The Giant Mountains (, ; ; ) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif). The Czech–Polish border, which divides the historic regions of Bohemia and Silesia, runs along the main ridge. The highest peak,Sněžka , is the Czech Republic's highest natural point with an elevation of .
On both sides of the border, large areas of the mountains are designated national parks (Krkonoše National Park in the Czech Republic and Karkonosze National Park in Poland), and these together comprise the Krkonoše/Karkonosze Transboundary Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. The source of the River Elbe is within the Giant Mountains. The range has a number of major ski resorts, and is a popular destination for tourists engaging in downhill and cross-country skiing, hiking, cycling and other activities.
Names
The range has been called the Giant Mountains in English literature since at least 1719.Nieuwentyt (1719), p. 504.The Czech name "Krkonoše" is first mentioned (in the singular, as "Krkonoš") in a 1492 record of the division of the Manor of Štěpanice into two parts. The first map occurrence of the name dates back to 1518 to Klaudyán map of Bohemia, when it is referred to the mountains as "Krkonoss". The origin of the name is usually interpreted as a compound of "krk" or "krak", an Old Slavonic word for Krummholz (a reference to the local vegetation) – and "noš", derived from "nosit" (to carry). Alternative linguistic theories mention a connection with the pre–Indo-European word Corconti, which is first listed by Ptolemy.
In Simon Hüttel's chronicle of Trautenau (Trutnov) from 1549 the names Hrisenpergisches Gebirge, Hrisengepirge, Hrisengebirge, Risengepirge appeared for the first time, but in the following centuries several other names were still used too. Martin Helwig's map of Silesia mentions Riſenberg (Risenberg).
In 1380, Přibík Pulkava called the mountains the Sněžné hory (Snowy Mountains). The Czech writer Bohuslav Balbín recorded in 1679 that the mountains were known under various names: Krkonoše (Cerconossios), Rhipaeos Montes, Obrovski Mountains, Snow Mountains or Riesen Gebirge.Lech Rugała, "O nazewnictwie Sudetów", Sudety Klub of Poznan, Portal INTERIA.PL – więcej niż się spodziewasz! The highest peak in the mountain is Śnieżka which means the „Snowy Mountain” in feminine singular.
The modern names of Krkonoše (Czech), and Karkonosze (Polish) became widely accepted in the 19th century.Der Name Riesengebirge ist jung und hat sich erst im 19. Jahrhundert richtig durchgesetzt, als der 1880 gegründete Riesengebirgsverein dieses bemerkenswerte Mittelgebirge als Wander- und Wintersportgebiet propagierte, das von Prag und Berlin aus in wenigen Bahnstunden zu erreichen war. Bei den deutschen Bewohnern Schlesiens und Nordböhmens sprach man vom "Gebirge", auch vom "Schneegebirge" oder dem "Böhmischen Gebirge", was man bei prominenten Autoren wie Stenus, Rätel, Schwenckfeld und weiteren nachlesen kann. Bekannter und früher erwähnt ist der höchste Berg, die Schneekoppe (Sněžka / Śnieżka), und zwar als Riesenberg, Riseberg u.a. Eine entscheidende Position als Quelle nimmt die Trautenauer Chronik des Simon Hüttel (1549) ein, wo nicht nur der höchste Berg mehrfach erwähnt wird (" ... bin ich Symon Hyttel mit eilf nachbarn von Trautenaw auf den Hrisenberg zu öberst hinauf spaziert"), sondern auch das Gebirge als Ganzes: Hrisenpergisches Gebirge, Hrisengepirge, Hrisengebirge, Risengepirge. Es sollte aber noch einige Zeit dauern, bis sich der Name Riesengebirge endgültig im deutschen Sprachgut etablierte. Prof. em. Dr. Walter Sperling 'Der Wanderer im Riesengebirge, Nr.3, 1929, Deutscher Riesengebirgsverein (RGV), Wilh. Gottl. Korn, Breslau
Geography
The area of the Giant Mountains amounts to , within the Czech Republic and in Poland. While most of the Sudetes are middle-sized Mittelgebirge mountains, the Giant Mountains have a few characteristics of proper high mountains such as glacial cirques, small periglacial landforms and an elevation significantly above the tree line.
The main ridge of the mountains runs from east to west and forms the border between these two countries. Its highest peak, Sněžka/Śnieżka, is the highest peak of the Czech Republic. The Silesian northern part, in Poland, drops steeply to the Jelenia Góra valley, whereas the southern Czech part slopes gently to the Bohemian basin. In the north-easterly direction the Giant Mountains continue to Rudawy Janowickie, and in the south-east to Rýchory. The pass Novosvětský průsmyk () at Jakuszyce forms the western border with the Jizera Mountains. The Bohemian ridge in the Czech Republic, running parallel to the main ridge, forms a second ridge (also called inner ridge). At Špindlerův Mlýn the river Elbe divides the Bohemian ridge.
The ridges are divided by the rivers Elbe, Mumlava, Bílé Labe, Velka Úpa, Malá Úpa and Jizera, which originates in the Jizera Mountains. The rivers on the Czech side often fall over steep edges into valleys formed by ice-age glaciers. The largest waterfalls on the southern side of the mountains are the Labský vodopád with a height of , Pančavský waterfall (, the highest waterfall in the Czech Republic), Horní Úpský waterfall, Dolní Úpský waterfall and Mumlava Waterfall (). The most important rivers on the Polish side are Kamienna, Łomnica and Bóbr. They also form impressive waterfalls, such as Kamieńczyk Falls (), Szklarki Falls () Wodospad na Łomnicy () or Podgórna Falls ().
