The Sudetes mountain range has a thousand-year history. The name is interpreted in different ways. Someone adheres to the version that from Soudeta - the Latin name of the ore, and someone claims that the plural of the word sudes - "backbones". In the book of Ptolemy it is said that the mountains of the Sudetes rose higher than the forest of Gabreta. Just this forest was located in the ancient Land of the Sudetes. Many centuries later, these mountains stretch all over Europe and attract thousands of tourists and travelers here.
Sudet Mountains. Geographical position. Natural we alth
The Sudetenland stretches across Central Europe and is 310 kilometers long. It runs from northwest to southeast, starting from East Germany to the very Czech-Polish border. The highest point is Mount Snezhka, its height is 1602 meters. It is located in the Karkonosze massif. The Sudeten Mountains do not require difficult overcoming andconquest, which is why tourism is so well developed here.
Different mountain ranges resemble a mosaic: the height differences of the Karkonosze, the ranges of the Table Mountains, the heights in the Golden, Izersky, Byala mountains.
Traveling through the mountain range, you can meet ancient pits left by the glacier, hidden waterfalls, rock labyrinths. Someone will be lucky to find valuable minerals. Once upon a time, the Sudeten Mountains were considered the treasury of Europe. The stones brought from here adorned more than one building in Italy and France. Today, amethyst, jasper, rock crystal, jade, topaz, garnet are found in the rocks. The mountain range is divided into Central, Western and Eastern Sudetes.
Climate. Flora and fauna
The Sudeten Mountains are located in a temperate climate. In the Karkonosze, conditions are very harsh. The climate here can be called quite cold. The average annual temperature in these places is from +2 to +4 degrees. At the height of Mount Snezhka, it stays at 0 degrees.
The mountain slopes of the lower belt are covered here with spring, beech, linden forests. High- altitude slopes are rich in mountain pines. There are peat bogs here, rich in representatives of the flora that have come down to us from the ice age. On the highest parts of the mountains there are plants of the alpine belt. Only here you can find a bas alt quarry. This plant is found nowhere else in the world. Relic species include the local Karkonosze bellflower, Lapland willow, narcissus anemone.
The animal world is more represented by forest dwellers: wild boar, wolf, hare,fox, deer, lynx. In general, about 60 species of mammals. A long time ago, a moufflon was brought to the Karkonosze Reserve from Corsica, which took root well here. For birds in the mountains, it's just a paradise, there are about 200 species of them, especially appreciated are the owl, black grouse, forest thrushes, little owl, forest mess, capercaillie.
A bit of history
The Sudeten Mountains in Europe have a very ancient history. The events that took place here in the middle of the 20th century received a particularly vivid political coloring. For a long time, the Sudetenland belonged to Czechoslovakia, although it was mostly inhabited by people of German nationality (Sudet Germans). In 1938, German Austria became a contender for these lands. The Czechoslovak government adopted a program where the Sudeten Germans were promised autonomy. But the party of Heinlein's fascists provoked local riots, and then they themselves asked for help from Germany. A month later, Austria was captured, at the instigation of Hitler, Heinlein put forward a number of demands to Czechoslovakia.
Although the government made a number of concessions on the issues of the Sudeten Germans, the Nazis rejected cooperation. In September, a putsch was raised by the Heinleinists, people died in clashes. Germany proclaimed the creation of the Freikorp - the army of the Sudeten Germans. Under pressure from the Western "allies" of France and England, Czechoslovakia was forced to accept all the shameful German conditions, so the Munich Agreement was signed on September 30.
Immediately, Wehrmacht troops entered the Sudetenland. Thousands of refugees rushed to largecities of Czechoslovakia. On the territory of the Sudetes, the Czech language, the flag, the party, newspapers and much more were banned. Only in 1945, after the liberation of the country, the Sudeten Germans were expelled from the territory and this area again ceded to Czechoslovakia.
Karkonosze National Park
The Sudeten Mountains stretch for hundreds of kilometers across Europe. Photos of amazing places attract travelers from all over the world. The most remarkable place here is the Karkonosze National Park. It includes the entire highest system of the mountain range - Karkonosze, the peak here is Mount Sniezka. The park was created in 1959. Areas of rare beauty were immediately taken under special protection: a zone of rocks where pits were formed back in the ice age, high-mountain moraine lakes, fantastically shaped remnant rocks, and high- altitude waterfalls. In 1992, the Karkonosze Reserve for all these beauties was taken under the protection of UNESCO.
Karkonose is the highest massif of the Sudetenland. Previously, other names were used - Snowy Mountains, Giant Mountains. This area was first settled by people in the XI century. The Walloons were here seekers of precious metals, minerals and stones. It was they who left bizarre records on the walls of the caves that historians are still trying to decipher.
A feature of the landscape of the park is the amazing proximity of mountain ranges and wetlands, which is rare in nature. Local lakes are picturesque here. The rocks have a bizarre shape.
Eastern mountains of the Sudetes. Charna Gora
The resort is located in the Snezhka massif. The slopes are rich in forests, so the snow lasts for a long time - from November to April. In good weather conditions, the tracks are covered with a meter-long layer of snow. The tracks here are mostly dangerous and difficult, so professionals ride here to a greater extent.
The temperate climate and well-developed infrastructure annually attract hundreds of skiers to the Sudeten Mountains. Reviews of tourists say that here you can decently relax, go skiing, have a great time with the whole family.
Middle Sudetes. Zelenets
The resort is located in the Orlické Mountains on the slopes of the Serhi, which is closer to the Polish-Czech border. The climate here resembles the Alpine one. Snow lies for a long time - from late October to early May. Nearby is Dukshni Zdrój, a ski resort only 13 km away. It is quiet here in summer, but reservations must be made in advance in winter.
Developed infrastructure provides many lifts that never have a queue. Twenty tracks of the most varied complexity allow both aces and beginners to ride. Only one lift is designed not for tourists, but for border guards and soldiers. There is also a Snow Park where snowboarders can ride. Artificial lighting - at 8 slopes, for lovers of night skiing.
