Low Tatra
Encyclopedia
The Low Tatras or Low Tatra is a mountain range
of the Inner Western Carpathians in central Slovakia
.
It is located south of the Tatras proper, from which it is separated by the valleys of the Váh
and Poprad rivers (the Liptov-Spiš abasement). The valley formed by the Hron
River is situated south of the Low Tatras range. The ridge runs west-eastwards and is about 80 km long.
The Čertovica
pass divides the range into two parts. The highest peaks of the Low Tatras are located in its western part. Ďumbier
is the highest mountain at 2,042 m AMSL. Its neighbour Chopok
(2,024 m) is accessible by a chairlift
, and it is the most visited place in the Low Tatras. Other peaks in the western part include Dereše
(2,004 m) and Chabenec (1,955 m). The highest peak in the eastern part is Kráľova hoľa
(1,946 m). The best viewpoints in western part are Veľká Chochuľa, Salatín
, Chabenec, Skalka, Chopok, Ďumbier, Siná, Poludnica and Baba.
Several karst
areas are situated in limestone
and dolomite
formations at the southern and northern edges of the main ridge, which is composed of granite
and gneiss
. Among many discovered caves, Bystrianska Cave
(Bystrianska jaskyňa), Cave of Dead Bats (Jaskyňa mŕtvych netopierov), Demänovská jaskyňa Slobody
, Demänová Ice Cave (Demänovská ľadová jaskyňa), and Važecká Cave
(Važecká jaskyňa) are open to the public. The biggest canyon is Hučiaky under Salatín in Ludrová valley near Ružomberok (7 caves - not open for public), suitable for canyoning. The highest waterfall is under Brankov near Ružomberok - Podsuchá (55 m high), reachable by green marked footpath from Podsuchá (20 min). The biggest tarn
is Vrbické pleso in the Demänovská dolina Valley.
The mountains are densely forested and their rich fauna includes bear
, wolf, and lynx
. The alpine meadows are the habitat of chamois
.
(Národný park Nízke Tatry; abbr. NAPANT), established in 1978. The area of the National Park is 728 km² (281.08 mi²) and the buffer zone takes 1,102 km² (425.48 mi²); 1,830 km² (706.56 mi²) together.
, Mýto pod Ďumbierom
, and Tále
. Not only are these hubs of hiking and cross-country skiing trails, but Jasna is the largest ski resort in Central Europe and is served by the tourist town of Liptovsky Mikulas
. Liptovsky Mikulas also offers a range of summer activities such as rafting, kyaking, boating on the lake, fishing, Tatralandia - the hot springs aqua park and hiking etc. There are many good places to stay and plentiful restaurants and bars in the town, which offer excellent food at a great value. Chalet Slovakia http://www.chaletslovakia.com which is based in Mikulas offers visitors accommodation, transport and organises of winter and summer activity breaks. The steep northern slopes of the range are popular with climbers. Other attractions include an 18-hole golf course near Tále.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
of the Inner Western Carpathians in central 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 is located south of the Tatras proper, from which it is separated by the valleys of the Váh
Váh
The Váh is the longest river in entire Slovakia. A left tributary of the Danube river, the Váh is 406 km long, including its Čierny Váh branch...
and Poprad rivers (the Liptov-Spiš abasement). The valley formed by the Hron
Hron
Hron is a 298 km long left tributary of the Danube and the second longest river in Slovakia. It flows from its source located in the Low Tatra mountains through central and southern Slovakia, pouring into the Danube near Štúrovo and Esztergom...
River is situated south of the Low Tatras range. The ridge runs west-eastwards and is about 80 km long.
The Čertovica
Certovica
Čertovica 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...
pass divides the range into two parts. The highest peaks of the Low Tatras are located in its western part. Ďumbier
Dumbier
Ďumbier is the highest mountain in the Low Tatra range, in central Slovakia. Despite the remains of medieval mines , the massif is now protected as a part of the Low Tatras National Park....
is the highest mountain at 2,042 m AMSL. Its neighbour Chopok
Chopok
Chopok 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...
(2,024 m) is accessible by a chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
, and it is the most visited place in the Low Tatras. Other peaks in the western part include Dereše
Dereše
Dereše is the third highest peak of the Low Tatra range, in central Slovakia. It is located on the way between the highest mountains of the range, Ďumbier and Chopok in the east, and Chabenec in the west. Dereše is a popular destination among alpine skiers despite a high risk of avalanches. The...
(2,004 m) and Chabenec (1,955 m). The highest peak in the eastern part is Kráľova hoľa
Králova hola
Kráľova hoľa is the highest mountain of the eastern part of the Low Tatras in central Slovakia. Four rivers rise at its foot: Čierny Váh, Hnilec, Hornád, and Hron...
