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Tatra Mountains

The Tatra Mountains (pronounced), Tatras, or Tatra (Tatry either in Slovak (pronounced [ˈtatri] ) or in Polish (pronounced [ˈtatrɨ]) - plurale tantum), are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. They are the highest mountains in the Carpathians. The Tatras are distinct from the Low Tatras (Slovak: Nízke Tatry), a separate Slovak mountain range further south.

Tatra Mountains
Bird's-eye view of Western Tatras
Highest point
PeakGerlachovský štít
Elevation2,655 m (8,711 ft)
Geography
CountriesSlovakia and Poland
Range coordinates49°10′N 20°08′E / 49.167°N 20.133°E / 49.167; 20.133
Parent rangeWestern Carpathians
Tatra Mountains
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Location in Europe

The Tatra Mountains occupy an area of 785 square kilometres (303 sq mi), of which about 610 square kilometres (236 sq mi) (77.7%) lie within Slovakia and about 175 square kilometres (68 sq mi) (22.3%) within Poland. The highest peak, called Gerlachovský štít, at 2,655 m (8710 ft), is located north of Poprad, entirely in Slovakia. The highest point in Poland, Rysy, at 2,500 metres (8,200 ft),[1] is located south of Zakopane, on the border with Slovakia.[2][3]

The Tatras' length, measured from the eastern foothills of the Kobylí vrch (1,109 metres (3,638 ft)) to the southwestern foot of Ostrý vrch (1128 m), in a straight line, is 57 km (35 mi) (or 53 km (33 mi) according to some),[3] and strictly along the main ridge, 80 km (50 mi). The range is only 19 km (12 mi) wide.[4] The main ridge of the Tatras runs from the village of Huty at the western end to the village of Ždiar at the eastern end.

The Tatras are now protected by law by the establishment of the Tatra National Park, Slovakia and the Tatra National Park, Poland, which are jointly entered in UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves. In 1992, UNESCO jointly designated the Polish and Slovak parks a transboundary biosphere reserve in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, under its Man and the Biosphere Programme.[5]

Etymology edit

The first written record of the name is from 999, when the Bohemian Duke Boleslaus II, on his deathbed, recalled when the Duchy of Bohemia extended to the Tritri montes. Another mention is in the 1086 document from Henry IV, wherein he referred to the Diocese of Prague with Tritri mountains. Still another is in 1125, where the Kosmas chronicles (Chronica Boemorum) mention the name Tatri.[6]

Machek in 1931 favored the theory of the Polish linguist Rozwadowski with a syllabic r like in the words chrt (Czech hound), smrt (Czech death). In Czech this syllabic is sometimes with vowels i, e or u for example črnýčerný, so the Czech reconstruction from Tritri/Tritry would be Trtry. In Polish, the term Tatry is firstly mentioned in 1255. Syllabic r often has vowels on both sides in Polish, so in case of Tarty we can reconstruct the name to Tartry, where the vowel a originated before the syllabic r which dissimilated. This theory is supported by Hungarian forms of term Turtur, Turtul, Tortol from 12th to 14th centuries. It is unknown how the Slovak term looked like until the 17th century when the form Tatry is firstly mentioned and was probably taken from Polish and later found its way into Czech and Hungarian. The term Tatra also appears as a general term in Slovak for barren or stony land, and also in Little Russia for rocks and little stones in a river. Machek stresses that the name has no Slavic origin and mentions Rozwadowski's theory of an Illyrian origin because of a connection with a Herzegovian highland called Tatra, thus taken from local inhabitants.[7] The name is also close to the Ukrainian word for gravel, toltry.[6]

Overview edit

 
Eye of the Sea, Mięguszowiecki Summits, Cubryna, Mnich
 
Mountain lakes of Czarny Staw pod Rysami and Morskie Oko seen from Poland's highest point, the north-western summit of Rysy, 2,500 metres (8,202 ft) in elevation.

The Tatras are a mountain range of a corrugated nature, originating from the Alpine orogeny, and therefore characterized by a relatively young-looking lie of the land, quite similar to the landscape of the Alps, although significantly smaller. It is the highest mountain range within the Carpathians.

It consists of the internal mountain chains of:

The overall nature of the Tatras, together with their easy accessibility, makes them a favorite with tourists and researchers. Therefore, these mountains are a popular winter sports area, with resorts such as Poprad and the town Vysoké Tatry (The Town of High Tatras) in Slovakia created in 1999, including former separate resorts: Štrbské Pleso, Starý Smokovec, and Tatranská Lomnica or Zakopane, called also "winter capital of Poland". The High Tatras, with their 24 (or 25) peaks exceeding 2,500 m above sea level, together with the Southern Carpathians, represent the only form of alpine landscape in the entire 1,200 kilometres (746 miles) length of arc of the Carpathians.

Ownership and border disputes edit

By the end of the First Polish Republic, the border with the Kingdom of Hungary in the Tatras was not exactly defined. The Tatras became an unoccupied borderland. On 20 November 1770, under the guise of protection against the epidemic of plague in the Podolia, an Austrian army entered into Polish land and formed a cordon sanitaire, seizing Sądecczyzna, Spiš and Podhale. Two years later, the First Partition of Poland allocated the lands to Austria. In 1824, Zakopane region and area around Morskie Oko were purchased from the authorities of the Austrian Empire by a Hungarian Emanuel Homolacs. When Austria-Hungary was formed in 1867, the Tatra Mountains have become a natural border between the two states of the dual monarchy, but the border itself still has not been exactly determined. In 1889, a Polish Count Władysław Zamoyski purchased at auction the Zakopane region along with the area around Morskie Oko. Due to numerous disputes over land ownership in the late 19th century, attempts were made at the delimitation of the border. They were fruitless until 1897, and the case went to an international court which determined on 13 September 1902 the exact course of the Austro-Hungarian border in the disputed area.

