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Veľká Fatra National Park

Coordinates: 49°04′05″N 19°11′17″E / 49.068117°N 19.187933°E / 49.068117; 19.187933
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Greater Fatra
Rakytov Mountain
Location of the Veľká Fatra National Park (darker green) and its buffer zone (lighter green) within Slovakia
LocationSlovakia
Area40,371.34 ha (155.8746 sq mi)
Established1 April 2002
OperatorSpráva NP Veľká Fatra

Veľká Fatra National Park (Slovak: Národný park Veľká Fatra) is a National Park in Slovakia. Most of it lies in the southern part of the Žilina Region and a small part in the northern part of Banská Bystrica Region. The national park and its protective zone comprise most of the Greater Fatra Range (Slovak: Veľká Fatra) which belongs to the Outer Western Carpathians.

The National Park was declared on 1 April 2002 as an upgrade of the Protected Landscape Area (Slovak: Chránená krajinná oblasť (CHKO) Veľká Fatra) of the same name established in 1972 to protect a mountain range with a high percentage of well-preserved Carpathian forests, with prevailing European beech, which cover 90% of the area in combination with ridge-top cattle pastures dating back to the 15th – 17th centuries, to the times of the so-called Walachian colonisation. In places there are also relict Scots pine forests and the Harmanec valley is notable as the richest Irish yew tree location in Central and probably all Europe. NP Veľká Fatra is also an important reservoir of fresh water thanks to high rainfalls and low evaporation in the area. The core of the range is built of granite which reaches the surface only in places, more common are various slates creating gently modelled ridges and summits of the so-called Hôlna Fatra and limestone and dolomite strata creating a rough and picturesque terrain of the so-called Bralná Fatra. There are also many karst features, namely caves, Harmanec Cave being the only one open to the public.

Various rocks and therefore various soils, diverse type of terrain with gentle upland meadows and pastures, sharp cliffs and deep valleys provide for extremely rich flora and fauna. All species of big Central European carnivores live abundantly there: brown bear, grey wolf and Eurasian lynx.

The area is popular with tourists, mainly hikers and trekkers as there rather few resorts, located outside the National Park. The UNESCO World Heritage village of Vlkolínec with well-preserved log cabins lies nearby.

Small protected areas

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As of February 2007, there were following small protected areas within the NP Veľká Fatra and its buffer zone:

Name Established Size Reason for protection
National Nature Reserve
Borišov 1981 430 ha 1,063 acres
Čierny kameň 1964 34 ha 84 acres
Harmanecká tisina 1949 20 ha 49 acres
Jánošíkova kolkáreň 1964 243 ha 600 acres
Kornietová 1973 84 ha 208 acres
Kundračka 1973 115 ha 284 acres
Lysec 1984 70 ha 173 acres
Madačov 1984 331 ha 818 acres
Padva 1972 325 ha 803 acres
Rakšianske rašelinisko 1984 6 ha 15 acres
Rumbáre 1973 52 ha 128 acres
Skalná Alpa 1964 525 ha 1,297 acres
Suchý vrch 1988 71 ha 175 acres
Tlstá 1981 3,066 ha 7,576 acres
Veľká Skalná 1988 645 ha 1,594 acres
Nature Reserve
Biela Skala 1993 185 ha 457 acres
Harmanecký Hlboký jarok 1998 53.33 ha 131.78 acres
Katova skala 1982 47 ha 116 acres
Korbeľka 1973 86 ha 213 acres
Rojkovské rašelinisko 1950 3 ha 7 acres
National Nature Monument
Perlová jaskyňa 2001 450 m 1,480 ft
National Nature Monument
Dogerské skaly 1952 0.2 ha 0.5 acres
Hradené jazero Blatné 1990 4 ha 10 acres
Jazierske travertíny 1952 2 ha 5 acres
Krkavá skala 1952 0.3 ha 0.7 acres
Majerova skala 1992 9 ha 22 acres
Matejkovský kamenný prúd 1986 9 ha 22 acres
Prielom Teplého potoka 1984 21 ha 52 acres
Rojkovská travertínová kopa 1971 0.1 ha 0.2 acres
Travertínové terasy Bukovinka 1980 2 ha 5 acres
Vlčia skala 1952 1 ha 2 acres
Protected Areal
Dekretov porast 1999 6 ha 15 acres
Háj pred dolinou Teplô 1975 0.2 ha 0 acres
Krásno 1997 125 ha 309 acres
Mošovské aleje 1969 272.92 ha 674.40 acres
Revúca 2002 39 ha 96 acres

Resources

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  • Brandos, Otakar (2004). Veľká Fatra, Šípska Fatra. Ostrava: SKY. ISBN 80-86774-02-3.
  • VKÚ Harmanec (2003). Veľká Fatra. Edícia turistických máp 1:50000. Harmanec: VKÚ. ISBN 80-8042-044-0.
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49°04′05″N 19°11′17″E / 49.068117°N 19.187933°E / 49.068117; 19.187933