Giant Mountains (Giant Mountains) - the main mountains after the Alps

The unusually picturesque landscape and biological diversity, as well as the cultural and historical value of the Krkonose Mountains, which occupy the territories of Poland and the Czech Republic, have been known for centuries. These are the highest mountains in the Czech Republic, and their highest peak is ежnieкаka, which rises 1,602 m above the surrounding landscape. The geographical location of the Giant Mountains gives these mountains of average height a diverse mosaic of mountain spruce and mixed forests, tall grassy meadows, subarctic peatlands and lichen tundra. The Krkonoše is visited by 6 million people a year only on the Czech side, because there are conditions for year-round recreation.

Description of the mountain range

Krkonoše or Giant Mountains - a chain of mountains and part of the Sudeten mountain system, which is located in the north of the Czech Republic and in Poland. The border between the two countries extends exactly along the main zone of the central ridge of this massif. The highest peak of the Krkonoše is Mount Snezka, which is also the highest point in the Czech Republic with an indicator of 1,602 meters.

The Krkonoše Mountains are one of the most popular locations for active tourists in Poland and the Czech Republic

On both sides of the border, large areas of the Giant Mountains are designated as national parks and together they form a transboundary biosphere reserve under the auspices of UNESCO. There are several major ski resorts in the area, and it is a popular destination for tourists engaged in mountain skiing and cross-country skiing, hiking, cycling and other activities.

Krkonoše height and area

The Krkonoše Mountains are the highest mountains in the Czech Republic and throughout Central Europe north of the Alps. They have a length of about 35 km, their main ranges and valleys are located in the direction that goes along the north-west / south-east coordinates. The area of ​​the Giant Mountains is 631 square meters. km While most of the peaks and territories of the Sudeten Mountains are mountains of medium height with all the attendant characteristics, some of the Krkonoše zones correspond to higher mountain ranges in terms of flora and fauna and climatic zones.

Direction, extent and boundaries

The main mountain range extends from east to west and forms the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. The northern part, located in Poland, falls steeply into the valleys near the town of Zielona Gora, while the southern slopes descend quite softly. In the northeastern direction, the Giant Mountains continue to the Rudava Janowice Mountain Range, which is located in the Western Sudetenland. The Przełęcz Szklarska pass near Jakuszyce forms the western border with the Jizera Mountains. The Czech massif in the Czech Republic, running parallel to the main ridge, forms a second ridge, also called the internal ridge.

The highest peak of the Giant Mountains

Ежnieкаka is a mountain on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland, the most outstanding point in the Krkonoše Mountains with an indicator of 1,602 meters. Despite the fact that it occupies a leading position in the region in terms of altitude, climbing to Snezhka is not difficult, therefore it is popular among many tourists even without experience in climbing.

Mount Snezka acts as the greatest peak of the Giant Mountains

Where are the Giant Mountains

The Giant Mountains are located in northeastern Czech Republic and in the south of the Polish part of Silesia.
The Czech massif is a geomorphological province, occupying a significant part of the Czech Republic, but extending to neighboring states. This is a geologically old and eroded mountain range, the highest parts of which form the natural border of Bohemia. In the north, it borders the Central European Plain, in the east it is separated from the Western Carpathians. In the south it is bordered by the Danube, although in some parts of Austria it geologically includes some zones on the right bank of the Danube.

Location of the mountain system on the map

The geographical map gives an idea of ​​the position of Snezka and the massif in the border area

Krkonoše coordinates

You can find the Krkonoše map using the following geodata:

• 50 ° 44'00 "north latitude;
• 15 ° 44'00 "East.

Age and features of the formation of the mountain system

The Krkonoše Mountains and the Jizera Mountains form a crystalline complex, which is the geological unit of the Proterozoic and Paleozoic crystalline schist. On the southern edge of the ridge, the aforementioned complex plunges beneath the Earth’s surface and is covered with layers of sediments of a lower geological age, during which permocarbonic rocks of the foothills of the Krkonose Mountains were formed. In the era of the Carboniferous period, about 300 million years ago, a massive granite body penetrated under more ancient rocks.

Tectonic structure and formation factors

Geologically speaking, the Giant Mountains is an ancient mountain range, but its geomorphological evolution and transformation occurred only in the Tertiary and Quaternary periods. The oldest surviving remnants of such undulations in the landscape are aligned tertiary surfaces, which take the form of two large plateaus in the western and eastern parts of the Krkonoše Mountains. The appearance of mountains as a result of alpine orogeny in the Tertiary era led to massive erosion of rivers. Water flows began to deepen as a result of reverse erosion and divide the surface of the mountains into spurs in the Krkonoše River and today's rapid network of deep river valleys.

