The Carpathian National Reserve
The Carpathian National Reserve (CNR) was founded in 1980 to protect the unique nature areas of Horhany and Chornohorka. Its total area equals 50.3 thousand hectares within the absolute height range of 500-2061 m. It stretches as far as 55 km from north-west to north-east and 20 km - from south-west to south-east.


The top of Hoverla mountain is a specific symbol of greatness and pride of Ukraine. When having ascended it, one is astonished at the spaciousness of the charming panorama and the unparalleled beauty of the Carpathian National Reserve, one of the largest reserves in Ukraine, named after the Carpathian mountainous landscape. This is the first reserve in Ukraine. In its present borders, CNR includes in itself 12 forestries of the park type, the land fund of the peasants' unions together with the lands of the town and village councils of Yaremche, Mykulychyn, Kreminets, Vorokhta and Yablunytsya. The CNR was organized to protect the unique and wondrous beauty of the eastern macroslope of the Ukrainian Carpathians with their landscapes of mountain and plain rivers, significant historical, architectural and ethnographical monuments.
The local climate gives the possibility for rest during the whole year. It changes from moderately warm, characteristic for Western Europe, to continental, as that in Eastern Europe. The average year temperature is + 6 C, a bit lower in the highlands. The average amount of atmosphere precipitations grows with the growth of the height of the peaks from 800 to 1400 m, the thickness of the snow layer is approximately 50 cm, and in some years it reaches 2 m.
The process of soil-forming in the park area involves two types of soils, i.e., brown and ashy ones. Beech and coniferous forests preferably grow on light-brown soils, whereas relic pines and birches - on stony and turf ones.
The fabulous flora and fauna are abundant in rare and disappearing species. Some of them exist in the Carpathians only, among those 78 types of plants and 30 types of vertebrate animals are registered in the Ukrainian Register of Disappearing Species. There are 2 lakes on the territory of the CNR, the largest karst lakes in Chornohora - Nesamovyte ("Violent") (at the height of Turkul mountain, i.e.1,750 m) and Maricheyka (at the hight of Shuryn-Hropa mountain, i.e.1,510 m). A folk legend tells that it is the lake Nesamovyte that the souls of sinners ladle ice out then dissipating it down from clouds as hail, thus making great damage to people. The Maricheyka lake takes in the waters of numerous mountain springs, and due to its purity even tritons may be found there. Those karst lakes are extremely picturesque and people call each a "Sea Eye" for their charm.
Another interesting place as concerning the Carpathian flora in Yaremche area is the terrain "Tarnytsi" (total area 60 hectares) in the Mykulychyntsy forestry. There pines, as old as 140 years, grow on the rocks at the height of over 800 m above sea level which is unique even for the Carpathians.