Slovak Karst National Park
The National Park Slovak Karst (Slovak Národný park Slovenský kras ) is a Slovak national park in the eastern center of the country. It is located in the Slovak Karst, a part of the Slovak Ore Mountains in the political district of Košice kraj.
The national park is known for its rock formations and numerous caves, gorges, chasms and other karst formations. Together with the Hungarian Aggtelek National Park ( Aggtelek Karst ) it covers one of the largest karst areas in central Europe. Some caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site " caves of the Slovak Karst and Aggtelek Karst ".
The seat of government is located in Brzotín.
History
The predecessor of the National Park was founded in 1973, while it was a conservation area (size 361.65 km ² core zone ). On March 1, 1977, the area was declared a Biosphere Reserve first in Slovakia. Per Regulation of the Slovak government, the area is a national park since 1 March 2002.
Geography
The National Park lies in the southwestern part of eastern Slovakia in the political district of Košice kraj ( Okresy Rožňava and Košice - okolie ), along the border with Hungary. Smaller portions of 117.41 km ² protected area rich in Okres Revúca, the Region belongs to Banskobystrický; on the east side is one of a small part of the Košice kotlina the protection zone. The 346.11 km ² core area covers almost the entire Slovak Karst, ranging from Plešivec in the west to the east Jasov. The main section is located between the rivers Slaná, Turňa and Bodva, over the pass Jablonovské saddleback. Smaller portions of the core zone located on either side of the lower reaches of the river Štítnik.
In the area of the entire National Park more than 1,000 caves are known. The longest and deepest cave system discovered Skalistý Potok measures about 5.8 km and is 317 m deep. The Silická ľadnica ( ice cave of silica) is referred to as the lowest-lying ice cave in the temperate climatic zone, nm to the input at the height of 503 m 12 of the caves are since 1995 part of the UNESCO world heritage. The publicly accessible caves are: Domica, Gombasecká Cave and Cave Jasovska. The sometimes mentioned Ochtinaer aragonite is outside the National Park boundaries.
The most famous gorge is the Zádielska tiesňava at the community Zádiel. It is up to 300 meters deep, sometimes only 10 feet wide and about 2 km long. Some deep chasms are eg the Kunia priepasť ( " Mader - throat ", -220 m), the Čertova diera ( " Devil's Hole ", -186 m) or the Brázda ( " furrow ", -181 m).
The highest point of the park is the Matesová scale (925 m nm).
Flora and Fauna
The forest covers even today about 80 % of the National Park area. In the lower elevations mostly grow oak and hornbeam, on the south side they are also at higher altitudes. On the north side and higher up one less common book. Rarely, maples and ash trees occur. Among the endemic plants include: Hungarian Lotwurz ( Onosma tornensis ) or Hainburger spring (Dianthus lumnitzerii ), other rare plants are, for example, dog - tooth violet or green grass head.
As in other mountainous areas of Slovakia can meet Eurasian lynx, brown bears, wild boars, wolves, foxes and badgers. Numerous shrubs suitable for songbirds. Thanks to the rocky habitat many species of reptiles occur. Through numerous caves the area for bats is suitable during the winter, the number amounted to 50,000 specimens of 24 species. In the National Park a number of threatened animals in Europe, such as the Eastern imperial eagle, short-toed eagle or further Sakerfalke live.
Special Area Protection
The following areas are under special protection
- Národné Prírodné rezervácie (NPR, National Nature Reserves )
- Národné Prírodné pamiatky (NPP, National Nature Monuments)
- Prírodné rezervácie (PR, nature reserves )