A new round of border disputes between Poland and Czechoslovakia started immediately after the end of the First World War, when these two countries were established. Among other claims, Poland claimed ownership of a large part of the Spiš region. This claim also included additional parts of the Tatra Mountains. After several years of border conflicts, the first treaty (facilitated by the League of Nations) was signed in 1925, with Poland receiving a small northernmost part of the Spiš region, immediately outside (to the north-east of) the Tatra Mountains, thus not changing the border in the mountains themselves. During the Second World War there were multiple attempts by both sides of the conflict to occupy more land, but the final treaty signed in 1958 (valid until present day) preserved the border line agreed in 1925.

Borders and hiking edit

With the collapse of the Austrian Empire in 1918 and the creation of Poland and Czechoslovakia, the Tatra Mountains started to be divided by international border. This brought considerable difficulties to hikers, as it was illegal to cross the border without passing through an official border checkpoint, and for many decades there were no checkpoints for hikers anywhere on the border ridge. The nearest road border crossings were Tatranská Javorina - Łysa Polana and Podspády - Jurgów in the east, and Suchá Hora - Chocholów in the west. Indeed, those who did cross elsewhere were frequently fined or even detained by border police of both countries. On the other hand, the permeable border in the Tatra Mountains was also heavily used for cross-border smuggling of goods such as alcohol, tobacco, coffee, etc. between Poland and Czechoslovakia. Only in 1999, more than 80 years after the dissolution of the Austrian Empire, the governments of Poland and Slovakia signed an agreement designating several unstaffed border crossings (with only irregular spot checks by border police) for hikers and cyclists on the 444 km-long Slovak-Polish border. One of these border crossings was created in the Tatra Mountains themselves, on the summit of the Rysy peak. However, there were still many other peaks and passes where hiking trails ran across the border, but where crossing remained illegal. This situation finally improved in 2007, with both countries accessing the Schengen Area. Since then, it is legal to cross the border at any point (i.e. no further official checkpoints were designated). Rules of the national parks on both sides of the border still apply and they restrict movement to official hiking trails and (especially on the Slovak side) mandate extensive seasonal closures in order to protect wildlife.

Climate edit

 
Snow covered Tatras in May 2019.

The Tatras lie in the temperate zone of Central Europe. They are an important barrier to the movements of air masses. Their mountainous topography causes one of the most diverse climates in that region.

Precipitation edit

The highest precipitation figures are recorded on the northern slopes. In June and July, monthly precipitation reaches around 250 mm (10 in). Precipitation occurs from 215 to 228 days a year. Thunderstorms occur 36 days a year on average.[8]

Snow cover edit

Maximum snow cover on the summit amounts to:

  • in Poland - Kasprowy Wierch: maximum 388 cm (153 in)[9]
  • in Slovakia - Lomnický Štít: mean maximum of 204 cm (80 in)[10]

Peaks are sometimes covered with snow or ice throughout the year. Avalanches are frequent.

Temperature edit

Extreme temperatures range from −40 °C (−40 °F) in the winter to 33 °C (91 °F) in warmer months. Temperatures also vary depending on the altitude and sun exposure of a given slope. Temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) last for 192 days on the summits.[11]

Winds edit

 
Visible effects of the 2004 storm in Slovakia

The average wind speed on the summits is 6 m/s (13.4 mi/hr).

  • southerly winds on the northern side
  • westerly winds at the base of Tatra (Orava-Nowy Targ Basin)
  • foehn winds (Polish: halny) most often occur between October and May. They are warm and dry and can cause extensive damage.
  • Maximum wind speed 288 km/h (179 mph) (6 May 1968).[12]

On 19 November 2004, large parts of the forests in the southern Slovak part of the High Tatras were damaged by a strong wind storm.[12] Three million cubic metres (1,864 square miles) of trees were uprooted, two people died, and several villages were totally cut off. Further damage was done by a subsequent forest fire, and it will take many years until the local ecology is fully recovered.[13]

Flora edit

 
Gentiana punctata

The Tatra Mountains have a diverse variety of plant life. They are home to more than 1,000 species of vascular plants, about 450 mosses, 200 liverworts, 700 lichens, 900 fungi, and 70 slime moulds. There are five climatic-vegetation belts in the Tatras.[citation needed]

The distribution of plants depends on altitude:

  • up to 1,300 m (4,265 ft): Carpathian beech forest; almost no shrub layer, herbaceous layer occupies most of the forest floor
  • to 1,550 m (5,085 ft): Spruce forest; shrub layer poorly developed, mosses are a major component
  • to 1,800 m (5,905 ft): Mountain Pine, numerous herbs
  • to 2,300 m (7,546 ft): high altitude grasslands
  • from 2,300 m (7,546 ft) up: Subnivean - bare rock and almost no vegetation (mostly lichens)
 
Tatra chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica)

Fauna edit

The Tatra Mountains are home to many species of animals: 54 tardigrades, 22 turbellarians, 100 rotifers, 22 copepods, 162 spiders, 81 molluscs, 43 mammals, 200 birds, 7 amphibians and 2 reptiles.

The most notable mammals are the Tatra chamois, marmot, snow vole, brown bear, wolf, Eurasian lynx, red deer, roe deer, and wild boar. Notable fish include the brown trout and alpine bullhead.

The endemic arthropod species include a caddis fly, the spider Xysticus alpicola[14] and a springtail.

