Polish regions.. Part 1. Bieszczady

In my presentation I would like to show you best regions in Poland prepared by myself.

I divided my presentation into three parts. In firs one I would like to show you some information about one of favorite region in Poland – Bieszczady. If you need pleace where

Bieszczady, or Bieszczadzkie Mountains is the western part of what the Polish call Eastern Beskids (Beskidy Wschodnie). It is a part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountain range is situated between the Łupków Pass (640 m) and the Vyshkovskyi Pass (933 m).

In a narrower but very frequent sense, Bieszczady refers only to the Western Bieszczady or even only to the Polish part of the mountain range.

The highest peak of Bieszczady is Mt. Pikuy (1405 m) in Ukraine. The highest peak of the Polish part is Tarnica (1346 m).

History

Settled in prehistoric times, the south-eastern Poland region that is now Bieszczady was overrun in pre-Roman times by various tribes, including the Celts, Goths and Vandals. After the fall of the Roman Empire, of which most of south-eastern Poland was part (all parts below the San), the area was invaded by Hungarians and West Slavs.

The region subsequently became part of the Great Moravian state. Upon the invasion of the Hungarian tribes into the heart of the Great Moravian Empire around 899, the Lendians of the area declared their allegiance to Hungarian Empire. The region then became a site of contention between Poland, Kievan Rus and Hungary starting in at least the 9th century.

This area was mentioned for the first time in 981, when Volodymyr the Great of Kievan Rus took the area over on the way into Poland. In 1018 it returned to Poland, 1031 back to Rus, in 1340 Casimir III of Poland recovered it.

Bieszczady was one of the strategically important Carpathian mountains bitterly contested in battles on the Eastern Front of World War I during the winter of 1914/1915.

Up until 1947, 84% of the population of the Polish part of the Bieszczadzkie Mountains was Boyko. The killing of the Polish General Karol Świerczewski in Jabłonki by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in 1947 was the direct cause of the replacement of the Boyk, the so-called Operation Wisła. The area was mostly uninhabited afterwards. In 2002, then president Aleksander Kwaśniewski expressed regret for this operation.

In 1991, the UNESCO East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve was created that encapsulates a large part of the area and continues into Slovakia and Ukraine. It comprises the Bieszczady National Park (Poland), Poloniny National Park (Slovakia) + Uzhansky National Nature Park (Ukraine). Animals living in this reserve are, amongst others, black storks, brown bears, wolves and bison.

The Bieszczadzki National Park

The Bieszczadzki National Park was established on August 4, 1973. Over the past few years, the Park has been enlarged significantly and now totals at 27,064 ha with forests covering most of its area (64%). The Park includes parts of the Bieszczady Mountains, which are the westernmost part of the Eastern Beskidy Mountains Range. The Park is located in the southeastern tip of Poland. Since 1992, the Park has been included on the list of the World Biosphere Reserves.

The Park protects the highest portions of the Western Bieszczady Mountains, including Mount Tarnica, which rises to a height of 1,346 m above sea level, as well as the Polonina Carynska and Wielka Rawka, with their surrounding forests. Just above the lower mountain forests, which are made up of beech and fir trees, the Bieszczady Mountains enclose a floor of mountainous pastureland known as poloniny. Here the treeless summits, surrounded by the green forests, create a specific and completely unique aura. This area is practically unaltered by man. Countless people are drawn here each year in search of silence, clean air and crystal clear water. The serene nature of the Bieszczady Mountains is exceptionally gracious for those who enjoy photography and the park itself is famous for its wonderful mountain vistas.

So this is the first part of my presentation, and third of my favorite places in Poland. Please tell me something about best places for you? Why your best places are best places ? :) Why you want to back there as soon as possible? :)