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The Sudetes, also called Sudeten (German; SAMPA: [su"deIt@n]) or Sudety (["sudetI] in Czech, [su"detI] in Polish), is a mountain range in Central Europe. It stretches from eastern Germany to Poland and Czech Republic. The highest mountain is Snezka in Krkonose Mountains on the Czech-Polish border. It reaches up to 1,602 m. The Sudetes are divided into
- Western Sudetes with Lusatian Mountains (Germany and Czech Republic) and Karkonosze/Krkonoše (Poland and Czech Republic)
- Central Sudetes
- Eastern Sudetes
Especially Krkonose Mountains are facing growing tourism for winter sports during the past ten years. Its skiing resorts are becoming a serious alternative to the Alps.
Famous towns in this area are:
- Zittau (Germany)
- Karpacz (Poland)
- Szklarska Poreba (Poland)
- Špindlerův Mlýn (Czech Republic)
- Harrachov (Czech Republic)
The name Sudetes has been derived from the name Sudetayle (English "Mountains of Wild Boars") used by the Greek Ptolemaios in 150 for the present-day northern Czech mountains.
The name derived from Sudetes was used before World War II to describe the German province of Sudetenland. The province was located only partly in Sudetes, partly in other areas of Bohemia. The Germans living there were called Sudetendeutsche.
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