The Little Carpathians (also: ''Lesser Carpathians'', sk, Malé Karpaty; german: Kleine Karpaten; hu, Kis-Kárpátok) are a low, about 100 km long,
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
, part of the
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...
. The mountains are situated in Western
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 ...
, covering the area from
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
to
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 ...
, and northeastern
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, where a very small part called
Hundsheimer Berge (or Hainburger Berge) is located south of the
Devín Gate
Devín Gate, Hainburger Gate or Hungarian Gates ( sk, Devínska brána, ; german: Hainburger Pforte) is a natural gate in the Danube valley at the border of Slovakia and Austria. It is one out of four geomorphological areas of the Devín Carpathi ...
. The Little Carpathians are bordered by
Záhorie Lowland in the west and the
Danubian Lowland in the east.
In 1976, the Little Carpathians were declared a protected area under the name
Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area
Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area ( sk, Chránená krajinná oblasť Malé Karpaty) is one of the 14 protected landscape areas in Slovakia. The Landscape Area is situated in the Little Carpathians, part of the Carpathian Mountains, in W ...
, covering . The area is rich in flora and fauna diversity and contains numerous
castles, most notably the
Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle ( sk, Bratislavský hrad, ; german: Pressburger Burg; hu, Pozsonyi vár) is the main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on an isolated rocky hill ...
, and
cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
s.
Driny
Driny is a limestone cave in West Slovakia in the Little Carpathians Mountains. It is located around 2 km southwest of the village of Smolenice.
The cave's entrance altitude is 399 m.
The first attempt to enter the cave was made by Prussian ...
is the only cave open to the public. The three highest mountains are
Záruby
Záruby is the highest hill of the Little Carpathians. It is located at an altitude of 768 m, near the village of Smolenice
Smolenice ( hu, Szomolány; german: Smolenitz) is a village and municipality of Trnava District in the Trnava Region of ...
at ,
Vysoká at , and Vápenná at .
Description
Geomorphologically, the Little Carpathians belong into the
Alps-Himalaya System, the
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...
sub-system, its province
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 wi ...
, and its subprovince the
Inner Western 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 ...
.
The Little Carpathians are further divided into four parts (from south to north):
Devín Carpathians Forest in Devín Carpathians
Ruins of the Devín Castle
Devín Carpathians ( sk, Devínske Karpaty, ) is a subdivision of the Little Carpathians mountain range, located entirely within Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. It is bordered by the ...
( sk, Devínske Karpaty),
Pezinok Carpathians ( sk, Pezinské Karpaty),
Brezová Carpathians ( sk, Brezovské Karpaty) and
Čachtice Carpathians ( sk, Čachtické Karpaty).
}) – in
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
, align="left",
Devínska Kobyla
Devínska Kobyla (; hu, Dévényi-tető; german: Thebener Kogel) is the highest peak in the Devín Carpathians, part of the Little Carpathians mountain range, and the highest point of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. It is located between t ...
( sk, Devínska Kobyla)
, -
, align="left",
Bratislava Foothills ( sk, Bratislavské predhorie)
, -
, align="left",
Lamač Gate ( sk, Lamačská brána)
, -
, align="left",
Devín Gate
Devín Gate, Hainburger Gate or Hungarian Gates ( sk, Devínska brána, ; german: Hainburger Pforte) is a natural gate in the Danube valley at the border of Slovakia and Austria. It is one out of four geomorphological areas of the Devín Carpathi ...
( sk, Devínska brána)
, -
, rowspan="8" align="left",
Pezinok Carpathians ( sk, Pezinské Karpaty) – from Bratislava to
Buková
, align="left",
Homoľa Carpathians ( sk, Homoľské Karpaty)
, -
, align="left",
Kuchynská hornatina
, -
, align="left",
Stupava Foothills ( sk, Stupavské predhorie)
, -
, align="left",
Biele hory
, -
, align="left",
Smolenická vrchovina
, -
, align="left",
Lošonská kotlina
, -
, align="left",
Plavecké predhorie
, -
, align="left",
Bukovská brázda
, -
, rowspan="1" align="left",
Brezová Carpathians ( sk, Brezovské Karpaty) – from Buková to
Prašník
, align="left",
Dobrovodská kotlina
, -
, rowspan="2" align="left",
Čachtice Carpathians ( sk, Čachtické Karpaty) – from Prašník to
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 ...