(1,946 m). The best viewpoints in western part are Veľká Chochuľa, Salatín
Salatin
Salatın is a village in the Shusha Rayon of Azerbaijan. The village was the site of the killing of journalist Salatyn Asgarova, who was covering the Nagorno-Karabakh War; the village was renamed in her honor....
, Chabenec, Skalka, Chopok, Ďumbier, Siná, Poludnica and Baba.
Several karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
areas are situated in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
formations at the southern and northern edges of the main ridge, which is composed of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
. Among many discovered caves, Bystrianska Cave
Bystrianska Cave
Bystrianska Cave is a limestone cave located on the southern slopes of the Nizke Tatry Mountains, along the road towards Banska Bystrica, at the southern edge of the town of Bystrá, in the Brezno District, Banskobystrický region, in Slovakia. Discovered in 1926 by E. and A. Hollmann and J....
(Bystrianska jaskyňa), Cave of Dead Bats (Jaskyňa mŕtvych netopierov), Demänovská jaskyňa Slobody
Demänovská jaskyna Slobody
Demänovská Cave of Liberty is a karst cave in Low Tatras in Slovakia. Discovered in 1921 and opened to the public in 1924, it is the most visited cave in Slovakia.The public entrance is at an altitude of...
, Demänová Ice Cave (Demänovská ľadová jaskyňa), and Važecká Cave
Važecká Cave
Važecká Cave is a stalactite cave near the village of Važec in northern Slovakia. It lies at an altitude of 748 metres, in the Liptov Basin near the Biely Váh River, on the northern edge of the Low Tatra mountain range. The cave was discovered in 1922...
(Važecká jaskyňa) are open to the public. The biggest canyon is Hučiaky under Salatín in Ludrová valley near Ružomberok (7 caves - not open for public), suitable for canyoning. The highest waterfall is under Brankov near Ružomberok - Podsuchá (55 m high), reachable by green marked footpath from Podsuchá (20 min). The biggest tarn
Tarn (lake)
A tarn is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn. A corrie may be called a cirque.The word is derived from the Old Norse word tjörn meaning pond...
is Vrbické pleso in the Demänovská dolina Valley.
The mountains are densely forested and their rich fauna includes 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...
, wolf, and lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
. The alpine meadows are the habitat of chamois
Tatra chamois
The Tatra chamois is a subspecies of the Chamois of the Rupicapra genus. Tatra chamois lives in the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia and Poland and, unknown to many, the Low Tatras in Slovakia....
.
National Park
Most of the Low Tatras is protected by the Low Tatras National ParkLow Tatras National Park
Low Tatras National Park is a national park in Central Slovakia, between the Váh River and the Hron River valleys. The park and its buffer zone cover the whole Low Tatras mountain range...
(Národný park Nízke Tatry; abbr. NAPANT), established in 1978. The area of the National Park is 728 km² (281.08 mi²) and the buffer zone takes 1,102 km² (425.48 mi²); 1,830 km² (706.56 mi²) together.
Tourism
Tourism is very popular in the Tatras. During the winter there are several ski resorts in Low Tatras, for example JasnáJasná
Jasná is a small village situated in central Slovakia, in the Low Tatras mountains. It is a part of the municipality Demänovská Dolina.Jasná ski resort has over twenty four lifts on both sides of the Chopok Mountain – including six chair lifts and a cable car...
, Mýto pod Ďumbierom
Mýto pod Dumbierom
Mýto pod Ďumbierom is a village and municipality in Brezno District, in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia....
, and Tále
Tale
Tale may refer to:*Cautionary tale, a traditional story told in folklore, to warn its hearer of a danger*Fairy tale, a fictional story that usually features folkloric characters and enchantments*Folk tale, a story passed-down within a particular population, which comprises the traditions of that...
. Not only are these hubs of hiking and cross-country skiing trails, but Jasna is the largest ski resort in Central Europe and is served by the tourist town of Liptovsky Mikulas
Liptovský Mikuláš
Liptovský Mikuláš is a town in northern Slovakia, on the Váh River. It lies in the Liptov region, in Liptov Basin near the Low Tatra and Tatra mountains...
. Liptovsky Mikulas also offers a range of summer activities such as rafting, kyaking, boating on the lake, fishing, Tatralandia - the hot springs aqua park and hiking etc. There are many good places to stay and plentiful restaurants and bars in the town, which offer excellent food at a great value. Chalet Slovakia http://www.chaletslovakia.com which is based in Mikulas offers visitors accommodation, transport and organises of winter and summer activity breaks. The steep northern slopes of the range are popular with climbers. Other attractions include an 18-hole golf course near Tále.