Classroom lesson · Sharr Mountains National Park · 🇽🇰 Kosovo

Sharr Mountains National Park

Snowy peaks, meadows and rare wildlife on Kosovo's doorstep

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

The Sharr Mountains rise up along the south-western edge of Kosovo, forming a dramatic ridge of peaks covered in forests, alpine meadows and sparkling streams. The area is a national park and home to some of the rarest animals in Europe, including the Balkan lynx.

Tell me more

The Sharr Mountains are one of the great natural treasures of the Western Balkans. The highest peaks reach nearly 2,750 metres — so high that snow sits on the summits even in summer, while wildflowers bloom in the meadows below. Hikers come from all over Europe to walk the trails through pine and beech forests.

The national park protects an extraordinary variety of plants and animals. Hundreds of plant species that grow only in this specific mountain range have been recorded here, making it one of the most botanically rich areas in Europe. In spring, the meadows turn into carpets of colour.

The Brezovica ski resort sits inside the Sharr Mountains. In winter, families from Kosovo and neighbouring countries travel here to ski and snowboard down long, wide runs. The same slopes that are perfect for skiing in January become perfect for hiking and picnicking in July.

At night, far from city lights, the Sharr Mountains offer some of the clearest stargazing in the region. Shepherds have been taking their flocks up to the high pastures here for hundreds of years, and on summer evenings the mountains still feel wonderfully peaceful and wild.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01The Sharr Mountains are used for skiing in winter and hiking in summer. Can you think of other places that are used for completely different activities depending on the season?
  2. 02The park protects plants that grow nowhere else on Earth. Why do you think it matters to protect rare plants, even if we might never see them?
  3. 03Shepherds have used these mountain meadows for hundreds of years. What skills do you think a shepherd needs to look after a flock in the mountains?
Try this

Classroom activity

Draw a mountain scene split into two halves — winter on the left, summer on the right. On each side, show what the same mountain looks like and what activities people do there. Label at least three differences between your two halves.