Despite its low elevation, the Krkonoše relief is extremely diverse

However, there are large differences in the modeling of the northern slopes of the Krkonoše and the southern. Most evidence comes from the lowest geological formation — the Quaternary. During several alternating glacial and interglacial periods, the great heights of the Krkonoše were transformed into glacial circuses, rivers, depressions and several glacial valleys. Evidence of repeated glaciation in some parts of the mountains is presented in the form of glacial moraines and lakes.

Krkonoše relief

The development of the modern Krkonoše relief can be traced from the middle of the Tertiary period. Throughout the Mesozoic and the beginning of the Tertiary period, when the climate was warm and humid, erosion processes took place. During the tertiary alpine period, the area experienced a slow climb. This gave the Krkonoše the main features of height and shape, which the array has preserved to this day. In the Quaternary, the climate in Europe changed dramatically. Europe became much colder, and during the ice ages the continental ice cover moved from Scandinavia to the northern foothills of the Krkonoše. Ice sheets never crossed the Krkonoše, but the mountain valleys next to the ice sheet were filled with alpine-type glaciers. Even today, we can encounter relics of these ice ages - frontal and lateral moraines.

Exposure to frost, ice, and variable temperatures helped form noticeable granite rocks and tori on mountain ranges. On the slopes we can find cliffs rugged with frost, terraces and scree stone fields.

Another relic of glacial activity in the Krkonoše are lakes formed in typical glacial circuses with massive moraine walls holding them back. Most of these glacial circus lakes are located in Poland.

During the hot climate, the Krkonoše ridges were quickly rounded. The last uplift of the mountainous part occurred in the middle of the Tertiary period, during Saxon tectonics, as a response to alpine orogenesis in the Alps and Carpathians. Later modeling of the Quaternary glacier gave rise to valleys. Due to periodic thawing and freezing of scree, in the highest areas of the Krkonoše Mountains, one can see very peculiar surface formations that are usually found in the far north and are called tori and rock formations.

Mining Minerals

The Krkonoše rocks consist mainly of mica schist, phyllite and orthogneiss dating from about 1 billion years ago. Other rock types include quartzite, crystalline limestone, and to a lesser extent tertiary basalt.
Black coal began to be mined in the Giant Mountains in 1570. However, the biggest boom occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries. The first mention of mining in Obři Dul dates back to 1456. Including there is evidence that amethysts, emeralds and gold were mined here.

In the mountains there are a few reserves of amethysts

Natural areas of the Giant Mountains

The Krkonoše National Park is one of the most valuable natural areas in all of Central Europe. The highest Czech mountain range is a unique mosaic of ecosystems that have remained here as a reminder of the ancient glacial past. This is an amazing landscape with high mountain slopes, flat ridges, alpine meadows with colorful wildflowers and mysterious moorlands.

Climate and high altitude zones of the mountain system

The climate of Krkonoše is marked by frequent changes in weather. Winters are cold, and snow depths above 3 meters are not uncommon. Many parts of the mountains are covered in snow for five or six months. At high altitudes, often thick fog. On average, Mount Snezka is partially hidden in fog and / or clouds for 296 days and has a temperature of about 0.2 ° C, which corresponds to places much more northerly, such as Iceland. Annual precipitation ranges from 700 mm at the foot of the mountains to 1,230 mm on Mount Snezka. The greatest amount of precipitation is 1 512 mm in the valleys at the foot of the main ridge.

On the slopes of the mountains, wildlife exists in high-altitude zones of vegetation. These zones reflect the collective actions of many natural conditions - latitude, mountain heights, geological formations, direction and height of slopes, wind flow, temperature, precipitation, snow cover and avalanche activity. In certain height ranges, one or more species of grasses and woody plants prevail, determining the general nature of such places. Four of the six vegetation zones formed in the Giant Mountains:

1. Piedmont zone.
2. Mountain zone.
3. Alpine (upper) line of trees.
4. Lower Alpine (subalpine) zone.
5. Alpine zone.

Plants in the mountain system

River valleys and lower layers form a coastal zone where natural deciduous and mixed forests are largely replaced by spruce monocultures. Only river valleys offer the remains of deciduous forests.

Higher parts form a mountainous zone of vegetation. Their natural coniferous forests were also largely replaced by spruce monocultures, which are often badly damaged due to air pollution and soil oxidation. In many places the forest is dead. This is due to the geographical location in the region around the German-Polish-Czech border triangle with many coal-fired power plants.

