White Carpathians - Protected Areas
BILE KARPATY PLA – STRANI
In 1980, a large area of this region of the Czech Republic bordering on Slovakia in the east was designated a Protected Landscape Area (PLA = CHKO in Czech). In 1996, due to its high biodiversity and cultural value, Bile Karpaty has become a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
The Bile Karpaty (White Carpathians) PLA has become famous mainly for its extensive species-rich meadows, which rank among areas with the highest species diversity in Europe. The largest meadow complexes can be found a little south of here, in the Straznice region. Another interesting feature of the Bile Karpaty landscape is its orchards with a great range of old fruit tree varieties. However, as part of the Carpathian Mountain Range, the Bile Karpaty area also offers an opportunity to see some native Carpathian close-to-nature beech forests – e.g. in the Vlara Pass in the north or right here, around Velka Javorina, the highest peak of Bile Karpaty (970m).
White Carpathian Beech forest
Strani is an important centre of this part of the Bile Karpaty PLA. The local glassworks, founded at the turn of the 18th century, is one of the oldest ones in the Czech Republic. Together with the annual Shrove Festival (February or March), and the close-to-nature beech forests of Velka Javorina above the village, the glassworks in Strani-Kvetna is the greatest visitor attraction in this part of the PLA.
Orchid maedow in White Carpathian mountains
Contact
Vzdělávací a informační středisko Bílé Karpaty, o.p.s.
Marie Petrů
Bartolomějské náměstí 47, 698 01 Veselí nad Moravou
Tel.:518 322 545
e-mail:visbk@bilekarpaty.cz
http://bilekarpaty.cz/vis
