The Levočské Mountains consist of a massive flysch mountain comb with the highest peaks with the elevation about 1200 m. Many steep crotches separated by deep valleys join the centre of the mountains. They consist of thick layers of sandstone, thinner layers of schist stone and breccia stone. The Levočské Mountains are situated in a "rain-shade" of the High Tatras, therefore it rains not as much here as in the surrounding land. The highest peaks are Čierna Hora (1290 m), Siminy (1287 m), Ihla (1282 m), Repisko (1250 m) and Javorina (1224 m). Massive and hardly accessible peaks are covered by spruce forests with a lot of abies esp. in damp valleys. On the southern and south-western edge of the mountains you still can find beeches and oaks with abies.
Slavic population has inhabited this land already since the 7-th century. Population rose in number mainly in the 13-th century. After invasion of the Tatars in the 13-th and 14-th century, Ungarian monarchs decided to attract new German inhabitants by offering them some economic advantages. As a result of developing mining industry several towns such as Levoča, Kežmarok and Ľubica arose. Later, in the 13-th and 15-th century, forests in valleys were cut down and inhabited by Valassian population (Torysky, Repaše, Oľšavica).
SURROUNDINGS: Kežmarok, Ľubica, Spišská Kapitula, Spišské Podhradie, Spišský hrad (Spiš Castle).
