Karkonosze National Park
The Karkonosze National Park was formally established on January 16th in 1959. It is located in south-western Poland, on the Czech border. The Park area covers northern slopes of the Karkonosze, which are the highest and largest range of the Sudetes, starting from the Okraj Pass (1046 m) in the east up to Mumlawski Wierch (1219 m) in the west.
The most important natural and picturesque areas of the Karkonosze are carefully protected. This includes a zone comprised mostly of rocks with post-glacial depressions, mountain lakes, and multiple rock formations, or ostańce.
These slopes are mainly covered with spruce mixed with beech, sycamore and linden the upper parts of which are dominated by dwarf pine. High moorland with numerous post-glacial plant species cover the vast plateau situated at 1,200 meters above sea level. A great number of protected endemic and Alpine plants occupy the uppermost zones of the Karkonosze.
In addition to the characteristic forest wildlife, the Karkonosze Mountains habitat is host to the moufflon, a species introduced to this area from the island of Corsica.
The park has been recorded on the UNESCO list of World Biosphere Reserves.