, align="left",
Plešivec
, -
, align="left",
Nedze
The mountains are densely forested (90% being
broad-leaved tree
A broad-leaved, broad-leaf, or broadleaf tree is any tree within the diverse botanical group of angiosperms that has flat leaves and produces seeds inside of fruits. It is one of two general types of trees, the other being a conifer, a tree with ne ...
s), and the southeastern part contains extensive vineyards (e.g.
Rača,
Pezinok
Pezinok (; hu, Bazin; german: Bösing; lat, Bazinium) is a town in southwestern Slovakia. It is roughly northeast of Bratislava and, as of December 2018, had a population of 23,002.
Pezinok lies near the Little Carpathians and thrives mainly ...
,
Modra
Modra (german: Modern, hu, Modor, Latin: ''Modur'') is a city and municipality in the Bratislava Region in Slovakia. It has a population of 9,042 as of 2018. It nestles in the foothills of the Malé Karpaty (Little Carpathian mountains) and i ...
). Several castles or castle ruins are situated in the Little Carpathians, for example
Devín
Devín (, hu, Dévény, german: Theben) is a borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, located in the Bratislava IV district. Originally a separate village at the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers, Devín maintained its rural cha ...
,
Čachtice
Čachtice (, hu, Csejte) is a village in Nové Mesto nad Váhom District in western Slovakia with a population of 4,010 (as of 2014).
The village is situated between the Danubian Lowland and the Little Carpathians. It is best known for the rui ...
,
Červený Kameň
Červený Kameň ( hu, Vöröskő) is a village and municipality in Ilava District in the Trenčín Region of north-western Slovakia.
Etymology
Both Slovak and Hungarian names mean "red stone". The first written mention about the village is "''po ...
, and
Smolenice
Smolenice ( hu, Szomolány; german: Smolenitz) is a village and municipality of Trnava District in the Trnava Region of Slovakia, on the foothills of the Little Carpathians. It is 60 km northeast of Bratislava and 25 km northwest of Trnava. The ...
castles.
Geologically, the mountain range is part of the
Tatra-Fatra Belt of core mountains. There are several
active fault
An active fault is a fault that is likely to become the source of another earthquake sometime in the future. Geologists commonly consider faults to be active if there has been movement observed or evidence of seismic activity during the last 10,0 ...
s, which have produced earthquakes. Of them the most notable is the Dobra Voda fault (1906 and 1930 produced 8.5° and 7.5°
EMS-98
The European macroseismic scale (EMS) is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe. Issued in 1998 as an update of the test version from 1992, the scale is referred ...
or equal to
= 5.7 and 5.0). This particular fault is closely monitored because of its proximity to the
NPP Jaslovske Bohunice (approx. 15 km away). The Little Carpathians are seismically one of the most active regions in Slovakia and epicentres of earthquakes with approximate magnitude of 2.5 on
Richter magnitude scale
The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...
are located here.
[Moczo, P. (2011). ''Výsledky v seizmológii'' v r. 2009–2011 v SR. In Bratislava (Slovak Republic): ''Katedra astronómie, fyziky Zeme a meteorológie Fakulty fyziky, matematiky a informatiky'' Univerzity Komenského.: IX. Slovenská geofyzikálna konferencia. 22.6.2011]
There are a total of eight
karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
areas in the Little Carpathians: the Devín Carpathians, Borinka (Pajštún), Cajlan, Kuchyňa-orešany, Plavecký, Smolenice, Dobrovodský, and Čachtice karsts. The most important karst forms include caves Deravá, Tmavá skala, Driny, and Čachtická, and caves along the Borinský potok.
Driny
Driny is a limestone cave in West Slovakia in the Little Carpathians Mountains. It is located around 2 km southwest of the village of Smolenice.
The cave's entrance altitude is 399 m.
The first attempt to enter the cave was made by Prussian ...
, a limestone cave, is the only cave open to public. Major streams include
Vydrica and
Suchý jarok.
