Mäsiarsky bok is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in the Slovak municipality of

Krupina Krupina (german: Karpfen, hu, Korpona) is a town in southern central Slovakia. It is part of the Banská Bystrica Region and has approximately 8,000 inhabitants. Etymology The name is probably derived from Slavic root ''krup''. Proto-Slavic: '' ...

. It covers an area of 127.81 ha and has a protection level of 5 on national level. The national nature reserve is located at between 350 and 545 m above sea level on the eastern side of the road connecting

and

Babiná Babiná (german: Frauenstuhl; hu, Bábaszék) is a village and municipality of the Zvolen District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia History In historical records, the village was first mentioned in 1254. In 1270 German colonists settle ...

.''Krupina - Prírodné pamiatky''
/ref> The protected area is declared for the protection of a forest complex with fragments of original or little changed forest stands on rocky slopes, for scientific research and educational purposes. The geological foundation of the whole area consists of

pyroxene The pyroxenes (commonly abbreviated to ''Px'') are a group of important rock-forming inosilicate minerals found in many igneous and metamorphic rocks. Pyroxenes have the general formula , where X represents calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), iron (Fe II) ...

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomi ...

and

pyroclastic rock Pyroclastic rocks (derived from the el, πῦρ, links=no, meaning fire; and , meaning broken) are clastic rocks composed of rock fragments produced and ejected by explosive volcanic eruptions. The individual rock fragments are known as pyrocl ...

with a layer of clay-loam on top. The rocks formed rock

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

s and stone seas.''vypadni - Masiarsky bok''
/ref> The small Krupinica stream flows through the reserve. The predominant tree species are

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

. Other present species are

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Origin of names The common English name ''hornbeam' ...

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

and linden. More than 60% of the trees is more than 100 years old and about 15% even more than 150 years. These stands are one of the most valuable nature reserve stands in the region with some very old protected oak trees.

Fauna

The fauna consists of

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

and

common buzzard The common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. A member of the genus ''Buteo'', it is a member of the family Accipitridae. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range across ...

. Regularly eagle owls nest in the nature reserve. Smaller birds are represented by more than 30 species. Other animal species present are: ''

Eriogaster catax ''Eriogaster catax'', the eastern eggar, is a species of moth in the family Lasiocampidae. Description ''Eriogaster catax'' has a wingspan of in males, of in the females. This species shows a pronounced sexual dimorphism. The males are smalle ...

'', ''

Lucanus cervus ''Lucanus cervus'', known as the European stag beetle, or the greater stag beetle, is one of the best-known species of stag beetle (family Lucanidae) in Western Europe, and is the eponymous example of the genus. ''L. cervus'' is listed as Near ...

'',

Eurasian otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of ...

large copper The large copper (''Lycaena dispar'') is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. ''L. dispar'' has been commonly arranged into three subspecies: ''L. dispar dispar'', (single-brooded) which was commonly found in England, but is now extinct, ''L. d ...

and

hazel dormouse The hazel dormouse or common dormouse (''Muscardinus avellanarius'') is a small mammal and the only living species in the genus ''Muscardinus''. Distribution and habitat The hazel dormouse is native to northern Europe and Asia Minor. It is the ...

Tourism

The nature reserve is located directly at the road 66 between Krupina and Babiná and therefore easily reachable by car or bike. A hiking path marked with green signs leads along the Krupinica stream also from Krupina to Babiná train station without climbing the hills. The trail follows the bank of the stream and crosses it between Mäsiarsky bok and the Babiná train station.''Geocaching - Masiarsky bok-kamenne more''
/ref> In spring this crossing can become impossible when the water level in the stream is too high, making Mäsiarsky bok only accessible from the Krupina side. For visiting the stone seas a climb higher up the hills is required. The station of Babiná is located close to the northern edge of the nature reserve. Furthermore, a restaurant and hotel can be found along the road on the other side of the stream.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Masiarsky bok Geography of Banská Bystrica Region Protected areas of Slovakia