Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area

The Little Carpathians are a low mountain range, about 100 km long, and part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountains are situated in Western Slovakia, covering the area from Bratislava to Nové Mesto nad Váhom, and northeastern Austria, where a very small part called Hundsheimer Berge is located south of the Devín Gate. The Little Carpathians are bordered by the Záhorie Lowland in the west and the Danubian Lowland in the east.

In 1976, the Little Carpathians were declared a protected area under the name Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area, covering 646.1 km2. The area is rich in floral and faunal diversity and contains numerous castles, most notably the Bratislava Castle, and natural caves. Driny is the only cave open to the public. The three highest mountains are Záruby at 768 m, Vysoká at 754 m, and Vápenná at 752 m.