Highest peaks
History
While being a low mountain range, the Little Carpathians were always considered a mountain barrier, often attaining a height of 500 meters, as they were surrounded by various lowlands, . In the past, various types of ore were mined in the Little Carpathians used for the production of
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
,
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
,
antimony
Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb (from la, stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb2S3). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient t ...
,
manganese
Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy use ...
and
pyrite
The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Iron, FeSulfur, S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral.
Pyrite's metallic Luster (mineralogy), lust ...
.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the Little Carpathians were the birthplace of the partisan group ''Janko Kráľ''. Insurgency in the mountains lasted until the occupation by the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
in 1945.
Tourism
The Little Carpathians are a popular tourist destination in Western
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 ...
. The mountains are used for
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
,
cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...
,
tramping
Tramping may refer to:
Travel
*Hiking
*Trekking
*Tramping in New Zealand, a style of backpacking or hiking
* Czech tramping, a Czech outdoors pastime
Places
* Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380, Saskatchewan, Canada
** Tramping Lake, Sas ...
,
backpacking
Backpacking may refer to:
* Backpacking (travel), low-cost, independent, international travel
* Backpacking (hiking), trekking and camping overnight in the wilderness
* Ultralight backpacking, a style of wilderness backpacking with an emphasis on ...
, automobile and motorcycle tourism,
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...
,
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
, and other winter sports. The mountain range contains a dense network of trails, and the recreational infrastructure is relatively well developed, especially in the south. The Little Carpathians are a popular destination for the inhabitants of
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
and other larger cities in the region.
Since the Middle Ages, the area has been known for its wines and wine-making traditions. Well known centers of local wine-making include
Svätý Jur
Svätý Jur (; german: Sankt Georgen; he, Yergen; hu, Szentgyörgy; formerly ''Jur pri Bratislave'') is a small historical town northeast of Bratislava, located in the Bratislava Region. The city is situated on the slopes of Little Carpathians ...
,
Modra
Modra (german: Modern, hu, Modor, Latin: ''Modur'') is a city and municipality in the Bratislava Region in Slovakia. It has a population of 9,042 as of 2018. It nestles in the foothills of the Malé Karpaty (Little Carpathian mountains) and i ...
and
Pezinok
Pezinok (; hu, Bazin; german: Bösing; lat, Bazinium) is a town in southwestern Slovakia. It is roughly northeast of Bratislava and, as of December 2018, had a population of 23,002.
Pezinok lies near the Little Carpathians and thrives mainly ...
. The main tourist centers include the Slovak capital
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
,
Pezinská Baba (halfway between
Pezinok
Pezinok (; hu, Bazin; german: Bösing; lat, Bazinium) is a town in southwestern Slovakia. It is roughly northeast of Bratislava and, as of December 2018, had a population of 23,002.
Pezinok lies near the Little Carpathians and thrives mainly ...
and
Pernek
Pernek is a village and municipality in Malacky District in the Bratislava Region of western Slovakia.
History
In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1394.
Geography
The municipality lies at an altitude of 278 metres and co ...
) and
Zochova chata (near
Modra
Modra (german: Modern, hu, Modor, Latin: ''Modur'') is a city and municipality in the Bratislava Region in Slovakia. It has a population of 9,042 as of 2018. It nestles in the foothills of the Malé Karpaty (Little Carpathian mountains) and i ...
).
Images
File:Krslenica 12.jpg, Kršlenica rocks
File:Sandberg 12.jpg, Sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
rock Sandberg
File:Hlbociansky vodopad in summer.jpg, Hlboča waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
File:Cave Pieskova 01.jpg, Cave Piesková
File:Cave Kabele 01.jpg, Cave Kabele
File:PP01 2.jpg, Speleothem
A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending on ...
s in the cave PP1
See also
*
Geomorphological division of Slovakia This article gives an overview of the geomorphological division of Slovakia. It is ordered in a hierarchical form, belonging to the Alps-Himalaya System and to the sub-systems of the Carpathian Mountains and of the Pannonian Basin. These subsystem ...
*
Tourism in Slovakia
References
External links
Little Carpathiansa
Spectacular SlovakiaLittle Carpathians Wine Route
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of Slovakia
Mountain ranges of Austria
Mountain ranges of the Western Carpathians