Natural conditions of Prešov
Basic informations
Natural conditions Prešov are very colorful. The surface around Prešov is mainly
mountainous. Prešov is surrounded by the hills Slanske Vrchy from the east, by
Cergov from the north, and by Branisko from the west.
ČERGOV
Čergov are mountains situated in the north part of Slovakia. Near Čergov are Ondavská
vrchovina to the east, Košická kotlina and Šarišská vrchovina to the south, Levočské vrchy
with Pieniny mountains to the north. The highest mountain of Čergov is Minčol. Its height is
1157 m. People can find a lot of wood there, for example beech, maple, hornbeam or
spruce. The river Topľa stems to the east of Čergov and Topľa’s affluents too and on the east
affluents of Torysa. (toto je vraj nezmyselna veta, fredy netuší čo to znamena :D tak neviem
no ) :D tato s riekami.
Protected areasThis mountain is although out of protected areas, but there are a lot of
natural traits. The most beautiful are Čergovský Minčol, Livovská jelšina, Fintické svahy,
Hradová hora a Kapušiansky hradný vrch. On the territory of the nature reserve are also
natural trails and people can see many protected animals.
MonumentsČergov has a lot of monuments; for example the Wooden church of St. Francis
Hervartov, the Wooden church of St. Luke in the village of Krivé, the Hanigov castle and so
on...There is a perfect panoramic view from the Hanigov castle. When the visibility is good,
we can see the High Tatras.
Ski resortsThere is a ski resort near the village Drienica. Many skiers come here because of
good conditions.
SLANSKE VRCHY
Slanske Vrchy are situated to the east of Prešov. These vulcanic mountains are part of the
Carpathian vulcanic arc. We can not compare Slanske vrchy with more famous mountains in
Slovakia, but we can also find fantastic places there.
Tourists prefer to go hiking from Ruska nova ves or Zlata bana. Above the village lies the
Brigand's castle. The journey to the castle takes not even half an hour and it is especially
popular among families. The castle has a spectacular view of the city, surrounding villages
and High Tatras.
The highest top of Slanske vrchy is Šimonka. Its height is 1092m. At the top we can come
from village Zlatá Baňa. The hike is not difficult, and at the top we also sometimes meet
seniors or families with kids.
Above Zlata Bana is a crossing of tourist routes. If we go to the left we come to Šimonka. If
we go to the right we come in less than an hour to the Bodoň castle. Rock-climbers often go
there to climb vertical walls.
And if we go straight then we arrive to the transmitter Dubník or we turn off the road and
we arrive at the Opal mines. In the past, there was mined costly Opal. Now we can find
many buried mines and dumps where childen often look for opals there.
BRANISKO
Branisko is located to the west of Prešov. The highest mountain of Branisko is Smrekovica. Its
height is 1200m. In the mountains Branisko there are many natural attractions.
The gateway to the mountain is a small, almost solitary, village called Lačnov. Here we can
see many old wooden houses and a romantic church on the top of the hill. In 1995, it
was declared as a monument, with interesting flora and fauna. In Lačnov live
currently 8 residents.
Just below the village is situated limestone canyon. We can find here many waterfalls and
various rock formations.
2km from the village is famous cave Zlá Diera. It is accessible since 1999 and it is the only
accessible cave in the Prešov region.
From the village lead many hiking trails. If we go along the red trail we can get to the highest
peak around. It´s called Bachuren and it is an important tourist point. If we go along
the yellow trail we can get to the ski resort Buče. Near this ski resort, in deep forest
lie many small caves. There, we can find many kinds of bats.
Near the village Lačnov is a bigger village - Lipovce. It is famous for its mineral spring
Salvator.
I have got a very close relationship to Branisko because I grew up there and it is my
favourite mountain.