The Králický Sněžník Mountains or Śnieżnik Mountains is a massif and mountain range in the Eastern Sudetes on the border of the Czech Republic and Poland.

Geomorphology

The Králický Sněžník Mountains is a mesoregion of the Eastern Sudetes within the Sudetes in the Bohemian Massif. All the highest mountains are located close to the Czech–Polish border or on the Czech side. The largest mountains are:

Geography

The territory has an area of 276 sqkm, of which 200 sqkm in Poland and 76 sqkm in the Czech Republic. Three main European watersheds pass through the Králický Sněžník Mountains and they meet at Klepáč mountain (1145 m). Králický Sněžník forms an important hydrographic node, its territory belongs to three seas – the Black, North and Baltic Seas. The Morava River, which originates below the peak of Králický Sněžník, drains its waters into the Black Sea. The stream Lipkovský potok with its tributaries flows into the North Sea. The waters of the Eastern Neisse and its tributaries flow into the Baltic Sea. Due to the terrain, there are no significant settlements here.

Geology

The territory of the massif is mainly formed by metamorphosed rocks – gneiss and schist.

Protection of nature

On the Polish side the mountain range is largely covered by the protected area called Śnieżnik Landscape Park. On the Czech side, an area of 17.08 sqkm is protected as a national nature reserve.