Pieniny National Park (Poland)
Encyclopedia
Pieniny National Park is a protected area in Lesser Poland Voivodeship
, southern Poland
, in the heart of the Pieniny
Mountains.
. The Pieniny
mountain range is divided into three parts: Pieniny Spiskie, Małe Pieniny and Pieniny Właściwe (in where is the park). The Park’s area is 23.46 square kilometres (9.1 sq mi), of which 13.11 km² is forested. One-third (7.5 km²) is strictly protected.
The Park has its head office in Krościenko nad Dunajcem
. On the Slovak side of the mountains there is a park named Pieninský národný park.
castle. In 1928 the Polish government made first land purchases and on May 23, 1932 the Ministry of Agriculture created a “National Park in the Pieniny”, on the area of 7.36 km². After the World War II
, the decision was confirmed by the Oct 30, 1954 bill, which officially created Pieniny National Park.
. The most famous summit - Trzy Korony
(Three Crowns) is 982 meters above sea level high, however Pieniny’s highest mountain - Wysokie Skałki - is 1050 meters above sea level and is not located on the Park’s area.
Pieniny National Park is located in the Dunajec river basin, and the river occupies important position among factors that influence Pieniny’s look. Even though the Park is small in size, on its area thrive hundreds of species of plants, including 640 kinds of mushrooms. Sometimes, on the same rock, grow plants with opposite means of survival. Park’s meadows, which are the result of human activity, are some of the richest plant ecosystems of Poland (30 to 40 species of flowers for every square meter).
So far around 6500 animal species have been proven to live in the Pieniny
. It is supposed that the area is even more abundant - with up to 15 000 species. There are numerous birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians as well as mammals. The most important predator is the lynx. On the shores of the Dunajec the otter thrives.
First permanent human settlements in the Pieniny mountains date back to 1257, when Polish princess Kinga
was given nearby lands. In 1280 the princess founded a monastery at Stary Sącz
, later the Czorsztyn castle was built. This castle belonged to Poland, on the southern side of the Dunajec valley, the Hungarians built their own, then called Dunajec (today it belongs to Poland and its name is Niedzica
). The Dunajec valley in 1997 was flooded by water, as a result of construction of a river dam.
There are 34 kilometres of tourist walking trails in the park, from such peaks as Sokolica
and Trzy Korony
one can have excellent view on the Pieniny and the Tatra mountains
as well as the Dunajec. The Park’s main attraction is a river trip on wooden boats, very popular among all tourists.
Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Małopolska Voivodeship , or Lesser Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, in southern Poland...
, southern Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, in the heart of the Pieniny
Pieniny
Pieniny is a mountain range in the south of Poland and the north of Slovakia.The Pieniny mountain range is divided into three parts – Pieniny Spiskie and Pieniny Właściwe in Poland; and, Malé Pieniny in Slovakia. The Pieniny mountains consist mainly of the limestone and dolomite rock strata...
Mountains.
The location
Pieniny National Park is located in the most southern part of Poland, on the border with SlovakiaSlovakia
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...
. The Pieniny
Pieniny
Pieniny is a mountain range in the south of Poland and the north of Slovakia.The Pieniny mountain range is divided into three parts – Pieniny Spiskie and Pieniny Właściwe in Poland; and, Malé Pieniny in Slovakia. The Pieniny mountains consist mainly of the limestone and dolomite rock strata...
mountain range is divided into three parts: Pieniny Spiskie, Małe Pieniny and Pieniny Właściwe (in where is the park). The Park’s area is 23.46 square kilometres (9.1 sq mi), of which 13.11 km² is forested. One-third (7.5 km²) is strictly protected.
The Park has its head office in Krościenko nad Dunajcem
Kroscienko nad Dunajcem
Krościenko nad Dunajcem is a village in southern Poland situated in the Nowy Targ County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999...
. On the Slovak side of the mountains there is a park named Pieninský národný park.
