Surface Features and Geological Structure
The Karkonosze are a compact mountain massif, towering over the Jelenia Góra Valley as a magnificent mountainous rampart of 1400-1450 m in altitude. It stretches from the Szklarska Pass (886 m) and the Kamienna river valley in the west to the Kowarska Pass (727 m) and the Jedlica river valley in the east, then turns south-eastwards and ends on the Lubawska Pass (511 m). The massif includes some minor ridges of specific surface features, often following the geomorphological diversity of their base. These are for example Grzbiet Śląski (Silesian Ridge), Czarny Grzbiet (Black Ridge), Grzbiet Kowarski (Kowary Ridge) and Grzbiet Lasocki (Lasocki Ridge).
The highest peak of Karkonosze is Śnieżka (1603 m), perfectly visible both from the north and the south, and the slightly lower ridge of Czarny Grzbiet.
From the geomorphological point of view, the Karkonosze are unique in many aspects: They combine a typical landscape of medium-sized mountains with surface features of high mountains that are remnants of a local glacier. They are the only area of this surface type in Poland and one of the few within the European Highland. The most characteristic landscape features are the vast flat crests; on the ridges there are numerous scattered witness rocks with unbelievable shapes that perform as picturesque locations and great tourist attractions. The most famous and accesible ones, since they are situated along the tourist routes, are Pielgrzymy (Pilgrims), Słonecznik (Sunflower), Śląskie Kamienie (Silesian Rocks), Czeskie Kamienie (Czech Rocks), Paciorki (Beans), Twarożnik (Cheese Loaf), Trzy Świnki (Three Piglets), and Końskie Łby (Horse Heads).
Another outstanding feature are the waterfalls within the Karkonosze Mountains. The most famous are Szklarka Waterfall, the Łomniczka Cascades, and one of the highest waterfalls in Poland: the Kamieńczyk (27 m).
The most attractive landscapes and natural elements are post-glacial cirques. There are six of them here: Kocioł Łomniczki (Lomniczka Gorge), Kocioł Wielkiego Stawu (Large Tarn Cirque), Kocioł Małego Stawu (Small Tarn Cirque), Czarny Kocioł (Black Cirque), Wielki Śnieżny Kociol (Large Snow Cirque), and Mały Śnieżny Kocioł (Small Snow Cirque). The cirque-like forms of Biały Jar (White Cirque), Kocioł Smogorni (Smogornia Cirque), Łabski Kocioł (Labski Cirque), and Szrenicki Kocioł (Szrenica Cirque) are nival niches, where permanent snow and firn used to accumulate, but did not yet turn glacial.
From the geological point of view, the basic material of the Park area and its protection zone is granite, the eastern part is made up of metamorphic rocks and the lowest level is gneiss, composed of quartz, feldspar and mica (biotite or mucovite).
Due to erosion processes, the granite massif of the Karkonosze was uncovered to become the exposed surface as early as in Permian period (290-245 million years ago) and since then it has not been covered by any younger materials or overlaid by other geological formations or inundated by the sea. Thus we can say that this was the starting point of the present Karkonosze landscape formation. A relic from the middle Tertiary period is Równia pod Śnieżką (Śnieżka Plateau).
The intensive glacial erosion during the Ice Age was the reason for the formation of the most attractive surface features that gave the Karkonosze their alpine character. The most visible traces are post-glacial cirques with vertical walls and debris or alluvial cones at their bases as well as bottom, side and front moraines and post-glacial lakes or ponds that can be found in Kocioł Wielkiego Stawu (Large Tarn Cirque), Kocioł Małego Stawu (Small Tarn Cirque) and Wielki Śnieżny Kocioł (Large Snow Cirque). Furthermore there are numerous examples of the mentioned nival niches in the upper parts: Biały Jar (White Cirque), Kocioł Smogorni (Smogornia Cirque), Łabski Kocioł (Łabski Cirque), and Szrenicki Kocioł (Szrenica Cirque).
