Velká Fatra National Park
Encyclopedia
Veľká Fatra National Park is a National Park in Slovakia
. Most of it lies in the southern part of the Žilina Region
and a small part in the northern part of Banská Bystrica Region
. The national park and its protective zone comprise most of the Greater Fatra
Range which belongs to the Outer Western Carpathians
.
The National Park was declared on 1 April 2002 as an upgrade of the Protected Landscape Area of the same name established in 1972 to protect a mountain range with a high percentage of well-preserved Carpathian forests, with prevailing European beech
, which cover 90% of the area in combination with ridge-top cattle pastures dating back to the 15th - 17th centuries, to the times of the so called Walachian colonization. In places there are also relict Scots pine
forests and the Harmanec
valley is notable as the richest Irish yew
tree location in Central and probably all Europe. NP Veľká Fatra is also an important reservoir of fresh water thanks to high rainfalls and low evaporation in the area. The core of the range is built of granite
which reaches the surface only in places, more common are various slates
creating gently modelled ridges and summits of the so called Hôlna Fatra and limestone
and dolomite
rocks creating a rough and picturesque terrain of the so called Bralná Fatra. There are also many karst
features, namely caves, Harmanec Cave being the only one open to the public.
Various rocks and therefore various soils, diverse type of terrain with gentle upland meadows and pastures, sharp cliffs and deep valleys provide for extremely rich flora
and fauna
. All species of big Central European carnivores live abundantly there: brown bear
, gray wolf
and Eurasian lynx
.
The area is popular with tourists, mainly hikers and trekkers as there rather few resorts, located outside the National Park. The UNESCO
World Heritage village of Vlkolínec
with well-preserved log cabins lies nearby.
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...
. Most of it lies in the southern part of the Žilina Region
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 a small part in the northern part of Banská Bystrica Region
Banská Bystrica Region
The Banská Bystrica Region is one of the Slovak regions in the country of Slovakia in Europe.-Geography:It is located in the central part of Slovakia and has an area of 9,455 km². The region is prevailingly mountains, with several ranges within the area. The highest of them are the Low Tatras...
. The national park and its protective zone comprise most of the Greater Fatra
Greater Fatra
Greater Fatra or Veľká Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the Fatra-Tatra Area. It is situated approximately among the towns of Ružomberok, Harmanec, Turčianske Teplice and Martin...
Range which belongs to the Outer Western Carpathians
Western Carpathians
The Western Carpathians are a mountain range and geomorphological province that forms the western part of the Carpathian Mountains.The mountain belt stretches from the Low Beskids range of the Eastern Carpathians along the border of Poland with Slovakia toward the Moravian region of the Czech...
.
The National Park was declared on 1 April 2002 as an upgrade of the Protected Landscape Area of the same name established in 1972 to protect a mountain range with a high percentage of well-preserved Carpathian forests, with prevailing European beech
European Beech
Fagus sylvatica, the European Beech or Common Beech, is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:...
, which cover 90% of the area in combination with ridge-top cattle pastures dating back to the 15th - 17th centuries, to the times of the so called Walachian colonization. In places there are also relict 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...
forests and the Harmanec
Harmanec
Harmanec is a village and municipality in Banská Bystrica District in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 486 metres and covers an area of 7.757km². It has a population of about 918 people....
valley is notable as the richest Irish yew
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
tree location in Central and probably all Europe. NP Veľká Fatra is also an important reservoir of fresh water thanks to high rainfalls and low evaporation in the area. The core of the range is built of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
which reaches the surface only in places, more common are various slates
SLATES
SLATES is an initialism that describes the business impacting capabilities, derived from the effective use of Web 2.0 technologies in and across enterprises...
creating gently modelled ridges and summits of the so called Hôlna Fatra and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
rocks creating a rough and picturesque terrain of the so called Bralná Fatra. There are also many karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
features, namely caves, Harmanec Cave being the only one open to the public.
Various rocks and therefore various soils, diverse type of terrain with gentle upland meadows and pastures, sharp cliffs and deep valleys provide for extremely rich flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. All species of big Central European carnivores live abundantly there: brown bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
, gray wolf
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
and Eurasian lynx
Eurasian Lynx
The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized cat native to European and Siberian forests, South Asia and East Asia. It is also known as the European lynx, common lynx, the northern lynx, and the Siberian or Russian lynx...
.
The area is popular with tourists, mainly hikers and trekkers as there rather few resorts, located outside the National Park. The UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage village of Vlkolínec
Vlkolínec
Vlkolínec, Slovakia, is a picturesque village under the administration of the town of Ružomberok. Historically, however, it was a separate village. The first written mention of the village came from 1376 and after 1882 it became part of Ružomberok. Its name is probably derived from the Slovak word...
with well-preserved log cabins lies nearby.
Small Protected Areas
As of February 2007, there were following small protected areas within the NP Veľká Fatra and its buffer zone:| Name | Established | Area | Reason for protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Nature Reserve | |||
| Borišov | 1981 | ||
| Čierny kameň | 1964 | ||
| Harmanecká tisina | 1949 | ||
| Jánošíkova kolkáreň | 1964 | ||
| Kornietová | 1973 | ||
| Kundračka | 1973 | ||
| Lysec | 1984 | ||
| Madačov | 1984 | ||
| Padva | 1972 | ||
| Rakšianske rašelinisko | 1984 | ||
| Rumbáre | 1973 | ||
| Skalná Alpa | 1964 | ||
| Suchý vrch | 1988 | ||
| Tlstá | 1981 | ||
| Veľká Skalná | 1988 | ||
| Nature Reserve | |||
| Biela Skala | 1993 | ||
| Harmanecký Hlboký jarok | 1998 | ||
| Katova skala | 1982 | ||
| Korbeľka | 1973 | ||
| Rojkovské rašelinisko | 1950 | ||
| National Nature Monument | |||
| Perlová jaskyňa | 2001 | ||
| National Nature Monument | |||
| Dogerské skaly | 1952 | ||
| Hradené jazero Blatné | 1990 | ||
| Jazierske travertíny | 1952 | ||
| Krkavá skala | 1952 | ||
| Majerova skala | 1992 | ||
| Matejkovský kamenný prúd | 1986 | ||
| Prielom Teplého potoka | 1984 | ||
| Rojkovská travertínová kopa | 1971 | ||
| Travertínové terasy Bukovinka | 1980 | ||
| Vlčia skala | 1952 | ||
| Protected Areal | |||
| Dekretov porast | 1999 | ||
| Háj pred dolinou Teplô | 1975 | ||
| Krásno | 1997 | ||
| Mošovské aleje | 1969 | ||
| Revúca | 2002 | ||