Due to the glacial past, here you can find a berry unusual for the region - cloudberries

Above the zone of tree growth at an altitude of about 1,250-1,350 m, there is a zone of subalpine vegetation, which is marked by shrub forests, grassy meadows and subarctic upper reaches. This habitat, which is of particular importance in the Giant Mountains, is a relic of the Arctic tundra, which was typical for Central Europe during the ice age. At the same time, plant species characteristic of the Alps coexist, for example cloudberries. The zone of alpine vegetation with large rocky deserts is found only on the highest peaks. Only grass, moss and lichens survive here.

Mountain animals

At least 15,000 invertebrate species have been identified in the Krkonoše. Here you can meet:

• mollusks - 74;
• bugs - about 1300;
• more than 120 ground beetles;
• more than 1,000 butterflies;
• 428 spiders;
• more than 400 vertebrates;
• 5 local fish species;
• 11 amphibians;
• 6 reptiles;
• 280 birds nesting or regularly migrating.

Although seven species of mammals (for example, brown bear, wolf, wild cat, lynx, ground squirrel and hamster) have disappeared, 12 non-native species and 76 other species of mammals have been recorded on the territory.

Natural objects on the mountain range

The Krkonoše Mountains are the only Czech mountains with an alpine character. Tourists will find here rocky ridges, deep valleys, waterfalls, peat bogs and fragrant mountain meadows.

Rivers and lakes

The ridges are separated by the rivers Elba, Mumlava and Jizera, originating in the Jizera Mountains. Rivers on the Czech side often fall through the steep edges of the mountains into valleys formed by glaciers of the ice age. The largest waterfall on the southern side of the mountains is Panchavsky, with a height of 148 meters.

Pančava waterfall is the largest in Krkonoše

Valleys and gorges

Labsky-Dul is a ragged rocky gorge, which is one of the most atmospheric and popular places for tourists in the Giant Mountains. Here the glacier left moraine walls up to 20 meters high. Aubrey Dul is a beautifully developed mountain valley, which, together with Labski Dul, is the only icy valley in the Czech Republic.

Who discovered and explored the Giant Mountains

Until the Middle Ages, the mountain range and its foothills were deserted, with deep impenetrable forests. The first traces of human settlements probably appeared in the duchy of Bohemia in the 12th century. The first wave of colonization by Slavic settlers dates back to the 13th century in the kingdom of Bohemia, but includes only foothills, mountain ranges were still deserted. The second wave of colonization of the foothills at the end of the 13th century was carried out mainly by German settlers. Many agricultural settlements, markets and craft communities were founded at that time, and they served as the basis for further colonization of the mountain range.

The first to explore the interior of the Giant Mountains were treasure hunters and miners who were looking for gold, silver, ores and precious stones, mainly on the Silesian side. In the 14th and 15th centuries, foreigners who did not speak German came to the mountains. At the beginning of the 16th century, German miners began working in Obří Dul, right under the Snezka Mountain.

Attractions in the region of the mountain system

A characteristic feature of the Krkonoše are its numerous mountain huts, many of which were named after the families who lived there. They are located in the higher parts of the Giant Mountains and were used by shepherds as shelters. After 1800, some mountain huts became interesting for the first tourists, and by the end of the 19th century many of them were converted into hostels and campsites.

The Giant Mountains form one of the most popular tourist areas in Central Europe. Already in the 18th and 19th centuries, climbing Snezka was a common occurrence, and in the 19th century two mountain clubs were founded here. In subsequent years, a network of equestrian routes of 3,000 kilometers was created here.

The most popular resort in the region is Pets pod Snezka.

Interesting facts about the Giant Mountains

Nature in the Giant Mountains is exceptional. To preserve the beauty and wealth, the Giant Mountains were declared a national park in 1963 and have been included in the UNESCO list of biosphere reserves since 1992.

The Krkonoše Mountains are attractive not only for their exceptional nature. Their picturesque character is complemented by a peculiar architecture that adorns the villages in the foothills and is scattered around the ridges.

Gigantic mountains are the most popular winter holiday destination in the Czech Republic. For lovers of winter fun there is a wide selection of well-groomed slopes of all difficulty levels. The mountains are intertwined with a dense network of cross-country skiing trails; in the mountain resorts there are newly built amusement parks.
The Czech name "Krkonoše" was first mentioned (in the singular, namely as "Krkonoše") in 1492.

Climbing the Giant Mountains - video

The Krkonoše Mountains are one of the most sought after outdoor activities in the region. The videos give everyone an opportunity to make their first impression of the Krkonoše: breathtaking trails for unhurried climbs and sport hiking, skiing and boarding downhill from pistes of different levels, relaxing in campsites, as well as exploring a wide variety of natural and historical monuments.

Watch the video: Alpine Skiing Meets Big Mountain Freeriding (April 2024).