| Stołowe Mountains National Park | |
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| Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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View from Szczeliniec Wielki
Park logo with Sandstone formation
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| Location | Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland |
| Area | 63.39 km2 (24.48 sq mi) |
| Established | 1993 |
| Governing body | Ministry of the Environment |
The Stołowe Mountains National Park (Polish: Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych) is a National Park in southwestern Poland. It comprises the Polish section of the Stołowe Mountains (Góry Stołowe), also known as the Table Mountains in English, which are part of the Sudetes range. It is located in Kłodzko County of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, at the border with the Czech Republic. Created in 1993, the Park covers an area of 63.39 square kilometres (24.48 sq mi), of which forests accounts for 57.79 km². The area of strict protection is 3.76 km².
The landscape of Stołowe Mountains began to form 70 million years ago. The range’s unique shape is a result of hundreds of thousands of years of erosion. There are several notable rock formations, among them Kwoka ("Hen"), Wielblad ("Camel") and Glowa wielkoluda ("Giant’s head"). Also, there is a sophisticated system of corridors which creates rock labyrinths.
Currently plant life is mostly made up of spruce, which was introduced to the area on the turn of the 19th century to replace pristine beech and fir forests, which had been cut. Natural woodland is scarce and covers only around 3% of the forested areas. There are peat bogs, one of which (area 393,000 m²) was listed as a strictly protected area in 1959. In the forested areas of the park there are deer, red deer, wild pig, squirrels, hedgehogs, many birds and reptiles including lizards and adders.