Karkonosze Park River

The raging white waters stir the sunlight into a sparkling sea of sumer spray that cools off the trees and critters large and small who stand to the side, just close enough to enjoy the water without being swept away. You perch upon a rock in the sun, imagining the mountain where all this cool fresh water must be coming from. Perhaps the summit is snowcapped and slumbering, untouched by human hands. The Karkonosze National Park is located in the Karkonosze Mountains in southwestern Poland. It was created in 1959 to cover an area of 55.10 km²; today it is slightly larger at 55.76 km2 (21.53 sq mi), of which 17.18 km² is strictly protected. In 1992 Karkonosze National Park, together with the neighbouring Czech Krkonoše National Park, was designated as a biosphere reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MaB) programme. Also 40 hectares of peat bogs are designated a Ramsar international wetland site. The Karkonosze Mountains are situated on the division of the European water system - it divides the basins of two rivers – the Elbe and the Oder – which means that it separates the basins of the Baltic Sea and North Sea. Many of the Karkonosze’s streams come down the hills, creating waterfalls, the largest of which in the Polish part of the mountains (300 m) is created by the Łomniczka stream. Karkonosze National Park is visited by more than 1.5 million tourists yearly. They can use 112 kilometres of walking paths, 10 ski lifts and 12 guest houses.