Summits edit

Eastern Tatras edit

  • Gerlachovský štít - 2655 m (Slovakia)
  • Lomnický štít - 2634 m (Slovakia)
  • Ľadový štít - 2627 m (Slovakia)
  • Pyšný štít - 2621 m (Slovakia)
  • Zadný Gerlach - 2616 m (Slovakia)
  • Lavínový štít - 2606 m (Slovakia)
  • Ľadová kopa - 2602 m (Slovakia)
  • Kotlový štít - 2601 m (Slovakia)
  • Malý Pyšný štít - 2592 m (Slovakia)
  • Kežmarský štít - 2558 m (Slovakia)
  • Vysoká - 2547 m (Slovakia)
  • Končistá - 2538 m (Slovakia)
  • Baranie rohy - 2526 m (Slovakia)
  • Dračí štít - 2523 m (Slovakia)
  • Ťažký štít - 2520 m (Slovakia)
  • Malý Kežmarský štít - 2513 m (Slovakia)
  • Rysy - 2503 m, 2499 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Kriváň - 2495 m (Slovakia)
  • Slavkovský štít - 2452 m (Slovakia)
  • Batizovský štít - 2448 m (Slovakia)
  • Veľký Mengusovský štít (Slovak); Mięguszowiecki Szczyt Wielki (Polish) - 2438 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Malé Rysy (Slovak); Niżnie Rysy (Polish) - 2430 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Východna Vysoka - 2429 m (Slovakia)
  • Východný Mengusovský štít (Slovak); Mięguszowiecki Szczyt Czarny (Polish) - 2410 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Prostredný Mengusovský štít (Slovak); Mięguszowiecki Szczyt Pośredni (Polish) - 2393 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Čubrina (Slovak); Cubryna (Polish) - 2376 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Svinica (Slovak); Świnica (Polish) - 2301 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Kozi Wierch - 2291 m (Poland)
  • Jahňaci štít - 2230 m (Slovakia)
  • Zamarła Turnia - 2179 m (Poland)
  • Kościelec - 2155 m (Poland)
  • Mnich - 2068 m (Poland)

Western Tatras edit

  • Bystrá - 2248 m (Slovakia)
  • Jakubina - 2194 m (Slovakia)
  • Baranec - 2184 m (Slovakia)
  • Baníkov - 2178 m (Slovakia)
  • Klin (Slovak); Starorobociański Wierch (Polish) - 2176 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Pachoľa - 2167 m (Slovakia)
  • Hrubá kopa - 2166 m (Slovakia)
  • Nižná Bystrá - 2163 m (Slovakia)
  • Štrbavy - 2149 m (Slovakia)
  • Jalovecký príslop - 2142 m (Slovakia)
  • Hrubý vrch (Slovak); Jarząbczy Wierch (Polish) - 2137 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Tri kopy - 2136 m (Slovakia)
  • Veľká Kamenistá (Slovak); Kamienista (Polish) - 2126 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Krzesanica - 2122 m (Slovakia/Poland) - summit of Czerwone Wierchy / Red Mountains
  • Volovec (Slovak); Wołowiec (Polish) - 2064 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Kasprov vrch (Slovak); Kasprowy Wierch (Polish) - 1987 m (Slovakia/Poland)
  • Giewont - 1894 m (Poland)
  • Sivý vrch - 1809 m (Slovakia)

Tourism edit

 
Tourists in Zakopane enjoying views of Giewont in 1938.

In 1683, an anonymous author published a book of adventures and excursions in the Tatras. It became very popular in Europe and contributed to the growth of tourism in the Tatras. As it later turned out, its author was Daniel Speer, born in Wrocław, who for a time lived in the sub-Tatra region.[citation needed]

A popular tourist destination in Poland is Zakopane but the developed tourist base also includes Kościelisko, Poronin, Biały Dunajec, Bukowina Tatrzańska, Białka Tatrzańska, Murzasichle, Małe Ciche, Ząb, Jurgów, Brzegi.[citation needed]

In Slovakia, the most important tourist base is the city Vysoké Tatry, consisting of three parts: Štrbské Pleso, Starý Smokovec and Tatranská Lomnica.[citation needed]

The Polish "national mountain" (featured prominently in myths and folklore) is Giewont, while the Slovak one is Kriváň.[citation needed]

Trails edit

 
Red trail marker on the Orla Perć path
 
Hiking in the Polish Tatras
 
Crowded Rysy peak

Orla Perć is considered the most difficult and dangerous mountain trail in the Tatras, a suitable destination only for experienced tourists and climbers. It lies exclusively within the Polish part of the Tatras, was conceived in 1901 by Franciszek Nowicki, a Polish poet and mountain guide, and was built between 1903 and 1906. Over 100 individuals have died on the route since it was established. The path is marked with red signs.[citation needed] The death of Polish philosopher Bronisław Bandrowski is often used by guides as a cautionary tale for tourists. He committed suicide after he was trapped for days on a rocky ledge in one of the trails near Zakopane.[15]

The highest point in the Tatra Mountains that can be freely accessed by a labeled trail is Rysy.[16]

Most of the peaks in the Western Tatras (on both sides of the border), including the main ridge are freely accessible by hiking trails. In the Slovak part of the Eastern Tatras, only seven peaks (out of 48 with prominence of at least 100 m) are accessible by hiking trails (Rysy, Svinica/Świnica, Slavkovský štít, Kriváň, Kôprovský štít, Východná Vysoká, and Jahňací štít). Two of these (Rysy and Svinica/Świnica) are located on the border with Poland and accessible from the Polish side. The rest of the peaks on the Slovak side (including the highest one, Gerlachovský štít) can only be accessed when accompanied by a certified mountain guide. UIAA members can climb them without a certified guide, but not using the normal (easiest) routes (from the III degree of difficulty).[citation needed]

In the Slovak part most of the hiking trails in the Tatras are closed from 1 November to 15 June. Only trails from settlements up to the mountain huts are open. In Poland, the trails are open year-round.[citation needed]

Human engagement edit

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the mountains were used for sheep grazing and mining. Many trees were cut down to make way for humans. Although these activities were stopped, the impact is still visible. Moreover, pollution from the industrialized regions of Kraków in Poland or Ostrava in Czech Republic, as well as casual tourism, cause substantial damage.[17] Volunteers however initiate litter removal events frequently, on both sides of the border.

