TOURIST VALUES AND TOURIST POTENTIAL OF THE COMMUNE

Very favorable climatic values, including those related to air quality, were confirmed during the procedure of establishing a health resort protection area in the commune and were described in the spa report.

The landscape of the commune has high aesthetic values. On the one hand, it is influenced by the location and shape of the commune - with the valley located in the center and the surrounding ranges of hills and the view of the mountain ranges - including the Tatra Mountains. The second factor is the natural and landscape richness of the area of raised bogs, swamp forests and other bog habitats. They form vast complexes of vegetation unusual for this latitude - boreal and subboreal in nature. In addition, significant areas of the commune are forest, riparian and agricultural (meadows extensively used).

The therapeutic wealth of the commune is peloid, which is still exploited in Piekielnik. Moreover, the thermal waters from the borehole in Chochołów show a therapeutic character. The only center that currently uses these resources is the water town - Chochołowskie Baths. The commune is currently carrying out works to launch and develop the health resort - activities related to the adaptation of the local plan and conceptual work are underway.

The bioclimatic conditions of the commune are spatially diversified, despite its small area, which belongs entirely to the Carpathian climatic region. They are determined by the topography and elevation of the terrain. There are climatic levels characteristic of mountain areas. Both the Orawsko-Podhalański Beskids and the Gubałówka Foothills are characterized by a moderately cool floor with an average annual air temperature of +4 to +6 ° C. The Orawa-Nowy Targ Basin, despite its location in the hypsometric zone of the warm temperate zone, is distinguished by individual climate features, the so-called a variety of the climate of valleys and valleys.

From the point of view of spa treatment, the positive features are: a small number of hot and hot days and rare states of humidness. The climate of Czarny Dunajec is harsh and characterized by high thermal stimulus. The favorable bioclimatic conditions, clean air, as well as other qualities of the geographical environment fully predispose Czarny Dunajec to present a balneological and climatic offer, especially in the field of orthopedic and trauma diseases, rheumatological diseases and gynecological diseases.

The uniqueness of flora and fauna is associated mainly with the presence of raised bogs - which are a relic of the past, having the features of a boreal environment. Among the vegetation, sphagnum mosses, shrubs - such as bog blueberry, cranberry, lingonberry, unique cloudberry, marsh, woolly, pine moss - deserve attention. The species of insectivorous sundew are also very interesting. In the world of invertebrate animals, there is the butterfly sphagnum moth (one of the most numerous populations in this part of Europe), while the most characteristic species among vertebrates is the black grouse (spectacular lekking grounds), which makes up one of the most numerous populations in the Commune in Poland. In addition, rare species of birds of prey are found at crossings - such as harriers, spotted eagles, and golden eagles.

An interesting attraction of the commune are natural, intact sections of river beds and mountain streams. The Czarny Dunajec River and smaller streams create an interesting habitat - riverside stones: wide pools in which the river flows in many currents, freely changing its course, creating a new landscape after each flood, creating new habitats for pioneering vegetation. In several places, the rivers create interesting geological exposures - especially the Czarny Dunajec river and the Rogoźnik stream. The greatest geological attraction of the commune are raised bogs. The Peatland Promotion and Protection Center was established in Chochołów to make the inhabitants and tourists aware of their uniqueness. Through a very modern multimedia exhibition - it presents the geological and natural characteristics of the peat bog area. The Center for the Promotion and Protection of Peatlands aims to increase the sustainable use of peatlands as a unique natural heritage of the Polish-Slovak borderland through joint protection and making them available to tourists and residents.