Bieszczady Mountains
Encyclopedia
Bieszczady b is the Polish name for a mountain range in the extreme south-east of Poland
, extending into Ukraine
and Slovakia
. It forms the western part of what is known in Polish as the Eastern Beskids
(Beskidy Wschodnie), and is more generally part of the Outer Eastern Carpathians. The mountain range is situated between the Łupków Pass (640 m) and the Vyshkovskyi Pass (933 m).
In a narrower but very frequent sense, Bieszczady refers only to the Western Bieszczady or even only to the part of the range lying within Poland.
The highest peak of Bieszczady is Mt. Pikuy (1405 m) in Ukraine. The highest peak of the Polish part is Tarnica
(1346 m).
).
Historically, the terms Bieszczad and Beskid have been used for hundreds of years to describe the mountains separating Poland from Ruthenia
and Hungary
.
A colloquial Polish term referring to Bieszczady is Biesy, because folk etymology connects the origin of the mountains to demonic (bies) activity.
The true etymology of the name "Bieszczady" is unknown. It may by related to Middle Low German
beshêt, beskēt, meaning watershed
.
and Ukrainian Carpathians, several divisions are given in the following:
Division 1:
Division 2:
Division 3:
Division 4:
In an old Ukrainian division, what is defined here as the Bieszczady in a wider sense corresponds to the western part of the Mid-Carpathian Depression and to the westernmost part of the Polonynian Beskids.
and Vandals
(Przeworsk culture
and Puchov culture
). After the fall of the Roman Empire, of which most of south-eastern Poland was part (all parts below the San
), Hungarians and West Slavs
invaded the area.
The region subsequently became part of the Great Moravia
n state. Upon the invasion of the Hungarian tribes into the heart of the Great Moravian Empire around 899, the Lendians
of the area declared their allegiance to the Hungarians. The region then became a site of contention between Poland, Kievan Rus and Hungary starting in at least the 9th century.
This area was mentioned for the first time in 981, when Volodymyr the Great of Kievan Rus took the area over on the way into Poland. In 1018 it returned to Poland, 1031 back to Rus, in 1340 Casimir III of Poland
recovered it.
Bieszczady was one of the strategically important areas of the Carpathian mountains bitterly contested in battles on the Eastern Front
of World War I during the winter of 1914/1915..
Up until 1947, 84% of the population of the Polish part of the Bieszczadzkie Mountains was Boyko
. The killing of the Polish General Karol Świerczewski
in Jabłonki by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in 1947 was the direct cause of the replacement of the Boykos, the so-called Operation Vistula. The area was mostly uninhabited afterward. In 2002, then president Aleksander Kwaśniewski
expressed regret for this operation.
In 1991, the UNESCO
East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve
was created that encapsulates a large part of the area and continues into Slovakia and Ukraine. It comprises the Bieszczady National Park
(Poland), Poloniny National Park
(Slovakia) + Uzhansky National Nature Park (Ukraine). Animals living in this reserve include, amongst others, black stork
s, brown bear
s, wolves and bison
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, extending into Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. It forms the western part of what is known in Polish as the Eastern Beskids
Eastern Beskids
The Eastern Beskids is a set of mountain ranges spanning the northern Slovakian and southern Polish border....
(Beskidy Wschodnie), and is more generally part of the Outer Eastern Carpathians. The mountain range is situated between the Łupków Pass (640 m) and the Vyshkovskyi Pass (933 m).
In a narrower but very frequent sense, Bieszczady refers only to the Western Bieszczady or even only to the part of the range lying within Poland.
The highest peak of Bieszczady is Mt. Pikuy (1405 m) in Ukraine. The highest peak of the Polish part is Tarnica
Tarnica
Tarnica is a peak in the Bieszczady Mountains in southern Poland. Its height is 1,346 meters. It is one of the Polish Crown Peaks.The summit towers 500 meter above the Wołosatka Valley. It can be easily told apart from its neighbours by its distinctive shape. The mountain has two separate...
(1346 m).
Term
The term Bieszczady in the wide sense is used only in Poland. In Slovakia and Ukraine "Bieszczady" usually refers only to the part situated in Poland. In Poland "Bieszczady" also refers usually only to the Polish part of the (Western) Bieszczady. In Ukraine, the "Eastern Bieszczady" have various names (unstable terminology), they usually contain the word Beskids. In Slovakia the Slovak part is called Bukovec Mountains (Bukovské vrchyBukovské vrchy
Bukovské vrchy is a flysch mountain range in north-eastern Slovakia, part of the Eastern Beskids and the Ukrainian Carpathians ranges belonging to the Eastern Carpathians....
