The Low Beskids ( sk, Nízke Beskydy) or Central Beskids ( pl, Beskidy Środkowe; cs, Centrální Beskydy; uk, Центральні Бескиди) are a mountain range in southeastern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and northeastern
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
. They constitute a middle (central) section of the
Beskids
The Beskids or Beskid Mountains ( pl, Beskidy, cs, Beskydy, sk, Beskydy, rue, Бескиды (''Beskydŷ''), ua, Бескиди (''Beskydy'')) are a series of mountain ranges in the Carpathians, stretching from the Czech Republic in the west ...
, within the
Outer Eastern Carpathians
Divisions of the Carpathians are a categorization of the Carpathian mountains system.
Below is a detailed overview of the major subdivisions and ranges of the Carpathian Mountains. The Carpathians are a "subsystem" of a bigger Alps-Himalaya Sy ...
.
Since there are several traditional divisions of the ''
Beskid Mountains'' in general, this particular region has also been classified by different designations. In
Slovak terminology, the region is called ''Low Beskids'' ( sk, Nízke Beskydy). In
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
terminology, the same region is not classified under the term ''Low Beskids'' ( pl, Beskid Niski), since that term is used to designate only one part of the region, while the Polish equivalent term for the entire region is ''Central Beskids'' ( pl, Beskidy Środkowe).
It is a hilly region, encompassing the
Prešov Region,
Sanok County
__NOTOC__
Sanok County ( pl, powiat sanocki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, south-eastern Poland, on the Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the ...
and
Jasło County
__NOTOC__
Jasło County ( pl, powiat jasielski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, south-eastern Poland, on the Slovakia, Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a re ...
, and covering the area between Busov,
Ondavská vrchovina,
Laborecká vrchovina
The Laborec Highlands (in Slovak, ''Laborecká vrchovina'') is a mountain range in northeastern Slovakia, part of the Lower Beskids of the Outer Eastern Carpathians.
The range is composed of Carpathian flysch. Bordered in the north by the Polis ...
, Beskydské predhorie in Slovakia, and
Beskid Sądecki,
Pogórze Bukowskie
, photo=Pogorze nadolany.jpg
, photo_caption=A view from Bukowica Peak in western Nowotaniec.
, country= Poland
, parent= Doły Jasielsko Sanockie in Gmina Bukowsko, Gmina Besko, Gmina Sanok, Gmina Lesko, Gmina Komańcza, border=Bieszczady ...
and
Bieszczady near the river
Wisłoka
The Wisłoka is a river in south-eastern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula river, with a length of and a basin area of . The highest elevations reach an elevation of , while the lowest point in the valley of the river Wisłoka lies at an ele ...
,
Wisłok
Wisłok is a river in south-eastern Poland, a tributary of the San River, with a length of 220 kilometres and a basin area of 3,538 km2 (all in Poland). The root of the name ''Vis-lok'' is Indo-European or pre-Indo-European.
The first meta ...
and
Osława
The Osława (Czech: ''Oslava'', german: Oslawa, Ukrainian: ''Ослава'') is a river in South-Eastern Poland. Its name comes from the ancient west Slavic dialect word ''osła'', meaning "stone". It begins in the Bieszczady mountains and flow ...
in Poland. The mountain range has two summits, one of 1,002 (
Busov), and one of 997 metres (
Lackowa). The Low Beskids separate the
Bieszczady Mountains
Bieszczady Mountains ( pl, Bieszczady; sk, Beščady; uk, Бещади; hu, Besszádok) is a mountain range that runs from the extreme south-east of Poland and north-east of Slovakia through to western Ukraine. It forms the western part of th ...
from the
Western Carpathians
The Western Carpathians are a mountain range and geomorphological province that forms the western part of the Carpathian Mountains.
The mountain belt stretches from the Low Beskids range of the Eastern Carpathians along the border of Poland wit ...
.
Original flora and fauna of the region were preserved because of the area's remoteness. The mountain range is covered with
beech forests. The area is protected by
Magurski National Park and
Jaśliski Park Krajobrazowy.
Animals living in this reserve are, amongst others,
black stork
The black stork (''Ciconia nigra'') is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. Measuring on average from beak tip to end of tail with a wingspan, th ...
s,
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...
and
wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...
.
Subdivisions
Since there exist many variants of divisions of the mountain ranges and names for the Beskids, several divisions are given in the following:
* ''Low Beskid'' ( pl, Beskid Niski) in Poland +
Laborec Highlands
The Laborec Highlands (in Slovak, ''Laborecká vrchovina'') is a mountain range in northeastern Slovakia, part of the Lower Beskids of the Outer Eastern Carpathians.
