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18-575: The county covers an area of 471.62 square kilometres (182.1 sq mi). As of 2006 its total population is 65,393, out of which the population of Zakopane is 27,486 and the rural population is 37,907. The mountainous southern part of the county (211 km) makes up the Tatra National Park . This area, together with the Slovak Tatra National Park across the border, make up a UNESCO -designated biosphere reserve . Tatra County

36-583: Is a waterfall in the Tatra National Park , Lesser Poland , consisting of three main cascades dropping a total of 10 metres (33 ft). It lies in the Roztoka Valley on the Roztoka Stream approximately 1 km away from its confluence with the Białka River . It was named in honour of Polish Romanic-era poet and playwright Adam Mickiewicz (1798–1855). The Polish name of the waterfall, Wodogrzmoty ,

54-456: Is bordered by only one other Polish county, Nowy Targ County , which lies to the north. To the east, west and south it is bordered by Slovakia (namely, Tvrdošín and Liptovský Mikuláš Districts in Žilina Region to the south and west, and Poprad District in Prešov Region to the south and east). The county is subdivided into five gminas (one urban and four rural). These are listed in

72-482: Is derived from the words woda (water) and grzmot (thunder). It received such a name due to the loud noise it produces especially after heavy rainfalls. In 1891, the Polish Tatra Society (today known as Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society , PTTK) officially named the waterfall after Adam Mickiewicz to celebrate the fact that in the previous year the poet's ashes were transferred to the country and laid at

90-403: Is headquartered in the town of Zakopane . The Tatra Mountains form a natural border between Poland to the north and Slovakia to the south, and the two countries have cooperated since the early 20th century on efforts to protect the area. Slovakia created an adjoining national park , and UNESCO later designated the area a transboundary biosphere reserve . The first calls for protection of

108-879: Is threatened by poachers and habitat loss. The high number of tourists is the largest threat to the park's ecosystem currently. Also, the infrastructure, such as hotels and car parks, is not sufficient for the current volume of visitors. Tourism was first developed in the Tatras in the late 19th century, and continues in the 21st. It is the most visited national park in Poland . There are more than 270 kilometres (170 mi) of hiking trails in Tatra National Park. Mickiewicz Falls Mickiewicz Falls ( pronounced : [mit͡sˈkjɛvit͡ʂ] ; Polish : Wodogrzmoty Mickiewicza ; Slovak : Mickiewiczove vodopády , German : Mickiewiczfälle ; Hungarian : Mickiewicz-vízesések )

126-555: The Kościeliska Valley is notable for the fields of giant crocus ( Crocus vernus , syn: Crocus scepusiensis ). The National Park contains several endemic fauna species, and many endangered and protected ones. Animals include: the Tatra chamois , Alpine marmot and Tatra marmot , protected since the mid-19th century; brown bear , Eurasian lynx , gray wolf , European otter and the lesser spotted eagle . The Podhale region of

144-638: The Wawel Cathedral in Kraków . A commemorative plaque on this event was unveiled by the society near the waterfall in the same year. Mickiewicz himself had no connections to the Tatra Mountains or Podhale and had never even visited this region. The only reference to the Tatras in Mickiewicz's works can be found in his 1836 French-language play Les confédérés de Bar . The first known tourists to have visited

162-592: The Western Tatras ( Tatry Zachodnie ). The landscape consists of sharp-edged peaks and hollows with numerous rock formations. The highest peak in Poland, Rysy (2,499 metres (8,199 ft) AMSL ), is located here. There are around 650 caves in the park, of which the Wielka Śnieżna cave system is the longest (23.7 kilometres (14.7 mi)), and the deepest (maximum depth 808 metres (2,651 ft)). Six caves of this system are open to public. There are several streams,

180-886: The High Tatra landscape. The largest lakes are: Morskie Oko with an area of 349,000 m and maximum depth of 50.8 metres (167 ft)); and Wielki Staw Polski with an area of 344,000 m and maximum depth of 79.3 metres (260 ft)). Up to 1,250 metres (4,100 ft) there are mainly silver fir ( Abies alba ) and European beech ( Fagus sylvatica ) forests. Higher levels, up to 1,550 metres (5,090 ft), are covered with European spruce ( Picea abies ) forests, which turn into meadows and grasslands at higher elevations up to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft). The highest elevations, above 1,800 metres (5,900 ft), have alpine flora habitats. Other typical species include Swiss pine ( Pinus cembra ), edelweiss ( Leontopodium alpinum ), and stemless carline thistle ( Carlina acaulis ). Spring in

198-636: The Polish and Slovakian national parks in the Tatras were jointly designated a transboundary biosphere reserve by UNESCO , under its Man and the Biosphere Programme . The National Park covers one of the two Alpine mountain ranges in Poland. The Polish Tatra range , which is a part of the Western Carpathian Mountains , is divided into two sections: the High Tatras ( Tatry Wysokie ) and

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216-462: The Tatras came at the end of the 19th century. In 1925, the first efforts to create a national park , in cooperation with Czechoslovakia , took place. The park was formally created in 1937, on an area that belonged to the state forests authority. In 1947, a separate administrative unit, Tatra Park, was created. In 1954, by decision of the Polish Government, Tatra National Park was created. It

234-611: The Tatras is home to the Górales or the Goral (highland) people. Distinctive elements of their culture include the Podhale dialect (language), music, and traditional artisan customs such as clothes, wooden vernacular architecture , cheesemaking , and craft works. The historic Górale culture was traditionally passed on in oral stories. The area of the Tatra mountains was exploited by human activities in

252-553: The following table, in descending order of population. This Tatra County location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tatra National Park, Poland Tatra National Park ( Polish : Tatrzański Park Narodowy ; abbr. TPN) is a national park located in the Tatra Mountains in Tatra County , in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in central-southern Poland . The park

270-404: The longest stream reaching 20 kilometres (12 mi). Waterfalls, such as Mickiewicz Falls are popular with tourists. The highest waterfall is Siklawa Falls at 70 metres (230 ft) followed by Black Lake Falls 40 metres (130 ft) and Siklawica Falls 24 metres (79 ft). The park has over 30 mountain lakes, called staw (Polish: pond). These water bodies are an important part of

288-458: The past. During summer, domestic animals such as goat, sheep, and cows pastured on the meadows, which contributed to soil erosion. In the 18th and 19th centuries, several mines and ironworks were built here, industries that used substantial harvests of local timber. Current environmental threats include: the proximity of the fast-developing town of Zakopane ; and air pollution from the industrial zones in Kraków , Ostrava , and Orava . Fauna

306-461: The waterfall were Walery Eljasz-Radzikowski together with his mountain guide Maciej Sieczka in 1879. The waterfalls have been accessible to tourists since 1886, when paths leading to them were created. In 1900, a stone bridge was built near the waterfalls on the Oswald Balzer Trail leading to Lake Morskie Oko . Mickiewicz Falls is located at 1,099 metres (3,606 ft) above sea level in

324-422: Was established originally over an area of 215.56 km (83.23 sq mi), but it is currently slightly smaller, at 211.64 km (81.71 sq mi). Of this, 151.91 km (58.65 sq mi) is forest and the remainder mainly meadows . Strictly protected zones account for 115.14 km (44.46 sq mi), of which 61.49 km (23.74 sq mi) are forest ecosystems . In 1992,

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