| Gorce Mountains | |
|---|---|
 View of Mount Kiczora from Jaworzyna Kamienicka | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Turbacz |
| Elevation | 1,310 m (4,300 ft) |
| Listing | Mountains of Poland |
| Coordinates | 49°32′36″N 20°6′47″E / 49.54333°N 20.11306°E |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Gorce (Polish) |
| Geography | |
 Location of the Gorce Mountains | |
| Country | Poland |
| Region(s) | Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Podhale, Zagórze,Ochotnica region |
| Settlement | Ochotnica Dolna Poręba Wielka Mszana Dolna |
| Parent range | Western Beskids |
| Borders on | Western Carpathian range |
The Gorce Mountains (Polish: Gorce, Polish pronunciation: [ˈɡɔrt͡sɛ] ) are part of the Western Beskids mountain range spreading across southernmost Poland.[1] They are situated in Małopolska Province, at the western tip of the long Carpathian range extending east beyond the Dunajec River for some 1,500 kilometres (930 mi). The Gorce are characterized by numerous ridges reaching in all directions for up to 40 kilometres (25 mi) east–west with a series of higher elevations cut by deep river valleys.[1]
The range is dominated by about a dozen gentle peaks including Turbacz (the highest, at 1,310 metres (4,300 ft) above sea level) in the centre, and – facing east: Jaworzyna Kamienicka (1,288 metres (4,226 ft)), Kiczora (1,282 metres (4,206 ft)), Kudłoń (1,276 metres (4,186 ft)), Przysłop, Czoło and Gorc Kamienicki. The south-eastern ridge of the Gorce reaches the Pieniny range (cut off by the Ochotnica pass), with Lubań (1,225 metres (4,019 ft)) as its tallest peak followed by Pasterski Wierch, Runek and Marszałek.[1] The north-west ridges include Obidowiec, and the peak of Suhora (1,000 m (3,300 ft)) featuring an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Pedagogical University of Kraków.[2]
There are a number of smaller caves in the Gorce, carved out in sedimentary rock and its conglomerates which form the Carpathian Flysch Belt. High annual rainfall is caused by the air forced up by the mountains and accumulating into clouds. Rain water flows fast in all directions due to dense ground and ground-cover; feeding the Raba river on the north-west side of the Gorce, and the Dunajec on the south-east side. Other rivers, formed by the mountains include the Kamienica (35 kilometres (22 mi) in length), the Ochotnica (24 kilometres (15 mi)) and the Porębianka (13 kilometres (8.1 mi)), as well as large streams such as the Turbacz, the Gorcowy and the Łopuszna among others. The main city is Nowy Targ on the Dunajec below in the valley of Podhale,[3] with large recreational villages including Krościenko nad Dunajcem, Szczawa and Ochotnica.[1][4]
- ^ a b c d Marek Cieszkowski (2004). "W sercu Beskidów. Geografia i przyroda Gorców (In the Heart of Beskids. Geography and Botany of Gorce)". Gorce: przewodnik dla prawdziwego turysty (Gorce: Guide for a Qualified Tourist). Oficyna Wydawnicza "Rewasz". pp. 17–32. ISBN 8389188198. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Obserwatorium astronomiczne na szczycie Suhora (Mount Suhora Observatory)". Pod Jaworzyną (in Polish). Poręba Wielka - Koninki. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ Timothy J. Cooley (2005). "Podhale". Making Music In The Polish Tatras: Tourists, Ethnographers, And Mountain Musicians (Google books preview). Indiana University Press. pp. 19–. ISBN 0253344891. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ^ Parks Board (2012). "Geologia, Wody, Klimat (Geology, Waters, Climate)". Przyroda Gorców (Geography of the Gorce Mountains) (in Polish, English, and German). Gorczański Park Narodowy (Gorce National Park). Retrieved January 9, 2013.