The Low Tatras or Low Tatra ( sk, Nízke Tatry; hu, Alacsony-Tátra) is a

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 ...

of 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 Sy ...

in central

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 ...

. It is located south of the Tatras proper, from which it is separated by the valleys of the

Váh The Váh (; german: Waag, ; hu, Vág; pl, WagWag
w Słowniku geograficznym Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów ...

and

Poprad Poprad (; hu, Poprád; german: Deutschendorf) is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains, famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the te ...

rivers (the Liptov-Spiš abasement). The valley formed by the

Hron The Hron ( sk, Hron; german: Gran; hu, Garam; la, Granus) is a long left tributary of the Danube Čertovica Čertovica ( hu, Ördöglakodalma-hágó) is a mountain pass in the Low Tatras mountain range in Slovakia. It connects regions of Liptov and Horehronie. With AMSL, it is the highest paved mountain pass in Slovakia. It is open all year round, ho ...

pass divides the range into two parts. The highest peaks of the Low Tatras are located in its western part. Ďumbier is the highest mountain at 2,042 m

AMSL Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. The c ...

. Its neighbour Chopok (2,024 m) is accessible by a

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

, and it is the most visited place in the Low Tatras. Other peaks in the western part include Dereše (2,004 m) and Chabenec (1,955 m). The highest peak in the eastern part is Kráľova hoľa (1,946 m). The best viewpoints in western part are Veľká Chochuľa, Salatín, Chabenec, Skalka, Chopok, Ďumbier, Siná, Poludnica and Baba. Several karst areas are situated in

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

and dolomite

strata In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as e ...

at the southern and northern edges of the main ridge, which is composed of

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies und ...

and

gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures a ...

. Among many discovered caves,

Bystrianska Cave Bystrianska Cave is a limestone cave located on the southern slopes of the Nizke Tatry Mountains, along the road towards Banska Bystrica, at the southern edge of the town of Bystrá, in the Brezno District, Banskobystrický region, in Slovakia. ...

(''Bystrianska jaskyňa''), Cave of Dead Bats (''Jaskyňa mŕtvych netopierov''), Demänovská jaskyňa Slobody, Demänová Ice Cave (''Demänovská ľadová jaskyňa''), and

Važecká Cave Važecká Cave ( sk, Važecká jaskyňa, and hu, Vázseci-barlang) is a long stalactite limestone cave. Lying at an elevation of , it is located near the village of Važec, in the Liptov Basin, near the Biely Váh River, on the northern edge of t ...

(''Važecká jaskyňa'') are open to the public. The biggest canyon is Hučiaky under Salatín in Ludrová valley near Ružomberok (7 caves - not open for public), suitable for canyoning. The highest waterfall is under Brankov near Ružomberok - Podsuchá (55 m high), reachable by green marked footpath from Podsuchá (20 min). The biggest tarn is ''Vrbické pleso'' in the ''Demänovská dolina'' Valley. The mountains are densely forested and their rich fauna includes

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the N ...

wolf 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 u ...

, and

lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, Ontar ...

. The alpine meadows are the habitat of

chamois The chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe, from west to east, including the Alps, the Dinarides, the Tatra Mountains, Tatra and the Carpathian Mountains, the ...

National Park

Most of the Low Tatras is protected by the Low Tatras National Park (''Národný park Nízke Tatry''; abbr. NAPANT), established in 1978. The area of the National Park is 728 km² (281.08 mi²) and the buffer zone takes 1,102 km² (425.48 mi²); 1,830 km² (706.56 mi²) together.

Tourism

Tourism is very popular in the Tatras. During the winter there are several ski resorts in Low Tatras, for example Jasná, Mýto pod Ďumbierom, and Tále. Not only are these hubs of hiking and cross-country skiing trails, but Jasna is the largest ski resort in Central Europe and is served by the tourist town of Liptovsky Mikulas. Liptovsky Mikulas also offers a range of summer activities such as rafting, kayaking, boating on the lake, fishing, a hot springs aqua park and hiking. There are many places to stay, restaurants and bars in the town. The steep northern slopes of the range are popular with climbers. Other attractions include an 18-hole golf course near Tále. The ''Path of the heroes of Slovak national uprising'' follows the axis of the mountain range. At the very top there are several huts or hotels that can offer refuge to those who want to traverse the entire range from east to west. Low Tatras are also a popular destination for Czech tourists.An article about Low Tatras at cestovani.idnes.cz
/ref>

Panorama views

References

External links

Low Tatras National Park at Slovakia.TravelMap of eastern part of the Low Tatras
{{Authority control Mountain ranges of Slovakia Mountain ranges of the Western Carpathians

National Park

Tourism

Panorama views

See also

References

External links