Volovec (in Slovak) or Wołowiec (in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

) is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

in the Western Tatras at the border of

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 ...

and

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 ...

. It lies on the main ridge of Western Tatras between Ostrý Roháč and mountain Deravá, standing over three valleys: Chochołowską, Roháčska and Jamnícka. It offers views over the Polish Western Tatras, and Slovak Roháče. Janusz Chmielowski wrote in 1898: "The summit is extremely interesting (...), in the south rises the jagged group of Rohacz / Roháče (...), toward the east the High Tatras just like a giant rocky island (...) On the north stands the dome of Babia Góra. On the west lie below the Roháčske Ponds."

History

The mountain's height was determined already in 1820 and it was used as an important

triangulation In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by forming triangles to the point from known points. Applications In surveying Specifically in surveying, triangulation involves only angle me ...

point.

Location and topography

The peak is located at a junction of three ridges: * from the east from Jarząbczy Wierch / Hrubý Vrch and Łopata / Lopata * from the south from Ostrý Roháč / Rohacz Ostry and Plačlivé / Rohacz Placzliwy (towards Roháče) * from the north from Rákon / Rakoń and Grześ (towards Bobrovec) Volovec lies on the Main Ridge of Western Tatras between Ostrý Roháč and mountain Deravá, close to mountain Rákoň. Starting from Volovec, the Main Ridge acts as the border between Poland and Slovakia.

Description

The mountain consists of

metamorphic rock Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causin ...

(Alaskite and Mylonite). Local fauna include the

Tatra chamois The Tatra chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica''; sk, Kamzík vrchovský tatranský; pl, Kozica tatrzańska) is a subspecies of the chamois of the genus '' Rupicapra''. Tatra chamois live in the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia and Poland. Popula ...

Alpine marmot The alpine marmot (''Marmota marmota'') is a large ground-dwelling squirrel, from the genus of marmots. It is found in high numbers in mountainous areas of central and southern Europe, at heights between in the Alps, Carpathians, Tatras and No ...

and

Tatra marmot The Tatra marmot (''Marmota marmota latirostris'') is an Endemism, endemic subspecies of marmot found in the Tatra Mountains. In the past, it was a Game (hunting), game animal, but in the 19th century, its population drastically declined. It is a ...

Access

There are two marked hiking trails which lead to the summit of Volovec, red and blue. A third, green one, connects with the blue one at the saddle beneath the mountain. All routes pose no technical difficulty and when taking into account the relatively large distance and

altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...

difference involved, the summit is one of the most challenging climbs in Western Tatras accessible even to children. An exception to this is trying to access Volovec through Ostrý Roháč and Jamnícke saddle, which is one of the most exposed climbs on the main ridge of Western Tatras. * Red trail from Jarząbczy Wierch / Hrubý Vrch (2:10 h) * Blue trail from village Oravice through Jamnícka valley * Green trail from Polana Chochołowska through Dolina Chochołowska Wyżnia, it connects with the blue trail at the saddle between Rákoň and Volovec (2:40 h, ↓ 2:05 h) Hiking off-trails is forbidden in Polish Western Tatras and allowed only at certain areas in Slovak Western Tatras and only when accompanied by a mountain guide or when holding a UIAA license.

Gallery

Image:Ostry Rohacz a1.jpg, Volovec as seen from Ostrý Roháč / Rohacz Ostry Image:Volovec.jpg, Tourist marker at the summit Image:Wołowiec a 10.jpg, Volovec as seen from Trzydniowiańsky Wierch Image:Wołowiec a2.jpg, Volovec, in the foreground part of Łopata / Lopata

References