Muránska Planina National Park
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Muránska planina National Park () is one of the youngest national parks in Slovakia. The core area measures 21,318 ha and the protective belt 21,698 ha. It includes 14 smaller protected territories. The headquarters are located in Revúca.


History

The area of the current Muránska Planina National Park was first protected in 1976 as a protected scenic area. This status was changed in October 1997 to that of a national park. The park was officially opened on 27 May 1998.


Location

Muránska Planina national park is situated on the border between Central and Eastern
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, 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 west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
far from the country´s borders between the Horehronie region in the north and the Gemer region in the south. The area stretches from the Klenovská Rimava valley in the west to the Javorinka saddle and the village of Červená Skala in the east. The national park is spread out over 3 districts in the
Banská Bystrica Region The Banská Bystrica Region (, ; , ) is one of the eight regions of Slovakia. It is the largest of the eight regions by area, and has a lower population density than any other region. The Banská Bystrica Region was established in 1923; its bord ...
, namely the district of
Brezno Brezno (; 1927–1948: ; or ; ) is a town in central Slovakia with a population of around 21,000. Etymology The name is derived from the Slovak word "breza" for birch. Geography Brezno is located within the Geomorphological division of Slovak ...
in the north,
Rimavská Sobota Rimavská Sobota (; , ) is a town in southern Slovakia, in the Banská Bystrica Region, on the Rimava river. It has approximately 24,000 inhabitants. The town is a historical capital of Gömör és Kishont County (from 1850 to 1922). Geography ...
in the south and Revúca in the south-east. The cadastral territories of the town of Tisovec and eight villages are located within the borders of the national park and its buffer zone. It protects the area of
Muránska planina Muránska planina (translated as Muráň Plateau or Muráň Plain) is a plateau-like region in central Slovakia, between Brezno, Červená Skala (part of Šumiac), Muráň and Tisovec. It lies in the Spiš-Gemer Karst The Spiš-Gemer Karst ...
(Muráň Plateau), which is geologically part of the Slovenské rudohorie mountain range.


Geology

The geology of the Muránska planina dates back to the Mesozoic era. During this time a huge block of dolomite and limestone moved to the location of the current national park and formed a nappe. Because of this phenomenon the core of the national park still consists of a
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
and dolomite
plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
with
karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
formations. Over the course of millions of years water carved deep furrows and valleys that gradually acquired a wild character. Steep rocky ravines are located mainly on the northwestern and southeastern edges of the area. In contrasts, the surface of the plateau itself is relatively flat and is located between 900 m and 1400 m. Because of the well-developed karst, the plateau is dotted with numerous abysses, caves, sinkholes, karrens and springs. The relief of the Muránska planina national park is very rugged and in many places rocky. The central territory is formed by the massif of the Muránska planina mountains that is part of the Spišsko-gemerský kras. The overall length of the karst landscape from the settlement of ''Červená Skala'' (part of
Šumiac Šumiac () is a village and municipality in Brezno District, in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. Šumiac was historically the western-most municipality with majority Rusyn ethnicity, along with Telgárt and Vernár. Currently, mos ...
) to the town of Tisovec is about 25 km. The lowest situated site in the national park is located close to the village of Muráň at an altitude of 400m AMSL. The highest point is Fabova hoľa at 1,439 m
AMSL Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level v ...
, however, a higher peak, Stolica at 1,476 m is located in the buffer zone. Stolica is also the highest peak of the
Slovak Ore Mountains The Slovak Ore Mountains ( , , ) are an extensive mountain range within the Carpathian Mountains, located mostly in Slovakia's Spiš and Gemer region, with a small part in northern Hungary. It is the largest mountain range in Slovakia. Geomorph ...
. There are more than 150 notable caves, which are inaccessible to the public.


Flora

Flora in the National Park is notable for its
biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...
and
species richness Species richness is the number of different species represented in an community (ecology), ecological community, landscape or region. Species richness is simply a count of species, and it does not take into account the Abundance (ecology), abunda ...
and includes 35
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
and sub-endemic species, for example,
Daphne arbuscula
'. Forests cover about 90% of the area.


Tourism

Tourist attractions include 300 km of marked hiking
trails A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...
and two educational trails, one of which is named after Jakub Surovec. The best access to the park is through the surrounding villages and settlements, for example
Muráň Muráň (earlier ''Podmuráň'', , ) is a village and municipality in Revúca District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia. Geography The village is located around 9 km north of Revúca, in the Muráň river valley. The Muráň Plate ...
and Závadka nad Hronom. On a rock in the middle of the range stands the Muráň castle.


Protected areas

The national park compromises 10 national nature reserves, 1 national natural monument, 1 natural monument, 7 nature preserves, 1 special protection area and 1 site of community importance: *National nature preserves: ** Cigánka ** Hrdzavá ** Javorníková ** Kášter ** Malá Stožka ** Poludnica ** Šarkanica ** Šiance ** Veľká Stožka ** Zlatnica *National natural monuments: ** Bobačka *Natural Monuments: ** Wesselényiho jaskyňa *Nature preserves: ** Čertova dolina ** Fabova hoľa ** Havrania dolina ** Mašianske skalky ** Mokrá poľana ** Nad Furmancom ** Zlatnianske skalky *Special protection areas: **Muránska planina - Stolica *Sites of community importance: **Muránska planina


See also

* Protected areas of Slovakia


References


External links


Muránska planina National Park
a
Slovakia.travel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muranska Planina National Park National parks of Slovakia Protected areas established in 1997 Protected areas of the Western Carpathians Geography of Banská Bystrica Region Tourist attractions in Banská Bystrica Region