The main ridge of the Giant Mountains forms the watershed between the North Sea and the Baltic. The rivers on the south side drain into the North Sea, those on the north side into the Baltic.
Highest peaks and peaks of interest Czech Polish German Elevation NoteSněžkaŚnieżka Schneekoppe Highest peak; cabin lift from Pec pod SněžkouLuční hora Łączna Góra Hochwiesenberg Highest peak of the Bohemian RidgeStudniční horaStudzienna Góra Brunnberg Vysoké kolo Wielki Szyszak Hohes Rad Highest peak in the Western KrkonošeStříbrný hřbet Smogornia Mittagsberg Violík (Labský štít) Łabski Szczyt Veilchenstein Malý Šišák Mały Szyszak Kleine Sturmhaube KotelKocioł Kesselkoppe Velký Šišák (Smělec) Śmielec Große Sturmhaube Harrachovy kamenyHarrachowskie Kamienie Harrachsteine Mužské kameny Czeskie Kamienie Mannsteine Dívčí kameny Śląskie Kamienie Mädelsteine Svorová hora Czarna Kopa Schwarze Koppe Růžová horaRózowa Góra Rosenberg Kopa Kleine Koppe Liščí horaLisia Góra Fuchsberg Jínonoš Szrenica Reifträger Chairlift from Szklarska PorębaLysá hora Łysa Góra Kahler Berg Chairlift from Rokytnice nad Jizerou, ski resortStohStóg Heuschober Černá hora Czarna Góra Schwarzenberg Cable car from Janské Lázně, TV tower, ski resortMedvědínMedwiedin Schüsselberg Chairlift from Špindlerův Mlýn, ski resortDvorský lesDworski Las Hoflbusch Highest peak of RýchoryČertova horaCzarcia Góra Teufelsberg Chairlifts from Harrachov and Rýžoviště, ski resort
Flora The river valleys and lower layers form the sub-montane zone. The aboriginal hardwood and mixed forests are largely replaced with spruce monocultures. Only the river valleys offer remnants of hardwood forests.
The higher parts form the montane vegetation zone. Their natural coniferous forests have also in large parts been replaced by spruce monocultures, which are often heavily damaged due to air pollution and soil acidification. In many places, the forest is dead. This is due to the geographic location in the Black Triangle, a region around the German–Polish–Czech border triangle with many coal-burning power plants. The sulfur dioxide emissions, which are mainly responsible for acid rain, and the emission of many other concentrations have been greatly reduced since the beginning of the 1990s, but the forest die-back, which started in the 1970s and culminated in the late 1980s, could not be stopped entirely.
The clearing of forests in the surroundings of mountain huts created species-rich mountain meadows, which were maintained in alpine pasture farming. After the expulsion of Germans in 1945, this type of management largely came to a standstill and the mountain meadows were largely abandoned.
Above the timber line at about is the subalpine vegetation zone, which is marked by knee timber, mat-grass meadows and subarctic high moors. This habitat of special importance in the Krkonoše is a relic of Arctic tundra, which was typical in Central Europe during the ice age. At the same time, however, there was a connection to the alpine grasslands of the Alps, and plant species coexist here which are otherwise separated by several thousand kilometers, such as cloudberries. Some species evolved under the specific conditions of the Krkonoše unlike in the Alps or in the tundra, especially in Śnieżne Kotły. They are endemic, which means they only appear here.
The alpine vegetation zone, with large rocky deserts, can only be found on the highest peaks (Sněžka, Luční hora, Studniční hora, Kotel and Szrenica). Only grass, moss and lichen survive here.
Especially species-rich are glacial cirques such as the Obří důl, Labský důl and Důl Bílého Labe on the south side and the dramatic Śnieżne Kotły, Kocioł Łomniczki and the calderas of mountain lakes Wielki Staw and Mały Staw on the north side of the main ridge. The species-richest areas are called zahrádka ("garden"). There are about 15 in Krkonoše, for example Čertova zahrádka und Krakonošova zahrádka.
National parks and nature reserves
On both the Czech and Polish side, large parts of the mountain range are protected as national parks and nature reserves.
The Czech Krkonoše National Park (Krkonošský národní park, KRNAP) was created in 1963 as the second national park in Czechoslovakia, making it the oldest national park in the Czech Republic. Its area is approximately , including not only the subalpine zone but also large parts down to the foot of the mountains.
Poland's Karkonosze National Park (Karkonoski Park Narodowy, KPN) was created in 1959 and covers an area of . It covers the highly sensitive higher parts of the mountain range from an altitude of about and some special nature reserves below this zone.
The strict conservation regulations of the Polish national park prohibit reforestation of damaged and dead forests. On the Czech side, however, large-scale reforestation projects are common.
Climate
The climate of the Giant Mountains is marked by frequent weather changes. The winters are cold and snow depths above are not uncommon. Many parts of the mountains are covered with snow for five or six months. There is often dense fog at the higher altitudes. On average, mount Sněžka/Śnieżka is at least partly hidden in fog and/or clouds on 296 days, and has an average of about 0.2 °C, which is similar to places much further north, like Iceland. The main ridge is one of the most wind-exposed areas of Europe. On the northern side the Foehn wind is a frequent meteorological phenomenon. The annual precipitation ranges from about at the foot of the mountains up to on mount Sněžka/Śnieżka. The highest precipitation, at , is reached in the snow pits in the valleys at the foot of the main ridge.
History