Horná Orava Protected Landscape Area ( sk, Chránená krajinná oblasť Horná Orava) is one of the 14 protected landscape areas in

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 ...

. It is situated in the

Námestovo Námestovo ( hu, Námesztó; pl, Namiestów) is a town in northern Slovakia. It is the capital and largest town of Námestovo District in the Žilina Region. its population was 7,827. Etymology The name is derived from a word ''námesta'' (a re ...

and

Tvrdošín Tvrdošín (german: Turdoschin or ''Thurdossin''; hu, Turdossin; pl, Twardoszyn) is a town in central Slovakia. Geography The town is located at the confluence of the Orava and Oravica rivers, from the Polish borders and cca. from Dolný Kub ...

districts, within the Orava region.

History

The park was created on 24 September 1979 and the law creating it was amended on 29 September 2003.

Geography, geology and biology

It is made of Oravská Magura, Podbeskydská vrchovina and Oravské Beskydy mountains, and the Orava Basin, as well as the Orava Dam, in the northernmost Slovakia. Much of the PLA's territory is made from sandstone mountain ranges. More than half of the area is covered by forests. Beech and fir trees grow in the area, along with strong presence of the spruce monoculture. Exceptions are the areas under Babia hora, Paráč and

Pilsko Pilsko is the second highest mountain, , in the Żywiec Beskids ( Oravské Beskydy in Slovakia) mountain range, on the border between Poland and Slovakia. It is a hiking destination in summer and a skiing area in winter. The name Pilsko is freque ...

mountains, with old growth spruce with rowan trees being represented. A specific phenomenon of the park are the peat bogs, represented by the pine woods, providing shelter for many threatened species. The Orava Dam is a nesting place for many rare species of birds. The highest mountain is Babia hora at the border with

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 populous ...

External links

Horná Orava PLA
a
Slovakia.travelDescription of the Horná Orava PLA at The Slovak State Nature Conservancy
Protected areas of Slovakia Protected areas established in 1979 Protected areas of the Western Carpathians Geography of Žilina Region Tourist attractions in Žilina Region {{protected-area-stub