Stołowe Mountains National Park

The Stołowe Mountains National Park (Polish: Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych) is a National Park in southwestern Poland. It comprises the Polish section of the Stołowe Mountains (Góry Stołowe), also known as the Table Mountains in English, which are part of the Sudetes range. It is located in Kłodzko County of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, at the border with the Czech Republic. Created in 1993, the Park covers an area of 63.39 square kilometres (24.48 sq mi), of which forests accounts for 57.79 km². The area of strict protection is 3.76 km².[1]

Stołowe Mountains National Park
Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych
IUCN category II (national park)
View from Szczeliniec Wielki Park logo with Sandstone formation
Location in Poland
Location	Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
Area	63.39 km^2 (24.48 sq mi)
Established	1993
Governing body	Ministry of the Environment

History

The landscape of Stołowe Mountains began to form 70 million years ago. The range’s unique shape is a result of hundreds of thousands of years of erosion. There are several notable rock formations, among them Kwoka ("Hen"), Wielblad ("Camel") and Glowa wielkoluda ("Giant’s head"). Also, there is a sophisticated system of corridors which creates rock labyrinths.[1]

Currently plant life is mostly made up of spruce, which was introduced to the area on the turn of the 19th century to replace pristine beech and fir forests, which had been cut. Natural woodland is scarce and covers only around 3% of the forested areas. There are peat bogs, one of which (area 393,000 m²) was listed as a strictly protected area in 1959. In the forested areas of the park there are deer, red deer, wild pig, squirrels, hedgehogs, many birds and reptiles including lizards and adders.[1]

Flora

The characteristic flora of the Great Peatbog Batorowski, one of the few raised peat bogs in Poland, is represented by species such as marsh pine, marsh or ordinary heater. This peatbog has been subject to strict protection since 1958, and unfortunately visitors to the Góry Stołowe National Park are not allowed on these sites.

Inhabitation

The history of the Stołowe Mountains is closely connected with the history of the Kłodzko region, located on the borderland of Silesia, Bohemia and Moravia. After Hussite wars of the 14th and 15th century, the area thrived and later on first spas at Kudowa, Duszniki and Polanica were opened. Duszniki is also a center of paper production – one of the first paper mills in Europe was opened there in 1605.[2]

Gallery

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  "Hell"
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  Errand Rocks (Polish: Błędne Skały)
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  View of Szczeliniec Wielki
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  "Ape" on Szczeliniec Wielki
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  Szczeliniec Wielki
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  Rock towers (Polish: Skalne Baszty)
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  Rock mushrooms (Polish: Skalne Grzyby)
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  Vanishing meadow (Polish: Niknąca Łąka)
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  A panorama of the Sudety Mountains
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  An observation deck on top of Szczeliniec Wielki
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  A rock formation in the park
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  A boulder and spruce in the Góry Stołowe National Park

Notes and references

1. Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych in Kudowa Zdrój (headquarters) (2017), National Park of the Table Mountains [Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych], Polskie Parki Narodowe
2. Table Mountains' National Park [Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych], Kudowa Zdrój: Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych (homepage)