Tatra Mountains
P1P5
Aerial view: View of the High Tatras from the north ( Poland)
Tatra (Slovak and Polish Tatry ) is the name of a mountain complex of geological Fatra - Tatra region in the Carpathian Mountains. The majority is located in Slovakia, a small part of Poland ( the Rysy with 2503 m nm on the Slovak side is 2499.6 m npm the highest peak of Poland). N.M. With 2654.4 m is Gerlachovský stit in Slovakia, the highest peak of the Tatra Mountains and around the Carpathian mountains. Only in its northernmost part, the High Tatras, and in the southern part, the Fagaras Mountains, the Retezat and Bucegi Mountains, Carpathian peaks reach heights of over 2,500 m, in Slovakia there are more than 40 peaks over 2,000 m.
The Tatra consists of:
- The Western Tatras ( German also: Liptauer Alps, Western Tatras Slovak, Polish Tatry Zachodnie )
- The Eastern Tatras (Slovak Východné Tatry, Polish Tatry Wschodnie ), which in turn from the High Tatras (Slovak Vysoke Tatry, Polish Vysokie Tatry ) in the west and the Belianske (also Belianske Tatras, Slovak Belianske Tatry, Polish Tatry Bielskie ) in east composed.
To be distinguished from the Tatras Low Tatras, by the Tatra by the rivers Vah ( Waag ) and Poprad ( Popper ) flowed through valley floor Podtatranská kotlina is disconnected. In this basin, the landscapes Liptau ( Liptov ) and Zips are ( sl. Spis, pl. Spisz ). West of the Tatras is the Orava region ( pl. Orawa ), north of the Podhale region and the mountain ranges of the Gorce and Beskid.
Colloquially, both the Western and Eastern Tatras and the Low Tatras as " Tatry " are referred to ( especially since the word " Tatry " is in the plural in the Slovak and Polish nowadays ), or it is only the High Tatras called Tatry.
Geology
The central part of the Tatras are mostly granite, followed by sedimentary rocks of limestone, dolomite, shale and slate. The orogeny of the Tatra Mountains was a major cause of a grave breach in the Südtatra, which came to around 15 million years ago in appearance and the mountains gave a height of formerly 6 km. It separates the Tatras from Liptauer and the Poprad basin. For this reason, the Tatra has no foothills. The face of the rock was coined in the last 2 million years of glacial periods. Glaciers pushed their way into the granite of the Tatra Mountains, leaving U-shaped valleys in the rock, which complete with moraines and were filled by melting of Ice Age glaciers with water.
Climate
The Tatra and its surroundings are the coldest areas in Slovakia. The temperature decreases by about 0.6 ° C per 100 m height difference. Therefore, the coldest places are located on the tops of mountains. The winds blow mostly from the northwest. Due to the location of the mountains, a rain shadow is created on the leeward side of the Poprad basin where the annual rainfall of about 300 mm lower than in Zakopane.
Rivers and Lakes
In the Tatra spring, the two sources of the Dunajec, which flows to the northeast, and the first to the southeast flowing Poprad ( Popper ), which opens in Nowy Sacz in the Dunajec. The Dunajec is a right tributary of the Vistula. In the Tatras there are around 200 glacial lakes. The best known are the Meerauge in Poland, and on the Slovak side of the Štrbské Pleso ( Czech Pleso ) located on the eponymous ski resort, the Poprad Lake, Steinbachsee ( Skalnaté Pleso ) and Green Lake ( Zelené Pleso ). Other large lakes Czarny Staw are Gąsienicowy ( Black Gąsienicowa lake ), Wielki Staw Polski ( Polish Big Lake ) in Dolina Pieciu Stawów Polskich ( Valley of Five Polish Lakes ) Czarny Staw pod and Rysami ( Black Lake under the Rysy ).
Trails
The highest point accessible via hiking trails in the mountains is the Rysy, the most difficult route is Orla Perć.
Economy and infrastructure
The largest and most famous city on the Polish side is Zakopane. On the Slovak side are the famous ski and mountain resorts Tatranská Lomnica (German Lomnica ), Stary Smokovec ( Old Smokovec ) and Štrbské Pleso. At the southern periphery of the range, the D1 motorway runs from Bratislava to Košice.
National park
1949 Tatra Tatra National Park ( TANAP ) was established on the Slovakian side; in Poland did it the same in 1954. UNESCO has both parks ( covering a total area of 113,000 ha cover ) to an international biosphere reserve declared. They house over 1,300 recognized species of different zonal vegetation types, ranging from beech forest communities to vegetation types alpinider climates.
The fauna includes all typical of the Carpathian predator species, including wild cats, lynx, wolf and brown bear. There are also some characteristic bird species such as the Nutcracker.
Interest
On 19 November 2004 destroyed a strong hurricane with winds of up to 150 km / h on the Slovak side, large parts of the spruce forest in the High Tatras.
High Tatras
Tatra, view from Rysy on the border between Poland and Slovakia