Tatra National Park, National park in Tatra Mountains, Poland
Tatra National Park covers 211.64 square kilometers of the Polish Tatras, divided into the High Tatras and Western Tatras, with sharp peaks and rock formations. Rysy, Poland's highest summit at 2,499 meters, rises here, and the park holds around 650 caves, including the 23.7-kilometer Wielka Śnieżna system. Forests of silver fir and beech give way to spruce, then meadows and alpine flora above 1,800 meters.
Protection efforts began in 1868, when the Galician Sejm banned hunting of chamois and marmots, enforced by former poachers Jędrzej Wala and Maciej Sieczka. The Tatra Society, founded in 1873, extended protection to edelweiss, yew and Swiss pine. Tatra National Park was created on 1 January 1955, six years after the Slovak park across the border.
The name Morskie Oko means Sea Eye and reflects the blue color of the most famous mountain lake, surrounded by tall rock walls. In the traditional mountain huts, visitors can taste regional food while hikers on the trails often encounter sheep herds grazing on summer pastures.
The reserve has 270 kilometers (168 miles) of marked trails that range from short walks to full-day mountain routes and offer different difficulty levels. In winter, many trails close or require mountain equipment, while summer months provide the best time for easy hikes.
The reserve shelters over 650 caves, including the Wielka Śnieżna system that extends for 23 kilometers (14 miles) and reaches a depth of 808 meters (2651 feet). This underground world of passages and chambers ranks among the longest and deepest cave systems in all of Poland.
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