Turbacz is the highest peak of the Gorce Mountains, a mountain range located in southern Lesser Poland. It lies in the middle of the range, and according to most sources, it is 1310 meters high. The peak itself is surrounded by dense pine forest, which makes it impossible view the surrounding area. In the past, however, no trees were present there, and according to the 1832 sources, it was possible to see the city of Kraków with a telescope. On the top there is a stone obelisk with an iron cross. Turbacz belongs to the Crown of Polish Mountains.
Turbacz is popular among tourists, with a junction of several trails located in front of a local PTTK shelter. The shelter itself, located at the height of 1283 meters, provides views of the Tatras and the Pieniny mountains. Turbacz shelter is a large stone building, with two wings. It was opened in 1958, and has 100 beds. Next to the shelter there is a PTTK Museum of Mountain Culture and Tourism, opened in 1980.
Every second Sunday of August a Celebration of Mountains takes place next to the so-called Papal Chapel, on the Wisielakowka clearing. It attracts a number of tourists, and in the same spot, a traditional service was led by Reverend Józef Tischner. On August 12, 2012, a monument dedicated to Polish soldiers was opened on the Wisielakówka clearing. Every summer, a mountain bike race takes place from Rabka Zdrój to Turbacz and back.
During World War II and in the second half of the 1940s, numerous anti-Nazi and anti-Soviet partisan units operated in the area of Turbacz. One personality closely associated with the peak is Józef Kuraś, nom de guerre Ogień, a controversial Polish cursed soldiers, cursed soldier, who fought both Nazi and Soviet occupiers.
In the past, the mountain was known by local people as Kluczki. In 1790, Habsburg cartographers, working on the map of Galicia (Eastern Europe), Galicia, made a mistake, placing the village of Niedzwiedz in the location of the peak, which resulted in naming confusion throughout the 19th century. The word Turbacz itself probably is of Wallachian origin, coming from the Romanian language, Romanian word ''turbă'', which means "peat".
The summit of Turbacz has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification, Köppen ''Dfc'') due to its elevation. The average temperatures are comparable with those found in places in far Northern Europe, such as Alta, Norway, however, the high annual precipitation in combination with the low temperatures places it firmly within the Holdridge life zones, Subalpine Rainforest zone according to Holdridge.
{{Weather box
, location = Turbacz, Poland (1310 m)
, metric first = Yes
, single line = Yes
, Jan high C = -4.0
, Feb high C = -2.0
, Mar high C = 0.5
, Apr high C = 6.5
, May high C = 13.5
, Jun high C = 16.0
, Jul high C = 18.0
, Aug high C = 17.5
, Sep high C = 12.0
, Oct high C = 7.5
, Nov high C = 1.5
, Dec high C = -2.0
, year high C = 7.1
, Jan mean C = -7.1
, Feb mean C = -5.3
, Mar mean C = -2.5
, Apr mean C = 2.6
, May mean C = 7.8
, Jun mean C = 10.7
, Jul mean C = 12.2
, Aug mean C = 12.1
, Sep mean C = 8.0
, Oct mean C = 3.7
, Nov mean C = -2.0
, Dec mean C = -5.5
, year mean C = 2.9
, Jan low C = -10.5
, Feb low C = -9.0
, Mar low C = -6.0
, Apr low C = -2.0
, May low C = 2.5
, Jun low C = 5.5
, Jul low C = 6.5
, Aug low C = 6.5
, Sep low C = 3.5
, Oct low C = 0.0
, Nov low C = -5.5
, Dec low C = -9.0
, year low C = -1.5
, Jan precipitation mm = 78
, Feb precipitation mm = 74
, Mar precipitation mm = 83
, Apr precipitation mm = 109
, May precipitation mm = 142
, Jun precipitation mm = 181
, Jul precipitation mm = 206
, Aug precipitation mm = 163
, Sep precipitation mm = 132
, Oct precipitation mm = 101
, Nov precipitation mm = 87
, Dec precipitation mm = 79
, year precipitation mm = 1435
, Jan sun = 84
, Feb sun = 95
, Mar sun = 115
, Apr sun = 135
, May sun = 177
, Jun sun = 161
, Jul sun = 167
, Aug sun = 148
, Sep sun = 127
, Oct sun = 123
, Nov sun = 83
, Dec sun = 70
, year sun = 1485
, source = IMGW
See also
* Gorce National Park
* Podhale
Sources
External links
A map of tourist trails in the area of Turbacz
Mountains of Poland
Mountains of the Western Carpathians