The Slovak Tatra National Park (Tatranský národný park; TANAP) was founded in 1949 (738 km2, 285 sq mi), and the contiguous Polish Tatra National Park (Tatrzański Park Narodowy) in 1954 (215.56 km2, 83.23 sq mi).[18] The two parks were added jointly to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve list in 1993.[5]

In 2013, the International Union for Conservation of Nature threatened to cancel the Slovak TANAP's status of a national park because of the large investments (mainly in skiing infrastructure) in the park, which seriously interfere with the landscape and nature.[citation needed]

In popular culture edit

  • The theme of the song "Nad Tatrou sa blýska" is that there is a storm in the Tatras. The song was the second part of the dual national anthem of Czechoslovakia from 1918 to its dissolution in 1993, and since became the national anthem of Slovakia.
  • Czech composer Vítězslav Novák's 1902 symphonic poem V Tatrách ('In the Tatras', Op.26) was directly inspired by the mountains.
  • "A 1930's ski-movie, filmed in Tatras, Poland". nevaasport.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2007.
  • The 1999 film Ravenous was filmed in the Tatra Mountains.[19]
  • In 2006, the Bollywood film Fanaa, portraying places in Kashmir, was filmed at Zakopane, mainly because of the risks associated with insurgency in Kashmir, as well due to some similarities in a mountain landscape.[citation needed][20]
  • Leo Frankowski mentions the Tatras several times in his science fiction novels in the Conrad Stargard series.
  • The Tatra Mountains are the setting of the 2024 Netflix crime drama television series Forst, based on the series of the same name by Remigiusz Mróz.[21]

Notable people edit

(Alphabetical by surname)

Rankings edit

 
Morskie Oko

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ . Onet Podróże (in Polish). 23 August 2020. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  2. ^ Trengove, Mark (July 2005). "Introduction to the Tatras". PeakList: Mountains of the World. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  3. ^ a b Strzala, Marek (2012). "Tatra Mountains. Features. Weather. Wildlife". Krakow Info: National Parks. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  4. ^ Krupa, Maciek (2012). "The Tatra Mountains and Tatra National Park". Discover Zakopane. BAW Altius. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  5. ^ a b . UNESCO: Ecological Sciences for Sustainable Development. Archived from the original on 5 August 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  6. ^ a b František, Kele; Lučanský, Milan (2001). Tatry (in Czech). Praha: Knižní klub.
  7. ^ Machek, Václav (1931). "Tatry". Naše řeč (15): 119–120.
  8. ^ USA, IBP (3 March 2012). Slovakia Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-4387-7555-5.
  9. ^ "Wysokogórskie Obserwatorium Meteorologizne IMGW-PIB". PKL. from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  10. ^ Vojtek, Martin (31 July 2010). "The dynamics of snow cover in mountainous regions of Slovakia" (PDF). p. 76. (PDF) from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  11. ^ Slovakia Republic Country: Strategic Information and Developments. United States: International Business Publications USA. 2012. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-4387-7555-5.
  12. ^ a b Igor J. Zaleski; Tomasz Mączka. . Tatrzański Park Narodowy (in Polish). Archived from the original on 9 January 2011.
  13. ^ USA, IBP (3 March 2012). Slovakia Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-4387-7555-5.
  14. ^ Kulczynski (1882). "Xysticus alpicola". Fauna Europaea. 2.4.
  15. ^ Brożek, Anna; Chybińska, Alicja; Jadacki, Jacek; Woleński, Jan (2015). Tradition of the Lvov-Warsaw School: Ideas and Continuations. Leiden: BRILL. pp. 265, 271. ISBN 978-90-04-31175-6.
  16. ^ "Zabi Szczyt Wyzni : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering: SummitPost". www.summitpost.org. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Multi-scale interactions between disturbances and ecological and socioeconomical changes – case study High Tatra Mts. (Slovakia)" (PDF). lter-europe.net. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  18. ^ . www.tpn.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  19. ^ "Ravenous filming locations". imdb.com.
  20. ^ Sedia, Giuseppe (11 August 2012). "Bollywood Beats a Path to Krakow". The Krakow Post. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  21. ^ Wawrzyn, Marta (21 October 2022). "Detektyw Forst - ruszyły zdjęcia! Co już wiemy o polskim serialu Netfliksa?". Serialowa (in Polish). Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  22. ^ "Tatrzański Park Narodowy na 12. miejscu w rankingu". CNN (in Polish). onet. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  23. ^ Styles, Ruth (22 July 2014). "Great Lakes Around the World". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2021.

Bibliography edit

  • Lacika, Ján (2006). Tatras (2nd ed.). Bratislava. ISBN 80-88975-95-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Saunders, Colin; Nárožná, Renáta (2006). Walking in the High Tatras (2nd ed.). Cicerone Press (Milnthorpe). ISBN 978-1-85284-482-0.

External links edit

  • "Places to visit Tatras Mountains". travelzenith.com. April 2014. – (available in: ENG)
  • "Town of Vysoké Tatry". tatry.sk (in Slovak). Municipal website (available in: ENG, SLV)
  • Zakopane – municipal website (available in: POL, ENG)
  • – Slovak Tatra National Park (available in: SLV, ENG, POL)
  • TPN – Polish Tatra National Park (available in POL only)
Commercial tourism-oriented websites
  • The High Tatras - Accommodation and Tourism (available in: SLV, CZE, POL, ENG, GER)
  • Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia (available in: ENG, GER, SLV, POL)
  • Tatry - The smallest mountains in the biggest detail. (available in: ENG, CZE)
  • Tatra auf Travelia.sk
Mountaineering
  • Tatra Volunteer Rescue Service (available in POL only)
  • Mountaineering in Tatra Mountains (practical info about climbing in Tatras)
Photography
  • K2 Studio - photographs of the Tatras (available in: SLV, ENG)
  • 360 - a spherical panoramic journey in 1583 pieces (available in: POL, ENG)
  • CinemaPhoto.pl - photographs in Tatras (available in: POL, ENG)
  • Astonishing Vintage Images of the Tatra Mountains

