The Beskids or Beskid Mountains (, , , (), ()) are a series of mountain ranges in the

Carpathians The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains ...

, stretching from the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

in the west along the border of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

with

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

up to

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

in the east.Encyclopedia of Ukraine: Beskyds
/ref> The highest mountain in the Beskids is

Hoverla Mount Hoverla (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ), at , is the highest mountain in Ukraine and part of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The mountain is located in the Eastern Beskids, in the Chornohora region. The slopes are covered with beech and spr ...

, at .

Etymology

The origin of the name has not been conclusively established. A

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

or Illyrian origin has been suggested; however, as yet, no theory has majority support among linguists. The word appears in numerous mountain names throughout the Carpathians and the adjacent

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

regions, like in

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

. According to linguists Çabej and Orel, it is possibly derived from

Proto-Albanian Proto-Albanian is the ancestral reconstructed language of Albanian, before the Gheg– Tosk dialectal diversification (before ). Albanoid and other Paleo-Balkan languages had their formative core in the Balkans after the Indo-European migrat ...

(meaning 'the mountain pastures'). The Slovak name refers to the Polish

Bieszczady Mountains Bieszczady Mountains (; ; ; ) is a mountain range that runs from the extreme south-east of Poland and north-east of Slovakia through to western Ukraine. It forms the western part of the Eastern Beskids of the Outer Eastern Carpathians, Eastern B ...

, which is not a synonym for the entire Beskids but one single range, belonging to the Eastern Beskids. According to another linguistic theory, it may be related to

Middle Low German Middle Low German is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented in writing since about 1225–34 (). During the Hanseatic period (from about 1300 to about 1600), Mid ...

, , meaning ' watershed'. Historically, the term was used for hundreds of years to describe the mountain range separating the old

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

from the old

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

. In 1269, the Beskids were known by the Latin name 'Beskid Mountains of Poland'.Kazimierz Zarzycki, Zbigniew Głowaciński (1986): Bieszczady (p. 7)
/ref>

Definition

The Beskids are approximately in length and in width. They stand mainly along the southern border of

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...

with northern Slovakia, stretching to the

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

and

Czech Silesia Czech Silesia (; ) is the part of the historical region of Silesia now in the Czech Republic. While it currently has no formal boundaries, in a narrow geographic sense, it encompasses most or all of the territory of the Czech Republic within the ...

regions of the eastern Czech Republic and to

Carpathian Ruthenia Transcarpathia (, ) is a historical region on the border between Central and Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast. From the Hungarian Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, conquest of the Carpathian Basin ...

in western Ukraine. Parts form the European Watershed, separating the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

and

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

basins in the north from the Eastern Slovak Lowland, part of the

Great Hungarian Plain The Great Hungarian Plain (also known as Alföld or Great Alföld, or ) is a plain occupying the majority of the modern territory of Hungary. It is the largest part of the wider Pannonian Plain (however, the Great Hungarian Plain was not par ...

drained by the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

River. Geologically all of the Beskids stand within the Outer Western Carpathians and the Outer Eastern Carpathians. In the west they begin at the natural pass of the

Moravian Gate The Moravian Gate (, , , ) is a geomorphological feature in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic and the Upper Silesia region in Poland. It is formed by the depression between the Carpathian Mountains in the east and the Sudetes in the west. ...

, which separates them from the Eastern Sudetes, continue east in a band to the north of the Tatra Mountains, and end in

. The eastern termination of the Beskids is disputed. According to older sources, the Beskids end at the source of the

Tisza The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa (see below) is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. It was once called "the most Hungarian river" because it used to flow entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national bo ...

River, while newer sources state that the Beskids end at the Uzhok Pass at the Polish–Ukrainian border.

Subdivisions

Multiple traditions, languages and nationalities have developed overlapping variants for the divisions and names of the Beskid ranges. According to the divisions of the Carpathians, they are categorized within:

Western Beskids

* Western Beskids (, , ) **Western section of the Western Beskids: ***

Hostýn-Vsetín Mountains Hostýn-Vsetín Mountains () is a mountain range in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. The mountains are densely forested mainly by secondary spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of conifer ...

() → e1 *** Moravian-Silesian Beskids (, ) → e2 *** Turzovka Highlands () → e3 ***

Jablunkov Furrow Jablunkov (; , ) is a town in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,300 inhabitants. The town has a significant Polish minority in the Czech Republic, Polish minority. It is inhabited by a la ...

() → e4 *** Rožnov Furrow () → e5 ***

Jablunkov Intermontane Jablunkov (; , ) is a town in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region The Moravian-Silesian Region () is one of the 14 administrative regions of the Czech Republic. Before May 2001, it was called the Ostrava Region (). The re ...

(, ) → e6 ***

Silesian Beskids Silesian Beskids (, , ) is one of the Beskids mountain ranges in the Outer Western Carpathians in southern Silesian Voivodeship, Poland and the eastern Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. Most of the range lies in Poland. It is separa ...

(, ) → e7 *** Żywiec Basin () → e8 **Northern section of the Western Beskids: ***

Little Beskids The Little Beskids (; ) is one of the Beskids mountain ranges in the Western Beskids ranges of the Outer Western Carpathians in southeastern Poland. Within the range is the protected area known as Little Beskids Landscape Park. Its highest mount ...

() → f1 *** Maków Beskids () → f2 ***

Island Beskids The Island Beskids (in Polish language, Polish, ''Beskid Wyspowy'') is a mountain range in southern Poland, part of the Western Beskids of the Outer Western Carpathians, with significant natural resources, folk culture, medieval history, and dev ...

