Established by Decree of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Socialist Republic No. 68/1984 Coll. of 23 May 1984, as amended by Act of the National Council of the Slovak Republic No. 287/1994 Coll.
Address:
Správa CHKO Kysuce
(Administration of the Kysuce PLA)
U Tomali č. 1511
022 01 Čadca
Web:
https://chkokysuce.sopsr.sk
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/schkoky/
Tel.:
041 433 56 06
Fax:
041 433 56 08
HOT LINE:
0903 298 432
Area of operation: the Protected Landscape Area, the districts of Čadca and Kysucké Nové Mesto
The Kysuce Protected Landscape Area covering an area of 65,462 hectares was designated in 1984. It is located in northwestern Slovakia and consists of two separate, non-contiguous parts: the western Javorníky part and the eastern Beskids part.
The protected landscape area extends across six districts (Čadca, Žilina, Dolný Kubín, Bytča, Považská Bystrica and Púchov) and two regions (Žilina and Trenčín). The highest point within the area is Veľká Rača (1,236 m a.s.l.).
More than half of the area is covered by forests. Despite the geological uniformity of the flysch belt, characterised by relatively weakly resistant flysch sediments consisting of rhythmically alternating beds of sandstones, claystones and clay shales, the landscape has a mosaic character resulting from Wallachian colonisation and the development of dispersed settlements. Forests, meadows, fields and settlements with well-preserved traditional folk architecture alternate throughout the landscape. Scattered trees and groups of trees are a significant feature to the landscape character. Valuable solitary trees and groups of large lime trees, elms and maples are closely associated with the dispersed settlements and farmsteads.
A particularly well-preserved example of traditional folk architecture can be found at the Vychylovka Open-Air Museum in Nová Bystrica, together with a restored section of the historic forest railway with a switchback system.
A geological peculiarity of the area is the occurrence of a natural surface seepage of crude oil at Korňa and the sandstone spheres found particularly in the Klokočovské skálie Nature Reserve and the Megoňky Natural Monument.
Most of the forests, particularly in the Beskid part of the area, are spruce monocultures. Original mixed forests have been preserved mainly at higher elevations, with the best-preserved primeval forest-like stands occurring in the Veľká Rača, Javorinka and Čierna Lutiša Nature Reserves. Thanks to the climatic and geological conditions, the area has a dense network of watercourses, numerous springs, transitional mires and fen meadows. These habitats support a number of rare and endangered plant species, including marsh clubmoss, coastal brookweed, common navelwort, round-leaved sundew, bulbous rush, tomentose-fruited sedge, tufted loosestrife, ostrich fern, cranberry, and others.
The symbol of the area, also depicted in the emblem of the Protected Landscape Area, is the ornamental fern hard fern, which occurs more abundantly in the Kysuce region than in other parts of Slovakia. Meadows and pastures provide habitats for several orchid family species, including the male orchid, yellow-brown orchid, common fragrant orchid, and, at higher elevations, the frog orchid, lesser twayblade, white helleborine, and white adder’s-mouth.
A total of 205 vertebrate species has been recorded in the area to date. The area constitutes the western boundary of the large carnivore population distribution in Slovakia – the wolf, the bear and the lynx. Rare bird species occurring in the area include the Eurasian eagle-owl, black stork and common kingfisher, while the western capercaillie and golden eagle are less common. The area is also home to the Eurasian otter. Glacial relict species include the boreal owl, Eurasian pygmy owl, Eurasian three-toed woodpecker and northern birch mouse. The Carpathian endemic Carpathian newt lives at several localities in the area. Among the less common fish species found here is the alpine bullhead. Among amphibians, the spotted salamander is common, while reptiles include the grass snake and the northern adder, Slovakia’s only venomous snake.