tatra, mountains, pronounced, tatras, tatra, tatry, either, slovak, pronounced, ˈtatri, polish, pronounced, ˈtatrɨ, plurale, tantum, series, mountains, within, western, carpathians, that, form, natural, border, between, slovakia, poland, they, highest, mountai. The Tatra Mountains pronounced Tatras or Tatra Tatry either in Slovak pronounced ˈtatri or in Polish pronounced ˈtatrɨ plurale tantum are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland They are the highest mountains in the Carpathians The Tatras are distinct from the Low Tatras Slovak Nizke Tatry a separate Slovak mountain range further south Tatra MountainsBird s eye view of Western TatrasHighest pointPeakGerlachovsky stitElevation2 655 m 8 711 ft GeographyCountriesSlovakia and PolandRange coordinates49 10 N 20 08 E 49 167 N 20 133 E 49 167 20 133Parent rangeWestern CarpathiansTatra Mountainsclass notpageimage Location in Europe The Tatra Mountains occupy an area of 785 square kilometres 303 sq mi of which about 610 square kilometres 236 sq mi 77 7 lie within Slovakia and about 175 square kilometres 68 sq mi 22 3 within Poland The highest peak called Gerlachovsky stit at 2 655 m 8710 ft is located north of Poprad entirely in Slovakia The highest point in Poland Rysy at 2 500 metres 8 200 ft 1 is located south of Zakopane on the border with Slovakia 2 3 The Tatras length measured from the eastern foothills of the Kobyli vrch 1 109 metres 3 638 ft to the southwestern foot of Ostry vrch 1128 m in a straight line is 57 km 35 mi or 53 km 33 mi according to some 3 and strictly along the main ridge 80 km 50 mi The range is only 19 km 12 mi wide 4 The main ridge of the Tatras runs from the village of Huty at the western end to the village of Zdiar at the eastern end The Tatras are now protected by law by the establishment of the Tatra National Park Slovakia and the Tatra National Park Poland which are jointly entered in UNESCO s World Network of Biosphere Reserves In 1992 UNESCO jointly designated the Polish and Slovak parks a transboundary biosphere reserve in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves under its Man and the Biosphere Programme 5 Contents 1 Etymology 2 Overview 3 Ownership and border disputes 3 1 Borders and hiking 4 Climate 4 1 Precipitation 4 2 Snow cover 4 3 Temperature 4 4 Winds 5 Flora 6 Fauna 7 Summits 7 1 Eastern Tatras 7 2 Western Tatras 8 Tourism 8 1 Trails 9 Human engagement 10 In popular culture 11 Notable people 12 Rankings 13 See also 14 References 15 Bibliography 16 External linksEtymology editThe first written record of the name is from 999 when the Bohemian Duke Boleslaus II on his deathbed recalled when the Duchy of Bohemia extended to the Tritri montes Another mention is in the 1086 document from Henry IV wherein he referred to the Diocese of Prague with Tritri mountains Still another is in 1125 where the Kosmas chronicles Chronica Boemorum mention the name Tatri 6 Machek in 1931 favored the theory of the Polish linguist Rozwadowski with a syllabic r like in the words chrt Czech hound smrt Czech death In Czech this syllabic is sometimes with vowels i e or u for example crny cerny so the Czech reconstruction from Tritri Tritry would be Trtry In Polish the term Tatry is firstly mentioned in 1255 Syllabic r often has vowels on both sides in Polish so in case of Tarty we can reconstruct the name to Tartry where the vowel a originated before the syllabic r which dissimilated This theory is supported by Hungarian forms of term Turtur Turtul Tortol from 12th to 14th centuries It is unknown how the Slovak term looked like until the 17th century when the form Tatry is firstly mentioned and was probably taken from Polish and later found its way into Czech and Hungarian The term Tatra also appears as a general term in Slovak for barren or stony land and also in Little Russia for rocks and little stones in a river Machek stresses that the name has no Slavic origin and mentions Rozwadowski s theory of an Illyrian origin because of a connection with a Herzegovian highland called Tatra thus taken from local inhabitants 7 The name is also close to the Ukrainian word for gravel toltry 6 Overview edit nbsp Eye of the Sea Mieguszowiecki Summits Cubryna Mnich nbsp Mountain lakes of Czarny Staw pod Rysami and Morskie Oko seen from Poland s highest point the north western summit of Rysy 2 500 metres 8 202 ft in elevation The Tatras are a mountain range of a corrugated nature originating from the Alpine orogeny and therefore characterized by a relatively young looking lie of the land quite similar to the landscape of the Alps although significantly smaller It is the highest mountain range within the Carpathians It consists of the internal mountain chains of Eastern Tatras Vychodne Tatry Tatry Wschodnie which in turn consist of the Belianske Tatras Belianske Tatry Tatry Bielskie and the High Tatras Vysoke Tatry Tatry Wysokie Western Tatras Slovak Zapadne Tatry Polish Tatry Zachodnie The overall nature of the Tatras together with their easy accessibility makes them a favorite with tourists and researchers Therefore these mountains are a popular winter sports area with resorts such as Poprad and the town Vysoke Tatry The Town of High Tatras in Slovakia created in 1999 including former separate resorts Strbske Pleso Stary Smokovec and Tatranska Lomnica or Zakopane called also winter capital of Poland The High Tatras with their 24 or 25 peaks exceeding 2 500 m above sea level together with the Southern Carpathians represent the only form of alpine landscape in the entire 1 200 kilometres 746 miles length of arc of the Carpathians Ownership and border disputes editBy the end of the First Polish Republic the border with the Kingdom of Hungary in the Tatras was not exactly defined The Tatras became an unoccupied borderland On 20 November 1770 under the guise of protection against the epidemic of plague in the Podolia an Austrian army entered into Polish land and formed a cordon sanitaire seizing Sadecczyzna Spis and Podhale Two years later the First Partition of Poland allocated the lands to Austria In 1824 Zakopane region and area around Morskie Oko were purchased from the authorities of the Austrian Empire by a Hungarian Emanuel Homolacs When Austria Hungary was formed in 1867 the Tatra Mountains have become a natural border between the two states of the dual monarchy but the border itself still