Nature of TANAP

Establishment

to preserve the Tatra nature with all its variety of the living and non-living nature

The Tatra National Park stretches through the whole mountain range of the Tatras, a part of TANAP is spread in adjacent basins
surface area of TANAP - 1 045km², of which the core area - 738km², buffer zone - 307km²

shape of the mountain range formed by glaciers (glacial relief) as a distinctive “land-shaping” element – sharp peaks, deep glacial kettles and valleys, tarns, waterfalls
Tatra forest – covers almost 60% of the park area
variety of the original fauna and flora species, some of them are endemic. E.g. the Tatra chamoix or Primula halleri subsp. platyphylla are Tatra endemic species
some flora and fauna species have been living here since the ice age – we call them glacial relicts (e.g. the Tatra chamoix)

The Tatras are divided in two sub-units – Western and Eastern Tatras:

the Western Tatras are divided in following parts - Osobitá, Roháče, Sivý vrch, Liptovské Tatry, Liptovské kopy, Červené vrchy
the Eastern Tatras have two parts – the High Tatras and Belianske Tatras

Gerlach peak 2 655 m n.m. – the highest peak of the Tatras, Slovakia as well as the whole Carpatian arc
Bystrá 2 248 m n.m. - the highest peak of the Western Tatras
Havran 2 152 m n.m. - the highest peak of the Belianske Tatras

formation started in the Paleozoic (app. 570 million years ago), at the end of the Mesozoic (more than 80 million years ago) movement of nappes, in the Tertiary (12 million years ago) rising up
forming in the Quaternary due to a triple glaciation with mountain glaciers
decline of glaciers app. 10 000 years ago
most parts of the High and Western Tatras are formed by magmatic rocks (granodiorite – granite) and metamorphic rocks (gneiss, mica schist, migmatite, …)
the Belianske Tatras and parts of the Western Tatras (Osobitá, Sivý vrch, Červené vrchy) are formed by limestone and dolomite

The most precious animals of the TANAP area:

Tatra endemic species – Tatra chamoix (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica), Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota latirostris), Snow vole (Microtus nivalis mirhanreini); which are also glacial relicts,
big beasts of prey – Brown bear (Ursus arctos), Gray wolf (Canis lupus), Lynx (Lynx lynx), Wildcat (Felis sylvestris),
birds of prey - Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus),
owls - Eurasian Pygmy-owl (Glaucidium passerinum), Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo), Tawny owl (Strix aluco).

Endemic and relict species are the most precious ones:

Tatra endemic species – Ranunculus altitatrensis, Euphrasia exaristata, Primula halleri subsp. platyphyla,
Westcarpathian endemic species - Saxifraga wahlenbergii, Delphinium oxysepallum, Dianthus nitidus, Papaver tatricum,
glacial relicts (remnants of the Ice Age) - Dryas octopetala, Arctous alpina, Ranunculus reptans.

On the territory of TANAP there are more than 100 alpine lakes – tarns. The largest of them is Veľké Hincovo tarn (20,08 ha). It is also the deepest one (depth of around 53 m).
In the area of Štrbské tarn there is a boundary between two basins draining into seas. Eastwards from this boundary Tatra brooks fill and form the river Poprad (draining into the Baltic), westwards they fill the river Váh (draining into the Black Sea).
The best known waterfalls are waterfalls of Studený brook, Kmeťov waterfall, Vajanského waterfall, Roháčsky waterfall, waterfall Skok.

In the Tatras there are about 300 caves. The only one open to public is Belianska cave near the settlement Tatranská Kotlina (discovered in 1881, open to public in 1882). It is declared a National cultural monument. The longest cave system explored so far is the system of the cave Javorinka.

The first documented settlement of the Tatras and the area under the Tatras by the man dates back to 8 000 years BC. It concerns findings of stone tools on Burich near the settlement Veľký Slavkov.