).
Historically, the terms Bieszczad and Beskid have been used for hundreds of years to describe the mountains separating Poland from Ruthenia
Ruthenia
Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
A colloquial Polish term referring to Bieszczady is Biesy, because folk etymology connects the origin of the mountains to demonic (bies) activity.
The true etymology of the name "Bieszczady" is unknown. It may by related to Middle Low German
Middle Low German
Middle Low German is a language that is the descendant of Old Saxon and is the ancestor of modern Low German. It served as the international lingua franca of the Hanseatic League...
beshêt, beskēt, meaning watershed
Water divide
A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
.
Division
Since there exist many variants of divisions of the mountain ranges and names for the BeskidsBeskids
The Beskids , ) is a traditional name for a series of Eastern European mountain ranges.- Definition :The Beskids are approximately 600 km in length and 50–70 km in width...
and Ukrainian Carpathians, several divisions are given in the following:
Division 1:
- Bieszczady or Western Bieszczady (PL: Bieszczady Zachodnie) + Bukovec Mountains (SK: Bukovské vrchy) + what the Ukrainians call Western Beskids (Zachidni Beskydy)
- Skole BeskidsSkole BeskidsThe Skole Beskids is a mountain range in western Ukraine, within the set of ranges called Eastern Beskids and the Ukrainian Carpathians of the Outer Eastern Carpathians....
(UA: Skolivs'ki Beskydy), partly or completely also known as High Beskids (Vysoki Beskydy); part of what Ukrainians call Eastern Beskids (Skhidni Beskydy)
Division 2:
- Western Bieszczady: between the Łupków Pass and the Użocka (Uzsok Pass - 853 m) with Mt TarnicaTarnicaTarnica is a peak in the Bieszczady Mountains in southern Poland. Its height is 1,346 meters. It is one of the Polish Crown Peaks.The summit towers 500 meter above the Wołosatka Valley. It can be easily told apart from its neighbours by its distinctive shape. The mountain has two separate...
(1,346 m) as the highest peak; the Łupków Pass separating the Bieszczady from the Low BeskidsLow BeskidsThe ', ', Low Beskids or Lower Beskids is one of the Beskids mountain ranges in the Outer Eastern Carpathians in southeastern Poland and northeastern Slovakia...
and Pogórze BukowskiePogórze BukowskieThe Pogórze Bukowskie is one of the Beskids mountain ranges of the Outer Eastern Carpathians in southeastern Poland, part of the Central Beskidian Piedmont... - Central Bieszczady, between the Użocka Pass and the Tukholskyi Pass with Mt Pikuy (1405 m) as the highest peak
- Eastern Bieszczady, between the Tukholskyi Pass and the Vyshkovskyi Pass with Mt Charna Repa (1228m) as the highest peak
Division 3:
- Western Bieszczady (in Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine)
- Eastern Bieszczady (in Ukraine)
Division 4:
In an old Ukrainian division, what is defined here as the Bieszczady in a wider sense corresponds to the western part of the Mid-Carpathian Depression and to the westernmost part of the Polonynian Beskids.
History
Settled in prehistoric times, the south-eastern Poland region that is now Bieszczady was overrun in pre-Roman times by various tribes, including the Celts, GothsGoths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
and Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
(Przeworsk culture
Przeworsk culture
The Przeworsk culture is part of an Iron Age archaeological complex that dates from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD. It was located in what is now central and southern Poland, later spreading to parts of eastern Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia ranging between the Oder and the middle and...
and Puchov culture
Púchov culture
The Púchov culture was an archaeological culture named after site of Púchov-Skalka in Slovakia. Its probable bearer was the Celt Cotini tribe. It existed in northern and central Slovakia between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE...
). After the fall of the Roman Empire, of which most of south-eastern Poland was part (all parts below the San
San River
The San is a river in southeastern Poland and western Ukraine, a tributary of the Vistula River, with a length of 433 km and a basin area of 16,861 km2...
), Hungarians and West Slavs
West Slavs
The West Slavs are Slavic peoples speaking West Slavic languages. They include Poles , Czechs, Slovaks, Lusatian Sorbs and the historical Polabians. The northern or Lechitic group includes, along with Polish, the extinct Polabian and Pomeranian languages...
invaded the area.