has not been exactly determined In 1889 a Polish Count Wladyslaw Zamoyski purchased at auction the Zakopane region along with the area around Morskie Oko Due to numerous disputes over land ownership in the late 19th century attempts were made at the delimitation of the border They were fruitless until 1897 and the case went to an international court which determined on 13 September 1902 the exact course of the Austro Hungarian border in the disputed area A new round of border disputes between Poland and Czechoslovakia started immediately after the end of the First World War when these two countries were established Among other claims Poland claimed ownership of a large part of the Spis region This claim also included additional parts of the Tatra Mountains After several years of border conflicts the first treaty facilitated by the League of Nations was signed in 1925 with Poland receiving a small northernmost part of the Spis region immediately outside to the north east of the Tatra Mountains thus not changing the border in the mountains themselves During the Second World War there were multiple attempts by both sides of the conflict to occupy more land but the final treaty signed in 1958 valid until present day preserved the border line agreed in 1925 Borders and hiking edit With the collapse of the Austrian Empire in 1918 and the creation of Poland and Czechoslovakia the Tatra Mountains started to be divided by international border This brought considerable difficulties to hikers as it was illegal to cross the border without passing through an official border checkpoint and for many decades there were no checkpoints for hikers anywhere on the border ridge The nearest road border crossings were Tatranska Javorina Lysa Polana and Podspady Jurgow in the east and Sucha Hora Chocholow in the west Indeed those who did cross elsewhere were frequently fined or even detained by border police of both countries On the other hand the permeable border in the Tatra Mountains was also heavily used for cross border smuggling of goods such as alcohol tobacco coffee etc between Poland and Czechoslovakia Only in 1999 more than 80 years after the dissolution of the Austrian Empire the governments of Poland and Slovakia signed an agreement designating several unstaffed border crossings with only irregular spot checks by border police for hikers and cyclists on the 444 km long Slovak Polish border One of these border crossings was created in the Tatra Mountains themselves on the summit of the Rysy peak However there were still many other peaks and passes where hiking trails ran across the border but where crossing remained illegal This situation finally improved in 2007 with both countries accessing the Schengen Area Since then it is legal to cross the border at any point i e no further official checkpoints were designated Rules of the national parks on both sides of the border still apply and they restrict movement to official hiking trails and especially on the Slovak side mandate extensive seasonal closures in order to protect wildlife Climate edit nbsp Snow covered Tatras in May 2019 The Tatras lie in the temperate zone of Central Europe They are an important barrier to the movements of air masses Their mountainous topography causes one of the most diverse climates in that region Precipitation edit The highest precipitation figures are recorded on the northern slopes In June and July monthly precipitation reaches around 250 mm 10 in Precipitation occurs from 215 to 228 days a year Thunderstorms occur 36 days a year on average 8 Snow cover edit Maximum snow cover on the summit amounts to in Poland Kasprowy Wierch maximum 388 cm 153 in 9 in Slovakia Lomnicky Stit mean maximum of 204 cm 80 in 10 Peaks are sometimes covered with snow or ice throughout the year Avalanches are frequent Temperature edit Extreme temperatures range from 40 C 40 F in the winter to 33 C 91 F in warmer months Temperatures also vary depending on the altitude and sun exposure of a given slope Temperatures below 0 C 32 F last for 192 days on the summits 11 Winds edit nbsp Visible effects of the 2004 storm in SlovakiaThe average wind speed on the summits is 6 m s 13 4 mi hr southerly winds on the northern side westerly winds at the base of Tatra Orava Nowy Targ Basin foehn winds Polish halny most often occur between October and May They are warm and dry and can cause extensive damage Maximum wind speed 288 km h 179 mph 6 May 1968 12 On 19 November 2004 large parts of the forests in the southern Slovak part of the High Tatras were damaged by a strong wind storm 12 Three million cubic metres 1 864 square miles of trees were uprooted two people died and several villages were totally cut off Further damage was done by a subsequent forest fire and it will take many years until the local ecology is fully recovered 13 Flora edit nbsp Gentiana punctataThe Tatra Mountains have a diverse variety of plant life They are home to more than 1 000 species of vascular plants about 450 mosses 200 liverworts 700 lichens 900 fungi and 70 slime moulds There are five climatic vegetation belts in the Tatras citation needed The distribution of plants depends on altitude up to 1 300 m 4 265 ft Carpathian beech forest almost no shrub layer herbaceous layer occupies most of the forest floor to 1 550 m 5 085 ft Spruce forest shrub layer poorly developed mosses are a major component to 1 800 m 5 905 ft Mountain Pine numerous herbs to 2 300 m 7 546 ft high altitude grasslands from 2 300 m 7 546 ft up Subnivean bare rock and almost no vegetation mostly lichens nbsp Tatra chamois Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica Fauna editThe Tatra Mountains are home to many species of animals 54 tardigrades 22 turbellarians 100 rotifers 22 copepods 162 spiders 81 molluscs 43 mammals 200 birds 7 amphibians and 2 reptiles The most notable mammals are the Tatra chamois marmot snow vole brown bear wolf Eurasian lynx red deer roe deer and wild boar Notable fish include the brown trout and alpine bullhead The endemic arthropod species include a caddis fly the spider Xysticus alpicola 14 and a springtail Summits edit nbsp Gerlachovsky stit 2 655 metres or 8 711 feet the highest peak in Slovakia nbsp Krivan 2 495 metres or 8 186 feet the country s symbol on 1 2 and 5 euro cents nbsp View from Lomnicky stit 2 634 metres or 8 642 feet nbsp Skalnate pleso