The range is composed of Carpathian flysch. Bordered in the north by the Polis ...
(SK: Laborecká vrchovina) in Slovakia
* Busov (SK: Busov) in Slovakia
*
Ondavská Highlands (SK: Ondavská vrchovina) in Slovakia
*
Beskidian Southern Foothills (SK: Beskydské predhorie) in Slovakia
Among mountains of this regions, most prominent are:
* Góry Grybowskie – near rivers Kamienica and Biała (Poland),
* Góry Hańczowskie – near rivers Biała,
Ropa and Zdynia (Poland),
* Beskid Gorlicki – near river Biała, villages: Radocyna,
Bartne, Wołowiec,
* Pasmo Magurskie – mountains ranges Magura Wątkowska and Małastowskie,
*
Beskid Dukielski – between rivers
Wisłoka
The Wisłoka is a river in south-eastern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula river, with a length of and a basin area of . The highest elevations reach an elevation of , while the lowest point in the valley of the river Wisłoka lies at an ele ...
and Tabor (Poland),
* Gniazdo Jawornika – between rivers Jasiołki i
Wisłoka
The Wisłoka is a river in south-eastern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula river, with a length of and a basin area of . The highest elevations reach an elevation of , while the lowest point in the valley of the river Wisłoka lies at an ele ...
(Poland),
*
Pasmo Bukowicy and Kamieni Peak – between rivers
Wisłok
Wisłok is a river in south-eastern Poland, a tributary of the San River, with a length of 220 kilometres and a basin area of 3,538 km2 (all in Poland). The root of the name ''Vis-lok'' is Indo-European or pre-Indo-European.
The first meta ...
and Osławica,
* Pasmo graniczne – near river Bełcza (Poland),
* Wzgórza Rymanowskie – near river Tabor (Poland),
History
Poland
The region was a site of contention between
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
,
Kievan Rus
Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern Europe, Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Hist ...
, and
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
, starting in at least the 9th century.
The population was primarily Slavic but with contentions over nationality. Germans and town dwelling Lemkos were Polonized and the countryside remained primarily Lemko/Ukrainian.
Up until 1947, the majority of the population was Lemko (Rusin). The Lemkos are sometimes considered the westernmost of the Ukraininans. They were forcibly removed in a Polinization plan agreed between the Soviet Union and the Polish communist government. Many were killed or forcibly sent to Soviet Ukraine. Those not sent to Ukraine were dispersed among towns and villages in the new western Polish territory taken from Germany.
Slovakia
The Low Beskids on the territory of present-day Slovakia has attracted settlers since the
Stone Age. The Slavic forefathers of the Slovaks gradually moved to the basin of
Humenné
Humenné (; hu, Homonna; ukr, Гуменне) is a town in the Prešov Region ("kraj") in eastern Slovakia and the second largest town of the historic Zemplín region. It lies at the volcanic Vihorlat mountains and at the confluence of the ...
and
Bardejov
Bardejov (; hu, Bártfa, german: Bartfeld, rue, Бардеёв, uk, Бардіїв) is a town in North-Eastern Slovakia. It is situated in the Šariš region on a floodplain terrace of the Topľa River, in the hills of the Beskyd Mountains. ...
during the great migration of peoples, starting in the 5th century. An intensive and organized settlement of this area started as late as in the middle of the 13th century, after the Mongol raids. However, the first written reference to the town dates back to the 1240s, when monks from Bardejov complained to the King
Béla IV
Béla may refer to:
* Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater
* Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name
See also
* Bela (disambiguation)
* Belá (disambiguation)
* Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá, derived from ''bílá'' (''wh ...
about a violation of the town's borders by
Prešov.
Rural landscape pictures
Image:Sekowa drewniany kosciol.jpg,
Image:Wisłok Wielki cerkiew.JPG,
Image:Bardejov-town center square.jpg,
Image:Bukowianie.jpg,
Image:Carpatho-Rusyn sub-groups - Presov area Lemkos (left side) and Przemyśl area Ukrainians in original goral folk-costumes..jpg,
Towns and villages
Important towns and villages of this region include:
Ethnic groups
Hiking trails
European walking route E8:
*
Somár –
sedlo Baba –
Dolná Rakova –
Končini –
Brezová pod Bradlom
Brezová pod Bradlom (german: Birkenhain; hu, Berezó) is a town in the Myjava District, Trenčín Region, western Slovakia, at the western foothills of the Little Carpathians, in the Myjavské Kopanice region.
