Slovak Karst, Košice region, Slovakia
The Slovak Karst (Slovenský kras) is one of the mountain ranges of the Slovenské Rudohorie Mountains which are part of the Inner Western Carpathians. It is located in the Košice Region of southern Slovakia and forms a single limestone karst region with the Aggtelek National Park across the border in Hungary. It is the largest karstic area in central Europe, covering an area of almost 160 square miles. The highest peak is Jelení vrch at 3107 feet.
The Slovak Karst is composed of several layers of Mesozoic limestone and dolomite, beneath which there is non-permeable sandstone, limestone and slate. The huge plains and plateaus have many karst formations, such as karst pits with diameters of up to 820 feet and depths of about 150 feet, conical hills and blind valleys, and subterranean features such as deep vertical abysses and a large number of caves. The area also includes karst lakes, the largest of which is Jašteričie jazero (literally Lizard Lake). The area is characterised by rolling hills, limestone gorges, rocky plateaus, oak, hornbeam and beech forests, wet meadows, scrubby grasslands and stream valleys.
The activities that dominate the Slovak Karst region are mountain climbing, hiking, cycling, horse riding, winter cross-country skiing and other outdoor activities. Very well signed walking and cycling trails cover the area.
One of the most visited places is the Zádiel gorge (Zádielska tiesňava), a National Nautre Resreve in the Slovak Karst National Park (Národný park Slovenský kras) where the Zádielska stream has gouged the mighty karst gorge. The Zadielska gorge is almost 2 miles long, between 985 and 1315 feet deep and the narrowest places in its bottom are only around 30 feet wide. A walking trail (Zádielska dolina) begins near the village of Zadiel and leads up the gorge surrounded by high rock cliffs, caves and waterfalls.
The Slovak Karst National Park (Národný park Slovenský kras) was established in March 2002, after being a Protected Landscape Area since 1973. The National Park covers an area of 134 square miles and its buffer zone covers 45 square miles. The Slovak Karst was also the first Slovakian UNESCO Biosphere Reserve when it was included in the UNESCO's Programme on Man and the Biosphere in March 1997. In addition, in 1995, 12 out of 700 caves in the Slovak Karst National Park were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst).
Date: 3rd June 2017
Location: Zádiel gorge (Zádielska tiesňava), Slovak Karst, Košice region, Slovakia
The Slovak Karst is composed of several layers of Mesozoic limestone and dolomite, beneath which there is non-permeable sandstone, limestone and slate. The huge plains and plateaus have many karst formations, such as karst pits with diameters of up to 820 feet and depths of about 150 feet, conical hills and blind valleys, and subterranean features such as deep vertical abysses and a large number of caves. The area also includes karst lakes, the largest of which is Jašteričie jazero (literally Lizard Lake). The area is characterised by rolling hills, limestone gorges, rocky plateaus, oak, hornbeam and beech forests, wet meadows, scrubby grasslands and stream valleys.
The activities that dominate the Slovak Karst region are mountain climbing, hiking, cycling, horse riding, winter cross-country skiing and other outdoor activities. Very well signed walking and cycling trails cover the area.
One of the most visited places is the Zádiel gorge (Zádielska tiesňava), a National Nautre Resreve in the Slovak Karst National Park (Národný park Slovenský kras) where the Zádielska stream has gouged the mighty karst gorge. The Zadielska gorge is almost 2 miles long, between 985 and 1315 feet deep and the narrowest places in its bottom are only around 30 feet wide. A walking trail (Zádielska dolina) begins near the village of Zadiel and leads up the gorge surrounded by high rock cliffs, caves and waterfalls.
The Slovak Karst National Park (Národný park Slovenský kras) was established in March 2002, after being a Protected Landscape Area since 1973. The National Park covers an area of 134 square miles and its buffer zone covers 45 square miles. The Slovak Karst was also the first Slovakian UNESCO Biosphere Reserve when it was included in the UNESCO's Programme on Man and the Biosphere in March 1997. In addition, in 1995, 12 out of 700 caves in the Slovak Karst National Park were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst).
Date: 3rd June 2017
Location: Zádiel gorge (Zádielska tiesňava), Slovak Karst, Košice region, Slovakia
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Also in: Slovakia
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