05 / 28 · Bieszczady Zachodnie
Tarnica
1346 m a.s.l.
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01 / 06
A saddle at the edge of the połoniny
The name comes from the sharply cut pass (1,286 m) linking Tarnica with Szeroki Wierch – in Romanian ‘tarnița’ means a saddle or pass. The narrow, rocky ridge has two summits and rises more than 500 m above the Wołosatka valley. It is the most attractive viewpoint of the Polish Bieszczady.
Source: Polish Wikipedia – Tarnica (CC BY-SA)
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The cross on the summit
In 1987 a 7-metre cross was put up here to commemorate the visit of Fr Karol Wojtyła on 5 August 1953. It broke in the spring of 2000; on 2 September that year pilgrims carried up, in parts, a new steel cross about 8.5 m tall.
Source: Polish Wikipedia – Tarnica (CC BY-SA)
03 / 06
Meadows after the shepherds
The Bieszczady have no upper-montane spruce forests, so the tree line here is formed by dwarf beeches, and above them lie the połoniny – the mountain meadows. For several centuries cattle and sheep grazed on them; grazing ended around 1940, and natural vegetation has been returning ever since. On Tarnica’s rocky ridge grow the most valuable plant communities here – the vegetation of rock crevices and ledges, damaged by trampling along the trails.
Source: Bieszczady National Park – vegetation of the połoniny
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Relief
The lowest point in the 8 × 8 km square around the summit lies at 577 m a.s.l. – 769 m below the peak. Precise data is missing for 2% of the area – the terrain model is less detailed there.
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Trails
4 marked trails run through the 8 × 8 km square. A yellow trail leads to the summit itself.
- red1
- blue1
- yellow2
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The summit
Tarnica (1346 m a.s.l.) represents the Bieszczady Zachodnie range in the Crown of Polish Mountains.