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Magura National Park, Poland

Pawel Jaworski

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38-232 Krempna 59
tel/fax: (0 prefiks 134) 414 099

magurskipn@pro.onet.pl www.magurskipn.pl

Location and Area

Magura National Park is located in southern Poland (Podkarpackie and MaĹopolskie regions) in Beskid Niski mountain range, and embraces large part of water-head area of the WisĹoka â the massif of Mt Magura WÄtkowska, belonging to main mountain ridge of the Carpathians. Forests are prevailing ecosystems there.

Geological Facts

The landscape is typical for Beskid Niski range, with low and medium mountains, built by flysch Magura rocks. Places of particular geological interest include the monument of nature Diabli KamieĹ (Devilâs Rock) and Kornuty reserve. The main part of the Park covers the ridge of Mt Magura WÄtkowska, culminating at Mt WÄtkowa (847 m.). Northern slopes of the ridge are cut through by the Bednarka and the KĹopotnica streams. The eastern part of Mt Magura is formed as a sequence of single humps separated by stream valleys and deep passes; and longer mountain chains are noticeable in the South, with distinct hills of Mt Nad Tysowym (713 m), Mt Wielka GĂłra (719 m) and Mt Baranie (728 m), separated by passes over OĹĽenna, Ciechania and Olchowiec.

Waters

The Park is river head of the WisĹoka, a typical mountain river which together with its many tributaries is a significant element of the landscape, forming picturesque gorges and bends and often changing directions, especially after it has been fed by a major tributary.

Plant Life

The Parkâs vegetation is zoned, and constitutes a transition stage between eastern and western Carpathian mountains. Typical foothill, termophilous and xerothermic species are a permanent part of the Parkâs ten plant communities, of which forest types constitute a major part. The foothill zone (up to 530 m) still retains fragments of dry ground forest, Carpathian alders and marsh alder forests. The lower mountain forest zone (from 530 m to mountain tops) are dominated by robust Carpathian beech forests. Fir, spruce and pine forests, the latter of external origin, also cover large area of the Park.

Animal Life

The Park is one of the richest animal mainstays in the Beskid Niski range, with its 137 bird species including many rare and endangered birds such as golden eagle, lesser spotted eagle, eagle owl and honey buzzard as well as large populations of black stork, Ural owl, and white-backed woodpecker. Among 35 species of mammals are large predators including brown bear (regularly visiting this area from Slovakia and Bieszczady mountains), lynx, wild cats, wolves and otters. The most interesting species among many local fish are river trout and bull-head. Spotted salamanders, newts, yellow-bellied toads, adders, smooth snakes and grass snakes are quite common in the Park and its surroundings.

Local History

The oldest traces of settlements in this part of the Beskid Niski range are remnants of a large castle built in the 9th-10th century in Brzezowa at Mt Walik, at the foot of Mt Magura WÄtkowska. It belonged to a chain of early medieval castles defending south-eastern borderlands of the Vistula state. Orthodox churches are a picturesque element of local landscape, although some of them were destroyed and can be recognised only by tree groups, clearly discernible from some distance and by untended church graveyards. Some villages still have traditional long wooden houses built of thick spruce or pine logs joined alternately. A small private museum of local culture is located in one of such houses in Kolonia Olchowiec village. It is also worth to visit military cemeteries of WW I, usually forgotten, hiding remains of thousands of people finally reconciled after their death, including Poles who died in military service of Austria, Prussia and Russia. A tragic memorial of WW II is a cemetery of 1250 Jews murdered by Nazis at HaĹbĂłw Pass in 1942.