Tatra Mountains
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Tatras |
Tatra mountains or
Tatras or
Tatra (in
Polish and
Slovak Tatry, which is a plural proper noun) is a
mountain range on the border of
Poland and
Slovakia, the highest part of the
Carpathian Mountains. The major part and all the highest peaks of the mountains are situated in Slovakia; the largest mountain lakes can be found in Poland. The highest Tatras' peak, at 2655 m, is the
Gerlachovský štít, formerly, Franz Joseph Peak, located in Slovakia.
Rysy, at 2499 m, is the highest Polish peak (on the Polish-Slovak border).
The area is a well-known winter sports area, with resorts such as
Poprad and the town
(Mesto) Vysoké Tatry in Slovakia (in English literally
(Town of) High Tatras; created in 1999 and including the former separate
resorts
Štrbské Pleso,
Starý Smokovec, and
Tatranská Lomnica), or
Zakopane, the "Winter Capital" of Poland.
The Tatras consists of the
Western Tatras (Slovak:
Západné Tatry, Polish:
Tatry Zachodnie) and the
Eastern Tatras (
Východné Tatry,
Tatry Wschodnie). The Eastern Tatras, in turn, consists of the
High Tatras (
Vysoké Tatry,
Tatry Wysokie) and the
Belianske Tatras (
Belianske Tatry,
Tatry Bielskie). The High Tatras, with their 24 (or 25) peaks more than 2500 m above sea level are the only mountains with an
Alpine character in the whole of the 1200 km length of the Carpathian Mountain range.
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Štrbské Pleso in High Tatras, Slovakia |
The Tatras should be distinguished from another Slovak mountain range, the
Low Tatras (in Slovak
Nízke Tatry), situated south of the Tatras. Sometimes, however, the term Tatras freely refers to both the Tatras and the Low Tatras.
Slovak Tatra National Park (TANAP,
Tatranský národný park) was founded in 1949,
Polish Tatra National Park (
Tatrzański Park Narodowy) was founded in 1954. Both areas were added to
UNESCO Biosphere list in 1993.
On
19 November 2004, a great portion of the forest in the southern part of High Tatras was damaged by a wind blast of more than 100 mph. Three million cubic metres of wood were knocked down, 2 people died, and many villages in the High Tatras were cut off from the rest of the world.
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Tatras view from Rysy, Poland |
*in Slovakia:
**
Gerlachov Peak**
Kriváň*in Poland:
**
Giewont**
Kasprowy Wierch*in Poland and Slovakia:
**
RysyImage:TatryWysokie.jpg|High Tatras, PolandImage:TatryWysokie1.jpg|Western Tatras, Poland Image:CzarnyStawZakopane.jpg|Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy, Poland*
Town of High Tatras - municipal website
*
Zakopane - municipal website
*
TANAP - management of the Slovak Tatra National Park
*
TPN - management of the Polish Tatra National Park
Commercial tourism-oriented websites
*
Tatry.net - web directory (mainly Slovakian side)
*
Go-Zakopane.com - travel guide (mainly Polish side)
*
ezakopane.pl - travel guide (mainly Polish side)
Mountaineering
*
Vysoke Tatry on Summitpost.org*
Tatry on ogdos.com - mountaineer's notes
Photography
*
High Tatras photo website*
Panoramic view from the Rysy (2499m)Art
*
Tatra oil on canvas Atelier Yoyita
