Polish Jura Chain

The Polish Jura Chain, also known as the Polish Jurassic Highland, or Kraków-Częstochowa Jurassic Highland Chain ( _pl. Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska) is part of the Jurassic System of south–central Poland, stretching between the cities of Kraków, Częstochowa and Wieluń. The Polish Jura borders the Carpathian Mountains to the south (including part of the Carpathians of the Slovak Republic), and the highland of Central Poland to the north, toward the Holy Cross Mountains ("Góry Świętokrzyskie").

The Polish Jura Chain consists of a hilly landscape with Jurassic limestone rocks, cliffs, valleys, and vast limestone formations featuring some 220 caves. The relief of the upland developed since the Paleogene under climatic conditions changing considerably. Its main component is a peneplain crowned by monadnocks, rocky masses that resisted erosion, generated as hard rock on Upper Jurassic buildup surrounded by less resistant bedded limestone of the same age. ["Pattern of karst landscape of the Cracow Upland (South Poland)" by Witold Stefan Alexandrowicz and Zofia Alexandrowicz, Acta Carsologica, Slovenian Academy Of Sciences [http://carsologica.zrc-sazu.si/?stran=article&id=185] ] The Polish Jura Chain is visited by roughly 400,000 visitors a year. Part of it belongs to the Ojcowski National Park, the smallest of Poland’s twenty national parks, ranking among the most attractive recreational areas of the country. [Congress of the Jurassic System, Kraków, Poland, [http://www.ing.pan.pl/jura/Jura_Circular_2.pdf] ]

Flora and fauna

The Kraków-Częstochowa Jurassic Upland consists of a rich ecosystem, where completely opposite plants coexist in the same timeframe partly because of the unique microclimate and also, because of the whole upland being surrounded by virgin forest. ["Krakow - Czestochowa Upland", Agencja Promocji Regionów ORANET [http://www.waytopoland.com/x.php/1,805/Krakow-Czestochowa-Upland.html] ] Plant and animal life is very biodiverse with over 1600 species of plants and 5500 species of animals. These include 4600 species of insects (including 1700 of beetles and 1075 of butterflies) and 135 of birds. Mammals include the beaver, badger, ermine, and 15 species of bats, many of which hibernate in the park's caves during the winter.

Climate

The climate of the upland differs significantly from the surrounding area. The snowpack covers the area for 180 days a year, and the rainy season lasts from April till September. Annual precipitation varies between 650-700 mm, higher than in surrounding regions, and the median temperature is lower, from 0.5 to 1.0°C. Average temperature is 19°C in summer, and -3°C in winter.

There are a number of rivers that originate from the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, among them the Warta, Biała Przemsza, Pilica, Dłubnia, Szreniawa, Prądnik, Wiercica and Rudawa.

Human habitation

Apart from a diversity of plant and animal species one can find there a unique cultural landscape, with archeological objects and relics of ancient inhabitation with a vast collection of artifacts. The earliest settlement in the area dates to the Paleolithic period, approximately 120,000 years ago. The region is rich in flint, which attracted early humans. __NOTOC__

References