Karkonosze mountains

The highest and undoubtedly the best-known range of the Sudetes. Thanks to a very well-developed tourist infrastructure (network of hiking trails, mountain shelters, ski facilities), they have been a destination for mountain hikers and skiers for centuries.

Their undoubted beauty, abundance of natural curiosities, stunning panoramas and unique atmosphere attract artists and people sensitive to the natural beauty of the surroundings. The unique fauna and flora attract naturalists and nature researchers to the Karkonosze Mountains.

The Karkonosze Mountains stretch along a 36 km long range from the Szklarska Pass - the Jakuszyce estate (886 m above sea level) in the west to the Lubawska Gate (511 m above sea level) in the east.

The Main Ridge of the Karkonosze - Silesian Mountains, clearly exposed in the landscape, running from Szklarska Poręba to the Śnieżką Pass, and the highest peak of the Sudetes - Śnieżka (1,603 m above sea level) have always aroused admiration and the respect due to the mountains, hence the Karkonosze Mountains were called the Giant Mountains. The Karkonosze Mountains, like most mountains, differ from the north and south. From the north, the Polish mountains have the shape of a clear embankment with steeply descending slopes, while from the south, the Czech part gradually rises with successive ranges, growing into higher and higher mountain ridges.

Geologically, the Karkonosze Mountains belong to a unit called the Karkonosze-Izera block. From the west to the Przełęcz pod Śnieżką, ending in the east the Równia pod Śnieżką, they are built by Variscan granitoids. Śnieżka itself is composed mainly of metamorphic hornfels, and the rest of the ridge to the east of it is composed mainly of Proterozoic gneisses, mica schists, granite gneisses with greenstones, conglomerates and greywackes at the foot.
The current shape of the Karkonosze Mountains is the result of Variscan orogenic movements from about 300 million years ago, followed by a period of erosion and denudation. Then the main mountain massif was raised again during the Tertiary Alpine orogeny. Due to orogenic movements and subsequent periods of erosion and denudation, the Karkonosze Mountains have acquired the characteristic appearance of a wide ridge from which the domes of individual peaks grow.

However, the most attractive elements of the Karkonosze relief were created during the period of intense erosion during glaciations (Pleistocene) and after the retreat of the ice sheet. The result of these processes are post-glacial cirques descending with rocky walls, at the foot of which there are dump and alluvial fans as well as bottom, side and end moraines, ponds and glacial lakes located in Kocioł Wielki Staw, Kocioł Mały Staw, Wielki Śnieżny Kocioł.

The high-mountain, almost polar climate and weathering also contributed to the creation of many fantastically formed rocks scattered throughout the Karkonosze Mountains: Pilgrims, Sunflower, Paciorki, Twarożnik, Trzy Świnki, Horseheads and Silesian Stones.
On some rocks in the Karkonosze Mountains you can find the so-called ventilation cauldrons.
The climatic conditions in the Karkonosze Mountains are much harsher than the height of these mountains would suggest. The climate here corresponds to the European high mountains. In the Karkonosze Mountains, the average temperature drop is 0.6 degrees. C at 100m height. As a result, temperatures, e.g. in Szklarska Poręba, are 4-5 degrees higher. C higher than in Szrenica.

The annual rainfall on Szrenica and Wielki Szyszak exceeds 1,400 mm, and on Śnieżka - 1,200 mm. Very characteristic of the Karkonosze Mountains in winter are deposits in the form of rime or rime, covering buildings, trees and even blades of grass with ice needles. The undoubted charm of the Karkonosze Mountains is enhanced by streams and rivers flowing down steep, rocky valleys, often over boulders, creating cascades and waterfalls in gorge valleys. The highest and most beautiful waterfalls are Kamieńczyk and Szklarka.

(*) - text based on KPN materials and "Karkonosze" by Marek Staff