Tatra National Park, National park in Tatra Mountains, Poland
Tatra National Park is a mountain reserve in the Tatra range of southern Poland, covering 211 square kilometers and featuring alpine valleys, lakes, and caves. The highest summit rises to 2499 meters, while the landscape includes steep rock walls, green meadows, and dense conifer forests that extend to the tree line.
The Polish government founded the reserve in 1954, following earlier efforts to protect the area that started in 1925 through cooperation with Czechoslovakia. The neighboring Slovak reserve was created at the same time, so both countries now protect a shared cross-border natural area.
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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