Sněžka (Czech pronunciation: [ˈsɲɛʃka] ) or Śnieżka (Polish pronunciation: [ˈɕɲɛʂka]; German: Schneekoppe) is a mountain on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland, the most prominent point of the Silesian Ridge in the Giant Mountains. At 1,603.3 metres (5,260 ft), its summit is the highest point in the Czech Republic, in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in the Giant Mountains and in the entire Sudetes.
>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
👉 Sněžka in the context of Giant Mountains
The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše, or Karkonosze (Czech: [ˈkr̩konoʃɛ] , Polish pronunciation: [karkɔˈnɔʂɛ] , German: Riesengebirge pronounced [ˈʁiːzn̩ɡəˌbɪʁɡə] , Silesian: Karkōnōsze), 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 (Polish: Śnieżka), is the Czech Republic's highest natural point with an elevation of 1,603 metres (5,259 ft).
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.
In this Dossier
Sněžka in the context of Sudetes
The Sudetes (/suːˈdiːtiːz/ soo-DEE-teez), also known as the Sudeten Mountains or Sudetic Mountains, is a geomorphological subprovince of the Bohemian Massif province in Central Europe, shared by the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany. They consist mainly of mountain ranges and are the highest part of the Bohemian Massif. They stretch from the Saxon capital of Dresden in the northwest across to the region of Lower Silesia in Poland and to the city of Ostrava in the Czech Republic in the east. Geographically the Sudetes are a Mittelgebirge with some characteristics typical of high mountains. Its plateaus and subtle summit relief makes the Sudetes more akin to mountains of Northern Europe than to the Alps.
In the east of the Sudetes, the Moravian Gate and Ostrava Basin separates from the Carpathian Mountains. The Sudetes' highest mountain is Sněžka (Polish: Śnieżka) at 1,603 m (5,259 ft), which is also the highest mountain of the Czech Republic, Bohemia, Silesia, and Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It lies in the Giant Mountains on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. Praděd (1,491 m/4,893 ft) in the Hrubý Jeseník mountains is the highest mountain of Moravia. Lusatia's highest point (1,072 m/3,517 ft) lies on Smrk mountain in the Jizera Mountains, and the Sudetes' highest mountain in Germany, which is also the country's highest mountain east of the river Elbe, is Lausche (793 m/2,600 ft) in the Lusatian Mountains. The most notable rivers rising in the Sudetes are the Elbe, Oder, Spree, Morava, Bóbr, Lusatian Neisse, Eastern Neisse, Jizera and Kwisa. The highest parts of the Sudetes are protected by national parks; Karkonosze and Stołowe (Table) in Poland and Krkonoše in the Czech Republic.
Sněžka in the context of Krkonoše National Park
Krkonoše National Park (Czech: Krkonošský národní park, abbreviated as KRNAP) is a national park in the Liberec and Hradec Králové regions of the Czech Republic. It covers most of the Giant Mountains (Czech: Krkonoše), which is the highest range of the country. The park has also been listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve site. It borders Karkonosze National Park in Poland.
Krkonoše's highest mountain is Sněžka at 1,603 m (5,259 ft), which is also the highest mountain of the entire Czech Republic. The area of the national park is 363.52 km (140.36 sq mi). The protection zone of the park covers 186.18 km (71.88 sq mi). The National Park management headquarters are located in the town of Vrchlabí.