Observatory 1 751 metres or 5 745 feet nbsp Bystra 2 248 metres or 7 375 feet nbsp Koscielec 2 155 metres or 7 070 feet Eastern Tatras edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed October 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Gerlachovsky stit 2655 m Slovakia Lomnicky stit 2634 m Slovakia Ľadovy stit 2627 m Slovakia Pysny stit 2621 m Slovakia Zadny Gerlach 2616 m Slovakia Lavinovy stit 2606 m Slovakia Ľadova kopa 2602 m Slovakia Kotlovy stit 2601 m Slovakia Maly Pysny stit 2592 m Slovakia Kezmarsky stit 2558 m Slovakia Vysoka 2547 m Slovakia Koncista 2538 m Slovakia Baranie rohy 2526 m Slovakia Draci stit 2523 m Slovakia Tazky stit 2520 m Slovakia Maly Kezmarsky stit 2513 m Slovakia Rysy 2503 m 2499 m Slovakia Poland Krivan 2495 m Slovakia Slavkovsky stit 2452 m Slovakia Batizovsky stit 2448 m Slovakia Veľky Mengusovsky stit Slovak Mieguszowiecki Szczyt Wielki Polish 2438 m Slovakia Poland Male Rysy Slovak Niznie Rysy Polish 2430 m Slovakia Poland Vychodna Vysoka 2429 m Slovakia Vychodny Mengusovsky stit Slovak Mieguszowiecki Szczyt Czarny Polish 2410 m Slovakia Poland Prostredny Mengusovsky stit Slovak Mieguszowiecki Szczyt Posredni Polish 2393 m Slovakia Poland Cubrina Slovak Cubryna Polish 2376 m Slovakia Poland Svinica Slovak Swinica Polish 2301 m Slovakia Poland Kozi Wierch 2291 m Poland Jahnaci stit 2230 m Slovakia Zamarla Turnia 2179 m Poland Koscielec 2155 m Poland Mnich 2068 m Poland Western Tatras edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed October 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Bystra 2248 m Slovakia Jakubina 2194 m Slovakia Baranec 2184 m Slovakia Banikov 2178 m Slovakia Klin Slovak Starorobocianski Wierch Polish 2176 m Slovakia Poland Pachoľa 2167 m Slovakia Hruba kopa 2166 m Slovakia Nizna Bystra 2163 m Slovakia Strbavy 2149 m Slovakia Jalovecky prislop 2142 m Slovakia Hruby vrch Slovak Jarzabczy Wierch Polish 2137 m Slovakia Poland Tri kopy 2136 m Slovakia Veľka Kamenista Slovak Kamienista Polish 2126 m Slovakia Poland Krzesanica 2122 m Slovakia Poland summit of Czerwone Wierchy Red Mountains Volovec Slovak Wolowiec Polish 2064 m Slovakia Poland Kasprov vrch Slovak Kasprowy Wierch Polish 1987 m Slovakia Poland Giewont 1894 m Poland Sivy vrch 1809 m Slovakia Tourism edit nbsp Tourists in Zakopane enjoying views of Giewont in 1938 In 1683 an anonymous author published a book of adventures and excursions in the Tatras It became very popular in Europe and contributed to the growth of tourism in the Tatras As it later turned out its author was Daniel Speer born in Wroclaw who for a time lived in the sub Tatra region citation needed A popular tourist destination in Poland is Zakopane but the developed tourist base also includes Koscielisko Poronin Bialy Dunajec Bukowina Tatrzanska Bialka Tatrzanska Murzasichle Male Ciche Zab Jurgow Brzegi citation needed In Slovakia the most important tourist base is the city Vysoke Tatry consisting of three parts Strbske Pleso Stary Smokovec and Tatranska Lomnica citation needed The Polish national mountain featured prominently in myths and folklore is Giewont while the Slovak one is Krivan citation needed Trails edit nbsp Red trail marker on the Orla Perc path nbsp Hiking in the Polish Tatras nbsp Crowded Rysy peakOrla Perc is considered the most difficult and dangerous mountain trail in the Tatras a suitable destination only for experienced tourists and climbers It lies exclusively within the Polish part of the Tatras was conceived in 1901 by Franciszek Nowicki a Polish poet and mountain guide and was built between 1903 and 1906 Over 100 individuals have died on the route since it was established The path is marked with red signs citation needed The death of Polish philosopher Bronislaw Bandrowski is often used by guides as a cautionary tale for tourists He committed suicide after he was trapped for days on a rocky ledge in one of the trails near Zakopane 15 The highest point in the Tatra Mountains that can be freely accessed by a labeled trail is Rysy 16 Most of the peaks in the Western Tatras on both sides of the border including the main ridge are freely accessible by hiking trails In the Slovak part of the Eastern Tatras only seven peaks out of 48 with prominence of at least 100 m are accessible by hiking trails Rysy Svinica Swinica Slavkovsky stit Krivan Koprovsky stit Vychodna Vysoka and Jahnaci stit Two of these Rysy and Svinica Swinica are located on the border with Poland and accessible from the Polish side The rest of the peaks on the Slovak side including the highest one Gerlachovsky stit can only be accessed when accompanied by a certified mountain guide UIAA members can climb them without a certified guide but not using the normal easiest routes from the III degree of difficulty citation needed In the Slovak part most of the hiking trails in the Tatras are closed from 1 November to 15 June Only trails from settlements up to the mountain huts are open In Poland the trails are open year round citation needed Human engagement editIn the 18th and 19th centuries the mountains were used for sheep grazing and mining Many trees were cut down to make way for humans Although these activities were stopped the impact is still visible Moreover pollution from the industrialized regions of Krakow in Poland or Ostrava in Czech Republic as well as casual tourism cause substantial damage 17 Volunteers however initiate litter removal events frequently on both sides of the border The Slovak Tatra National Park Tatransky narodny park TANAP was founded in 1949 738 km2 285 sq mi and the contiguous Polish Tatra National Park Tatrzanski Park Narodowy in 1954 215 56 km2 83 23 sq mi 18 The two parks were added jointly to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve list in 1993 5 In 2013 the International Union for Conservation of Nature threatened to cancel the Slovak TANAP s status of a national park because of the large investments mainly in skiing infrastructure in the park which seriously interfere with the landscape and nature citation needed In popular culture editThe theme of the song Nad Tatrou sa blyska is that there is a storm in the Tatras The song was the second part of the dual national anthem of Czechoslovakia from 1918 to its dissolution in 1993 and since became the national anthem of Slovakia Czech composer Vitezslav Novak s 1902 symphonic poem V Tatrach