The region subsequently became part of the Great Moravia
Great Moravia
Great Moravia was a Slavic state that existed in Central Europe and lasted for nearly seventy years in the 9th century whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks. It was a vassal state of the Germanic Frankish kingdom and paid an annual tribute to it. There is some controversy as...
n state. Upon the invasion of the Hungarian tribes into the heart of the Great Moravian Empire around 899, the Lendians
Lendians
The Lendians were a Lechitic eastern Wends tribe recorded to have inhabited the ill-defined area in East Lesser Poland and Cherven Towns between the 7th and 11th centuries....
of the area declared their allegiance to the Hungarians. The region then became a site of contention between Poland, Kievan Rus and Hungary starting in at least the 9th century.
This area was mentioned for the first time in 981, when Volodymyr the Great of Kievan Rus took the area over on the way into Poland. In 1018 it returned to Poland, 1031 back to Rus, in 1340 Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
recovered it.
Bieszczady was one of the strategically important areas of the Carpathian mountains bitterly contested in battles on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
of World War I during the winter of 1914/1915..
Up until 1947, 84% of the population of the Polish part of the Bieszczadzkie Mountains was Boyko
Boyko
Boyko or Boiko are a distinctive group of Ukrainian highlanders or mountain-dwellers of the Carpathian highlands. The Boykos inhabited the central and the western half of the Carpathians in Ukraine, including the Dolynskyi and a part of the Rozhniativskyi Raions in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast ,...
. The killing of the Polish General Karol Świerczewski
Karol Swierczewski
Karol Wacław Świerczewski was a Pole who became a Soviet military officer and a general. He served as a general in the service of the Soviet Union, Republican Spain, and the Soviet sponsored Polish Provisional Government of National Unity after World War II.- Life :Karol Świerczewski grew up in...
in Jabłonki by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in 1947 was the direct cause of the replacement of the Boykos, the so-called Operation Vistula. The area was mostly uninhabited afterward. In 2002, then president Aleksander Kwaśniewski
Aleksander Kwasniewski
Aleksander Kwaśniewski is a Polish politician who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. He was born in Białogard, and during communist rule he was active in the Socialist Union of Polish Students and was the Minister for Sport in the communist government in the 1980s...
expressed regret for this operation.
In 1991, the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve
East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve
The East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve is a transboundary protected area, designated as an area of global importance under UNESCO's Programme on Man and the Biosphere. It is located in the Eastern Carpathians and includes parts of three countries: Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine...
was created that encapsulates a large part of the area and continues into Slovakia and Ukraine. It comprises the Bieszczady National Park
Bieszczady National Park
Bieszczady National Park is the third largest National Park in Poland, located in Subcarpathian Voivodeship in the extreme south-east corner of the country, bordering Slovakia and Ukraine....
(Poland), Poloniny National Park
Poloniny National Park
Poloniny National Park is a national park in north eastern Slovakia at the Polish and Ukrainian borders, in the Bukovské vrchy mountain range, which belongs to the Eastern Carpathians. It was created on 1 October 1997 with a protected area of 298.05 km² and a buffer zone of 109.73 km²...
(Slovakia) + Uzhansky National Nature Park (Ukraine). Animals living in this reserve include, amongst others, black stork
Black Stork
The Black Stork Ciconia nigra is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread, but rare, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe, predominantly in central and eastern regions. This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely related White Stork. It is seen in...
s, brown bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
s, wolves and bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
.
Hiking trails
- European walking route E8European walking route E8The E8 European long distance path or E8 path is one of the European long-distance paths, leading 4700km across Europe, from Cork in Ireland to Istanbul in Turkey....
- Somár - sedlo Baba - Dolná Rakova - Končini - Brezová pod BradlomBrezová pod BradlomBrezová pod Bradlom is a town in the Myjava District, Trenčín Region, western Slovakia, at the western foothills of the Little Carpathians, in the Záhorie region.-History:...
- PoliankaPoliankaPolianka is a village and municipality in Myjava District in the Trenčín Region of north-western Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 410 metres and covers an area of 9.419 km². It has a population of about 356 people....
- MyjavaMyjavaMyjava is a town in Trenčín Region, Slovakia.-Geography:It is located in the Myjava Hills at the foothills of the White Carpathians and not far from the Little Carpathians. The river Myjava flows through the town...
