
Štrbské Pleso with its large glacial mountain lake is a favorite ski, tourist, and health resort in the High Tatras, Slovakia. With extensive parking facilities and a stop on the Tatra trolley and rack railway, it is a starting point for a host of popular hikes including to Kriváň and...
is a border between two drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
s. To the east of this border, streams form the Poprad River
Poprad River
thumb|The Poprad by Spišská Belá in Kežmarok districtthumb|The Poprad forming the Polish-Slovakian borderThe Poprad is a river in northern Slovakia and southern Poland, and a tributary of the Dunajec River...
, which belongs to the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
drainage basin. To the west streams are tributaries of the Váh
Váh
The Váh is the longest river in entire Slovakia. A left tributary of the Danube river, the Váh is 406 km long, including its Čierny Váh branch...
, which belongs to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
drainage basin. The most popular waterfalls include Studenovodské vodopády, Kmeťov vodopád, Vajanského vodopád, Roháčsky vodopád, and Vodopád Skok.
The highest point in the park is Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 m ASL
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, highest peak in Slovakia, the Tatra Mountains
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
and the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
. Bystrá
Bystrá (mountain)
Bystrá is the highest mountain in the Western Tatras in Slovakia, near the Polish border. It is 2,248 meters high and surrounded by the valleys of Kamenistá, Račkova and Bystrá.-References:*...
is the highest mountain in the Western Tatras at 2,248 m ASL, and Havran
Havran
Havran may refer to:* Havran, a district of Balıkesir Province in Turkey* A peak in the Tatra mountains, Slovakia* Havraň, a village in the Czech Republic...
(literally Raven) is the highest point in the Belianske Tatras at 2,152 m ASL.
About 300 caves are situated in the park but only one is open to public - Belianska Cave
Belianska Cave
Belianska Cave is a stalactite cave in the Slovak part of the Tatra mountains, the largest and the only one open to the public in the Tatras. It is located above the settlement of Tatranská Kotlina, which is a part of the town of Vysoké Tatry....
, near the village of Lendak
Lendak
Lendak is a village and municipality in Kežmarok District in the Prešov Region of north Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 749 metres and covers an area of 19.658 km².It has a population of about 4620 people.-Local Enterprises:...
. The longest cave system discovered so far is the cave of Javorinka.
Biology and ecology
Flora
Almost two thirds of the park are covered with forests, mainly spruceSpruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
and fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
. The most widespread tree is the Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
, followed by the Scots Pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
, Swiss Pine
Swiss Pine
The Swiss Pine or Arolla Pine, Pinus cembra, is a species of pine tree that occurs in the Alps and Carpathian Mountains of central Europe, in Poland , Switzerland, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania. It typically grows at to altitude. It often reaches the...
, European Larch
European Larch
Larix decidua, common name European larch, is a species of larch native to the mountains of central Europe, in the Alps and Carpathians, with disjunct lowland populations in northern Poland and southern Lithuania.-Description:...
, and 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...
. Leafy trees, especially Maples
Maples
-People:* Chauncy Maples , British Anglican missionary and bishop in Africa* John Maples, Baron Maples , British politician* Marla Maples , American actress, former wife of Donald Trump...
, mainly grow in the Belianske Tatras.
About 1,300 species of vascular plants grow in the park, of which 37 are endemic to the Tatras, 41 are endemic to the Western Carpathians and 57 are endemic to the Carpathians. Notable plants endemic to the Tatras include Erysimum wahlenbergii of the Wallflower
Wallflower
Erysimum is a genus that includes about 180 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. The genus Cheiranthus is sometimes included herein whole or in part. Erysimum has recently adscribed to a monogeneric cruciferous tribe, Erysimeae...
genus, Cochlearia tatrae
Cochlearia tatrae
Cochlearia tatrae or Tatra scurvy-grass is a flowering plant of the genus Cochlearia in the family Brassicaceae. The plant is named after and grows in the Tatra Mountains, which lie in Slovakia and Poland....
, Erigeron hungaricus of the Erigeron
Erigeron
Erigeron is a genus of about 390 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest species diversity in North America, where 173 species occur....
genus, and others. Ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
relicts include Ranunculus alpestris of the Ranunculus
Ranunculus
Ranunculus is a large genus of about 600 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine....
genus, Glacier Crowfoot, Dianthus glacialis of the Dianthus
Dianthus
Dianthus is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species extending south to north Africa, and one species in arctic North America. Common names include carnation , pink and sweet William Dianthus is a genus of...
genus, Gentiana frigida of the Gentian
Gentian
Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gentian family , tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species, it is considered a large genus.-Habitat:...
genus, Primula minim of the Primula
Primula
Primula is a genus of 400–500 species of low-growing herbs in the family Primulaceae. They include primrose, auricula, cowslip and oxlip. Many species are grown for their ornamental flowers...
genus, yellow mountain saxifrage, Dwarf Willow
Dwarf Willow
Salix herbacea is a species of tiny creeping willow adapted to survive in harsh Arctic and sub-Arctic environments...
, Net-leaved Willow, and others.
Fauna
Animals are represented by 115 species of birds, 42 mammals, 8 reptiles, and 3 amphibians. There are also a lot of invertebrates. Notable ice age relicts are Branchinecta paludosa, Three-toed WoodpeckerThree-toed Woodpecker
Three-Toed Woodpecker has been split into the following 2 species:*American Three-toed Woodpecker*Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker...
, Ring Ouzel
Ring Ouzel
The Ring Ouzel is a European member of the thrush family Turdidae.It is the mountain equivalent of the closely related Common Blackbird, and breeds in gullies, rocky areas or scree slopes....
, Spotted Nutcracker
Spotted Nutcracker
The Spotted Nutcracker, Eurasian Nutcracker, or just Nutcracker, is a passerine bird slightly larger than the Eurasian Jay. It has a much larger bill and a slimmer looking head without any crest. The feathering over its body is predominantly a chocolate brown with distinct white spots and streaks...
, and others.
Mammals are represented by, for example, the European Brown Bear, Alpine Marmot
Alpine Marmot
The Alpine Marmot is a species of marmot found in mountainous areas of central and southern Europe. Alpine marmots live at heights between 800 and 3,200 metres in the Alps, Carpathians, Tatras, the Pyrenees and Northern Apennines in Italy...
, and the Tatra chamois
Tatra chamois
The Tatra chamois is a subspecies of the Chamois of the Rupicapra genus. Tatra chamois lives in the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia and Poland and, unknown to many, the Low Tatras in Slovakia....
.