Świętokrzyski National Park

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Świętokrzyski National Park

The Świętokrzyskie Mountains are one of the oldest Polish mountains located in the Małopolska Upland. Their highest part includes the National Park of the same name. This name derives from the relics of the holy cross kept in the Benedictine monastery on Łysa Góra. The name Łysogóry refers to the highest part of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains covered by the Park and comes from the boulder fields, which are rock rubble devoid of vegetation located on the slopes of these mountains, often overgrown with the fir forest, which Stefan Żeromski called inviolable, divine and holy. Another important, though much more rare tree species, protected by the Świętokrzyski National Park, is the Polish larch. This tree grows only in Central Europe. To protect it, a reserve on Mount Chełmowa was established 100 years ago, which was the beginning of the National Park. Despite the subsequent war damage, today there are many over 300-year-old Polish larch trees with trunks whose diameter exceeds 1.5 m.

Our Logo

The author of the original logotype of the Świętokrzyski National Park was Mr Wiesław Paweł Kapuściński, graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. The inspiration came from a well-known legend from which the name Świętokrzyskie Mountains stuck to the “bald mountains.” According to it, while hunting in a primeval forest, chasing after a deer, prince Emeric of Hungary moved away from his retinue and got lost. When he was about to shoot the animal, he noticed a double-armed cross surrounded by a glow between its magnificent antlers. Accepting this as a sign from God, Emeric made a promise according to which he built a monastery and placed relics of the Holy Cross tree, which he had received from his father, in it. Since then, the hill has been called Święty Krzyż – Holy Cross, and the surrounding mountains – Świętokrzyskie Mountains.