History
The idea for the creation of the National Park comes from the prof. Władysław Szafer, a member of the National Commission for the Preservation of Nature in 1921. In the same year a private preserve on the area of 75,000 m² was opened by S. Drohojowski around the ruins of the CzorsztynCzorsztyn
Czorsztyn is a village in Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Nowy Targ County. The village lies in Pieniny, is located in the mountain range on the current Polish-Slovakian border...
castle. In 1928 the Polish government made first land purchases and on May 23, 1932 the Ministry of Agriculture created a “National Park in the Pieniny”, on the area of 7.36 km². After the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the decision was confirmed by the Oct 30, 1954 bill, which officially created Pieniny National Park.
Features
The Pieniny mountains are mainly built from limestone and they create picturesque and impressive, almost perpendicular walls which go down towards the Dunajec RiverDunajec River
The Dunajec is a river running through southern Poland. It is the right tributary of the Vistula River. It begins in Nowy Targ at the junction of two short mountain rivers, Czarny Dunajec and Biały Dunajec...
. The most famous summit - Trzy Korony
Trzy Korony
Trzy Korony is the summit of the Three Crowns Massif, an independent portion of a range called Pieniny Mountains in the south of Poland. Trzy Korony forms the central part of a compact group of connected mountains known as Pieniny Środkowe, consisting mainly of the limestone and dolomite rock strata...
(Three Crowns) is 982 meters above sea level high, however Pieniny’s highest mountain - Wysokie Skałki - is 1050 meters above sea level and is not located on the Park’s area.
Pieniny National Park is located in the Dunajec river basin, and the river occupies important position among factors that influence Pieniny’s look. Even though the Park is small in size, on its area thrive hundreds of species of plants, including 640 kinds of mushrooms. Sometimes, on the same rock, grow plants with opposite means of survival. Park’s meadows, which are the result of human activity, are some of the richest plant ecosystems of Poland (30 to 40 species of flowers for every square meter).
So far around 6500 animal species have been proven to live in the Pieniny
Pieniny
Pieniny is a mountain range in the south of Poland and the north of Slovakia.The Pieniny mountain range is divided into three parts – Pieniny Spiskie and Pieniny Właściwe in Poland; and, Malé Pieniny in Slovakia. The Pieniny mountains consist mainly of the limestone and dolomite rock strata...
. It is supposed that the area is even more abundant - with up to 15 000 species. There are numerous birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians as well as mammals. The most important predator is the lynx. On the shores of the Dunajec the otter thrives.
First permanent human settlements in the Pieniny mountains date back to 1257, when Polish princess Kinga
Kinga of Poland
Saint Kinga of Poland is a saint in the Catholic Church and patroness of Poland and Lithuania....
was given nearby lands. In 1280 the princess founded a monastery at Stary Sącz
Stary Sacz
Stary Sącz - is a town in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, seat of the municipality Stary Sącz. It's a one of the oldest towns in Poland, founded in 13th century.- Geography :...
, later the Czorsztyn castle was built. This castle belonged to Poland, on the southern side of the Dunajec valley, the Hungarians built their own, then called Dunajec (today it belongs to Poland and its name is Niedzica
Niedzica
Niedzica , is a resort town in Nowy Targ County of Lesser Poland province, Poland, located on the banks of Czorsztyn lake. It is famous for Niedzica Castle, also known as Dunajec Castle, an important centre of Polish-Hungarian relations built between the years 1320 and 1326 on foundations of a...
). The Dunajec valley in 1997 was flooded by water, as a result of construction of a river dam.
There are 34 kilometres of tourist walking trails in the park, from such peaks as Sokolica
Sokolica
Sokolica may refer to:*Sokolica, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Sokolica, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship *Sokolica Monastery, a Serbian Orthodox monastery in Kosovo.*Sokolica , a Mountain in Kosovo...
and Trzy Korony
Trzy Korony
Trzy Korony is the summit of the Three Crowns Massif, an independent portion of a range called Pieniny Mountains in the south of Poland. Trzy Korony forms the central part of a compact group of connected mountains known as Pieniny Środkowe, consisting mainly of the limestone and dolomite rock strata...
one can have excellent view on the Pieniny and 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...
as well as the Dunajec. The Park’s main attraction is a river trip on wooden boats, very popular among all tourists.