() → f3 *** Gorce Mountains () → f4 *** Rabka Basin () → f5 *** Sącz Basin () → f6 ** Central section of the Western Beskids: *** Orava Beskids () + Żywiec Beskids () (the older Slovak equivalent of is 'Slovak Beskids' or 'Kysuce-Orava Beskids') → g1 *** Kysuce Beskids () + Żywiec Beskids () (the older Slovak equivalent of is or ) → g2 *** Orava Magura () → g3 *** Orava Highlands () → g4 *** Sub-Beskidian Furrow () → g5 *** Sub-Beskidian Highlands () → g6 ** Eastern section of the Western Beskids: ***

Beskid Sądecki Beskid Sądecki is a mountain range in the eastern section of the Western Beskids, within the Outer Western Carpathians. It is located in the border region between Poland and Slovakia. On the Poland, Polish side, it stretches along an area ...

() → h1 *** Čergov (; ) → h2 ***

Pieniny The Pieniny (sometimes also the PieninsSzafer, Władysław. 2013. ''The Vegetation of Poland: International Series of Monographs in Pure and Applied Biology''. Warsaw: Pergamon Press, pp. 156, 388. or the Pienin Mountains,Griffiths, Graham C. D ...

(; ) → h3 * West Beskidian Foothills, in the Czech Republic and Poland ** Silesian-Moravian Foothills (, ) → d1 ** Silesian Foothills () → d2 ** Wieliczka Foothills () → d3 ** Wiśnicz Foothills () → d4

Central Beskids

* Central Beskids () or

Low Beskids The Low Beskids () or Central Beskids (; ; ) are a mountain range in southeastern Poland and northeastern Slovakia. They constitute a middle (central) section of the Beskids, within the Outer Eastern Carpathians. Since there are several tradit ...

() ** Busov, in Slovakia ** Ondava Highlands () **''Low Beskid'' () +

Laborec Highlands Dukliansky priesmyk Vysny Komarnik

The Laborec High ...

() ** Beskidian Southern Foothills () * Central Beskidian Piedmont, in Poland ** Rożnów Piedmont () ** Ciężkowice Piedmont () **

Strzyżów Piedmont Strzyżów is a town in Strzyżów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, along the Wisłok river valley. Strzyżów is one of the towns within the Strzyżowsko-Dynowskie Foothill, located south-east of Kraków and 30 km from Rzeszów. ...

() ** Dynów Piedmont () ** Przemyśl Piedmont () ** Gorlice Depression () ** Jasło-Krosno Basin () ** Jasło Piedmont () ** Bukowsko Piedmont ()

Eastern Beskids

Eastern Beskids are divided into two parallel ridges: Wooded Beskids and Polonynian Beskids. *

Wooded Beskids A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlig ...

(; ) **

(; ) → c1 ** Sanok-Turka Mountains (; ) → c3 **

Skole Beskids The Skole Beskids (; ) is a mountain range in western Ukraine, belonging to the set of ranges called the Eastern Beskids of the Outer Eastern Carpathians, Eastern Beskids, within the Outer Eastern Carpathians. The mountains are composed primary ...

(; ) → c2 ** Gorgany (; ) → c4 ** Pokuttia-Bucovina Beskids (; ) → c5 * Polonynian Beskids (; ) ** Smooth Polonyna () → c6 ** Polonyna Borzhava () → c7 ** Polonyna Kuk () → c8 ** Red Polonyna ()→ c9 ** Svydovets () → c10 **

Chornohora Chornohora () is the highest mountain range in Ukraine, Western Ukraine. It is within the Polonynian Beskids, a subgroup of the mountain group of Eastern Beskids of the Outer Eastern Carpathians, Eastern Beskids, which in turn is part of the Oute ...

() → c11 ** Hrynyavy Mountains () → c12

Infrastructure

The Beskids are currently rich in

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

and

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

. In the past they were rich in

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

, with important plants in

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

and

Třinec Třinec (; ; ) is a city in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the least populated Statutory city (Czech Republic), statutory city in the country. The city ...

– Třinec Iron and Steel Works. There are many tourist attractions, including historic wooden churches (see Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland, Carpathian Wooden Churches of Slovakia, and Wooden Churches of Ukraine) and the increasingly popular

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

resorts. A number of environmental groups support a small but growing population of bears, wolves and lynx in the ecosystem of the Beskidy mountains. The Central Beskids include the Polish Babia Góra National Park and the adjacent Slovak Horná Orava Protected Landscape Area.

Gallery

File:Beskid Mountains division map.svg, Map of the Beskid ranges in Slovakia and Poland File:Czantoria - widok z wiezy widokowej 09.JPG, Czantoria,

File:Beskidy Bieszczady SE.jpg, Western Bieszczady File:Bieszczady1.jpg, Western Bieszczady File:New granite sculpture of Radegast.jpg, Statue of " Radegast" on a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

Beskids File:Zabytkowa cerkiew wpisana na listę UNESCO.jpg, Wooden church in Kwiatoń File:OV-Hrabova.JPG, Wooden church in Hrabova, Moravia (14th century – 1564) File:Koniaków miyszani owiec (redyk wiosenny) 04.jpg, Shepherds in

File:Beskid Wyspowy a10.jpg,

File:Дорога до церкви.jpg, Beskids in Skolivskyi, Ukraine

Citations

General and cited sources

* * * * * Świstuń, Filip
''Galicyjskie Beskidy i Karpaty Lesiste: Zarys orograficzn''
Rzeszow, 1876. *

External links

Carpathian Mountains: Division (map)
{{Authority control Geography of Lviv Oblast Lesser Poland Voivodeship Moravian-Silesian Region Mountain ranges of Slovakia Mountain ranges of the Carpathians Mountain ranges of the Czech Republic Mountain ranges of Ukraine Silesian Voivodeship