Polish mountains

In the mountains along Poland's southern frontier there strech the mountain ranges of the Bieszczady in the east, the Tatras, which are part of the great Carpathian range, the Pieniny Mts and the Beskidy Mts in the middle, and the Sudety Mts in the west.

The alpine type Tatra mountains, with the highest in Poland Mt. Rysy (2439 m), cover a small area but are one of the most magnificent and diversified sceneries in Poland. Nature has endowed this area with steep, austere ridges and peaks, mysterious caves, beautiful forests, swift-flowing streams and waterfalls and dozens of lakes, large and small. The most important holiday place in the Tatras is Zakopane, visited all the year round by tourists who are invariably attracted by its beautiful foothpaths, its hiking and alpine climbing routes, ski routes and ski runs, sport facilities and the fantastically colourful folk art of the highlanders.

The Pieniny Mts rise about 50 km east of Zakopane. The swift flowing river Dunajec winds and cuts through the steep rocks. A raft excursion down the river Dunajec and through its gorge is a unique experience. The Silesian Beskidy Mts are also worth visiting. Among the interesting holiday places there, mention is due to three winter sports centers: Szczyrk, Jaszowiec and Ustron. The best-known health resort and the capital of the Beskidy Mts is beatifully situated Wisla, a modern recreation centre.

In the Sudety Mts tourists favour the highest part, the Karkonosze, easy to reach from the holiday and health resorts of Karpacz and Szklarska Poreba situated at the foot of the Karkonosze mountains. Many tourists also visit another range of the Sudety Mts, the Stolowe Mts with picturesque labyrinths, canyons and crevices where sandstone rocks rise in fantastic and unusual shapes. At the foot of the Stolowe Mts there are spas of Kudowa-Zdroj, Duszniki-Zdroj and Polanica-Zdroj, all of them widely popular for their mineral waters with excellent curative properties.

In the Bieszczady Mts in the south-west end of Poland, there are miles and miles of wild, primeval scenery, mountains overgrown with old forests, vast mountain pastures and meadows with very tall steppe-like grass.

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