- Veľká Javorina - Nové Mesto nad VáhomNové Mesto nad VáhomNové Mesto nad Váhom is a town in the Trenčín Region of Slovakia.- Geography :District town located at the northern edge of the Danubian Hills at the foothills of the northern end of the White Carpathians, on the Váh river. Other mountains nearby are the White Carpathians and the Považský Inovec...
- Machnáč - TrenčínTrencínTrenčín is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 56,000, which makes it the ninth largest municipality of the country and is the seat of the Trenčín Region and the Trenčín District...
- Košecké Rovné - Fačkovské sedlo - KunešovKunešovKunešov is a village and municipality in Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. The village has a German minority ....
- Kraľová studňa - DonovalyDonovalyDonovaly is a village in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. Being situated in an important pass between the mountains of Veľká Fatra and Starohorské vrchy, on the route connecting Banská Bystrica with Ružomberok, it became a prominent centre of winter and summer...
- ChopokChopokChopok is the second highest peak of the Low Tatra range or third , in central Slovakia. The peak offers a panoramatic view of High Tatra, Liptov and the valley of Hron...
- ČertovicaCertovicaČertovica is a mountain pass in the Low Tatras mountain range in Slovakia. It connects regions of Liptov and Horehronie. With AMSL, it is the highest paved mountain pass in Slovakia. It is open all year round, however it can be rarely closed during the winter because of the severe weather...
- TelgártTelgártTelgárt is a village and municipality in Brezno District, in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia.-History:In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1326 or in 1549 .-Geography:...
- SkaliskoSkaliskoSkalisko is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Budry, within Węgorzewo County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, close to the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia....
- Štós-kúpele - SkaliskoSkaliskoSkalisko is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Budry, within Węgorzewo County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, close to the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia....
- Chata Lajoška - KošiceKošiceKošice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
- Malý ŠarišMalý ŠarišMalý Šariš is a village and municipality in Prešov District in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an elevation of 300 metres and covers an area of 8.635 km² . It has a population of about 1365 people.-External...
- PrešovPrešovPrešov Historically, the city has been known in German as Eperies , Eperjes in Hungarian, Fragopolis in Latin, Preszów in Polish, Peryeshis in Romany, Пряшев in Russian and Пряшів in Rusyn and Ukrainian.-Characteristics:The city is a showcase of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic...
- Miháľov - KurimkaKurimkaKurimka is a village and municipality in Svidník District in the Prešov Region of north-eastern Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 329 metres and covers an area of 12.460 km²...
- DuklaDuklaDukla ; , Duklya] is a town and an eponymous municipality in southeastern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodship. The town is populated by 2,127 people . while the total population of the commune containing the town and the villages surrounding it is 16,640...
- Iwonicz-Zdrój – Rymanów-Zdrój - Puławy – TokarniaTokarnia (peak)Takarnia is a peak in the Bukowica Range in southern Poland. Its height is 778 meters.The southern part is a steep rocky wall, while the other side consist of less steep rocky fields...
(778 m) – Kamień (717 m) – KomańczaKomanczaKomańcza is a village in the Sanok County, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship of south-eastern Poland. It is situated in the Bukowsko Upland mountains, located near the towns of Medzilaborce and Palota .-History:...
- CisnaCisnaCisna is the main village of the Gmina Cisna in the Lesko County, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship of south-eastern Poland. It lies in the Solinka valley in between the Bieszczady mountains.-History:...
- Ustrzyki GórneUstrzyki GórneUstrzyki Górne is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Lutowiska, within Bieszczady County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine. It lies approximately south of Lutowiska, south of Ustrzyki Dolne, and south-east of the regional...
- Wołosate.
- Somár - sedlo Baba - Dolná Rakova - Končini - Brezová pod Bradlom
Literature
- Prof. Jadwiga Warszyńska. Karpaty Polskie : przyroda, człowiek i jego działalność ; Uniwersytet Jagielloński. Kraków, 1995 ISBN 83-233-0852-7
- Prof. Jerzy Kondracki. Geografia fizyczna Polski Warszawa : Państ. Wydaw. Naukowe, 1988, ISBN 83-01-02323-6
External links
- Bieszczady National Park - in English, with many links.
- Bieszczady Photo Gallery (2005)
- Bieszczady
- East Carpathians Biosphere Reserve