- Table Mountains National Park
Infobox protected area
name = Table Mountains National Park
native_name = Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych
iucn_category = II
caption =
View from Szczeliniec Wielki mountain
location =Lower Silesian Voivodeship ,Poland
area = 63.39 km²
established = 1993
governing_body = Ministry of the EnvironmentThe Table Mountains National Park ( _pl. Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych) is a National Park in
Poland . It includes the Polish section of theTable Mountains ("Góry Stołowe"), which are part of theSudetes range. It is located in south-western Poland, inKłodzko County inLower Silesian Voivodeship , near the border with theCzech Republic . Created in 1993, the Park covers an area of convert|63.39|km2|sqmi, of which forests accounts for 57.79 km². The area of strict protection is 3.76 km².The Table Mountains landscape started to form 70 million years ago. The range’s unique shape is a result of hundreds of thousands of years of
erosion . There are several notable rock formations, among them "Kwoka" ("Hen"), "Wielblad" ("Camel") and "Glowa wielkoluda" ("Giant’s head"). Also, there is a sophisticated system of corridors which creates rock labyrinths.Currently plant life is mostly made up of
spruce , which was introduced to the area on the turn of the19th century to replace pristinebeech andfir forests, which had been cut. Natural woodland is scarce and covers only around 3% of the forested areas. There arepeat bogs, one of which (area 393,000 m²) was listed as a strictly protected area in 1959.In the forested areas of the park there are
deer ,red deer ,wild pig ,squirrel s,hedgehog s, manybird s andreptile s includinglizard s and adders.The history of the Table Mountains is closely connected with the history of the
Kłodzko region, located on the borderland ofSilesia ,Bohemia andMoravia . After Hussite wars of the 14th and15th century , the area thrived and later on first spas atKudowa ,Duszniki andPolanica were opened. Duszniki is also a center ofpaper production – one of the firstpaper mill s inEurope was opened there in 1605.
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