History
The territory of Brezová ...
–
Polianka
Polianka is a village and municipality in Myjava District in the Trenčín Region of north-western Slovakia.
History
In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1955.
Geography
The municipality lies at an altitude of 410 metres and ...
–
Myjava –
Veľká Javorina –
Nové Mesto nad Váhom
Nové Mesto nad Váhom (; german: Neustadt an der Waag, Neustadtl, Waag-Neustadtl, Waagneustadtl, Waag-Neustadt; hu, Vágújhely, Vág-Újhely) is a town in the Trenčín Region of Slovakia.
Geography
District town located at the northern edge ...
–
Machnáč –
Trenčín
Trenčín (, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 55,000, which makes it the eighth largest muni ...
–
Košecké Rovné –
Fačkovské sedlo –
Kunešov –
Kraľová studňa –
Donovaly
Donovaly ( hu, Dóval) is a village in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. Being situated in an important pass between the mountains of Veľká Fatra and Starohorské vrchy, on the route connecting Banská Bystrica with Ružomberok ...
–
Chopok
Chopok (2,024 m) is the third highest peak of the Low Tatra range (just after the neighboring Ďumbier and Štiavnica (mountain), Štiavnica mountains) in central Slovakia. The peak offers a panoramatic view of High Tatra, Liptov and the valley of ...
–
Čertovica –
Telgárt
Telgárt ( hu, Garamfő, called ''Švermovo'' in 1948–1990) is a village and municipality in Brezno District, in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia.
Etymology
The name is of German origin: ''Tiergarten'' (initially a hunting area ...
–
Skalisko –
Štós-kúpele –
Skalisko –
Chata Lajoška –
Košice –
Malý Šariš
Malý Šariš is a village and municipality in Prešov District in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia.
History
In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1248. However, it was founded probably before the 13th century because it ...
–
Prešov –
Miháľov –
Kurimka –
Dukla
Dukla is a town and an eponymous municipality in southeastern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 2,017. The total area of the commune is . Dukla belongs to Lesser Poland, and until the ...
–
Iwonicz-Zdrój –
Rymanów-Zdrój –
Puławy
Puławy (, also written Pulawy) is a city in eastern Poland, in Lesser Poland's Lublin Voivodeship, at the confluence of the Vistula and Kurówka Rivers. Puławy is the capital of Puławy County. The city's 2019 population was estimated at 47,4 ...
–
Tokarnia (778 m) –
Kamień (717 m) –
Komańcza
Komańcza ( uk, Команча, ''Komancha'') is a village in the Sanok County, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (province) of south-eastern Poland. It is situated in the Bukowsko Upland mountains, located near the towns of Medzilaborce and Pa ...
–
Cisna
Cisna ( uk, Тісна, ''Tisna'') is the main village of the Gmina Cisna in the Lesko County, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (province) of south-eastern Poland. It lies in the Solinka valley in between the Bieszczady mountains.
History
T ...
–
Ustrzyki Górne -
Tarnica –
Wołosate.
See also
*
Central Beskidian Foothills
*
Divisions of the Carpathians
Divisions of the Carpathians are a categorization of the Carpathian mountains system.
Below is a detailed overview of the major subdivisions and ranges of the Carpathian Mountains. The Carpathians are a "subsystem" of a bigger Alps-Himalaya Sy ...
*
Outer Eastern Carpathians
Divisions of the Carpathians are a categorization of the Carpathian mountains system.
Below is a detailed overview of the major subdivisions and ranges of the Carpathian Mountains. The Carpathians are a "subsystem" of a bigger Alps-Himalaya Sy ...
*
Eastern Beskids
The Eastern Beskids or Eastern Beskyds ( uk, Східні Бескиди; pl, Beskidy Wschodnie; rue, Выходны Бескиды; ro, Beskizii Orientali; russian: Восточные Бескиды) are a geological group of mountain ranges o ...
References
Literature
*
*
*
*
* Jadwiga Warszyńska. Karpaty Polskie : przyroda, człowiek i jego działalność ; Uniwersytet Jagielloński. Kraków, 1995.
External links
Encyclopedia of Ukraine: Low BeskydCarpathian Mountains: Division (map)
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of Poland
Mountain ranges of Slovakia
Mountain ranges of the Eastern Carpathians
Spiš
Landforms of Podkarpackie Voivodeship