In the Tatras Op 26 was directly inspired by the mountains A 1930 s ski movie filmed in Tatras Poland nevaasport com Archived from the original on 21 June 2007 The 1999 film Ravenous was filmed in the Tatra Mountains 19 In 2006 the Bollywood film Fanaa portraying places in Kashmir was filmed at Zakopane mainly because of the risks associated with insurgency in Kashmir as well due to some similarities in a mountain landscape citation needed 20 Leo Frankowski mentions the Tatras several times in his science fiction novels in the Conrad Stargard series The Tatra Mountains are the setting of the 2024 Netflix crime drama television series Forst based on the series of the same name by Remigiusz Mroz 21 Notable people edit Alphabetical by surname Adam Asnyk poet and dramatist one of the first members of the Tatra Society Klemens Bachleda 1851 1910 Polish mountain guide and mountain rescuer Oswald Balzer Tytus Chalubinski founder of the Polish Tatra Society Jan Dlugosz mountaineer Walery Eljasz Radzikowski Julian Falat Jan Nepomucen Glowacki considered the father of Polish school of landscape painting was the first to devote an entire series of works to Tatra Mountains Seweryn Goszczynski Polish Romantic poet who escaped there from the Austrian invader Ludwig Greiner identified Gerlachovsky Peak as the summit of the Tatras and Carpathians Ruth Hale alpinist Wladyslaw Hasior William Horwood novelist whose novel Wolves of Time largely takes place in the Tatra mountains Mieczyslaw Karlowicz Jan Kasprowicz Kornel Makuszynski Franciszek Nowicki Wladyslaw Orkan Kazimierz Przerwa Tetmajer Daniel Speer Baroque composer and writer Stanislaw Staszic Mieczyslaw Szczuka Karol Szymanowski Goran Wahlenberg Stanislaw Witkiewicz Leon Wyczolkowski Wladyslaw Zamoyski Mariusz Zaruski Ludwik Zejszner Stefan ZeromskiRankings edit nbsp Morskie OkoPolish Tatra National Park is ranked 12th place by CNN 22 The Wall Street Journal recognized Morskie Oko as one of the five most beautiful lakes in the world 23 See also editMountain Rescue Service Slovakia Sudetes Tatrzanskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue Poland Tourism in PolandReferences edit Polskie Rysy ze zmieniona wysokoscia na nowej mapie Tatr Onet Podroze in Polish 23 August 2020 Archived from the original on 22 December 2022 Retrieved 9 May 2023 Trengove Mark July 2005 Introduction to the Tatras PeakList Mountains of the World Retrieved 1 January 2013 a b Strzala Marek 2012 Tatra Mountains Features Weather Wildlife Krakow Info National Parks Retrieved 1 January 2013 Krupa Maciek 2012 The Tatra Mountains and Tatra National Park Discover Zakopane BAW Altius Retrieved 1 January 2013 a b Europe amp North America 297 biosphere reserves in 36 countries UNESCO Ecological Sciences for Sustainable Development Archived from the original on 5 August 2015 Retrieved 31 January 2016 a b Frantisek Kele Lucansky Milan 2001 Tatry in Czech Praha Knizni klub Machek Vaclav 1931 Tatry Nase rec 15 119 120 USA IBP 3 March 2012 Slovakia Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments Lulu com ISBN 978 1 4387 7555 5 Wysokogorskie Obserwatorium Meteorologizne IMGW PIB PKL Archived from the original on 25 March 2019 Retrieved 5 December 2023 Vojtek Martin 31 July 2010 The dynamics of snow cover in mountainous regions of Slovakia PDF p 76 Archived PDF from the original on 5 December 2023 Retrieved 5 December 2023 Slovakia Republic Country Strategic Information and Developments United States International Business Publications USA 2012 p 38 ISBN 978 1 4387 7555 5 a b Igor J Zaleski Tomasz Maczka Wiatr halny Tatrzanski Park Narodowy in Polish Archived from the original on 9 January 2011 USA IBP 3 March 2012 Slovakia Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments Lulu com ISBN 978 1 4387 7555 5 Kulczynski 1882 Xysticus alpicola Fauna Europaea 2 4 Brozek Anna Chybinska Alicja Jadacki Jacek Wolenski Jan 2015 Tradition of the Lvov Warsaw School Ideas and Continuations Leiden BRILL pp 265 271 ISBN 978 90 04 31175 6 Zabi Szczyt Wyzni Climbing Hiking amp Mountaineering SummitPost www summitpost org Retrieved 10 October 2022 Multi scale interactions between disturbances and ecological and socioeconomical changes case study High Tatra Mts Slovakia PDF lter europe net Retrieved 14 June 2015 Official website of Polish Tatra National Park www tpn pl in Polish Archived from the original on 25 February 2011 Retrieved 10 March 2011 Ravenous filming locations imdb com Sedia Giuseppe 11 August 2012 Bollywood Beats a Path to Krakow The Krakow Post Retrieved 24 March 2019 Wawrzyn Marta 21 October 2022 Detektyw Forst ruszyly zdjecia Co juz wiemy o polskim serialu Netfliksa Serialowa in Polish Retrieved 27 November 2023 Tatrzanski Park Narodowy na 12 miejscu w rankingu CNN in Polish onet Retrieved 11 April 2015 Styles Ruth 22 July 2014 Great Lakes Around the World The Wall Street Journal Retrieved 4 February 2021 Bibliography editLacika Jan 2006 Tatras 2nd ed Bratislava ISBN 80 88975 95 6 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Saunders Colin Narozna Renata 2006 Walking in the High Tatras 2nd ed Cicerone Press Milnthorpe ISBN 978 1 85284 482 0 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tatra Mountains Places to visit Tatras Mountains travelzenith com April 2014 available in ENG Town of Vysoke Tatry tatry sk in Slovak Municipal website available in ENG SLV Zakopane municipal website available in POL ENG TANAP Slovak Tatra National Park available in SLV ENG POL TPN Polish Tatra National Park available in POL only Commercial tourism oriented websitesThe High Tatras Accommodation and Tourism available in SLV CZE POL ENG GER Vysoke Tatry Slovakia available in ENG GER SLV POL Tatry The smallest mountains in the biggest detail available in ENG CZE Tatra auf Travelia skMountaineeringTatra Volunteer Rescue Service available in POL only Mountaineering in Tatra Mountains practical info about climbing in Tatras PhotographyK2 Studio photographs of the Tatras available in SLV ENG 360 a spherical panoramic journey in 1583 pieces available in POL ENG CinemaPhoto pl photographs in Tatras available in POL ENG Astonishing Vintage Images of the Tatra Mountains Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tatra Mountains amp oldid 1188477107, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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