Turčianska kotlina basin (Turiec Garden)
Is a basin in central Slovakia defining the region of Turiec, which also covers the area of the districts Turčianske Teplice and Martin. It is a small stretched territory from the eastern side of the Veľká Fatra Mountains, from the west by Malá Fatra Mountains, from the south by the Žiar Mountains (with the Upper Hornonitrian Basin) and Kremnické Hills. In the north, the Orava Beskids are situated along the Krivánská Malá Fatra Mountains. Thanks to the surrounding countryside and its natural beauty, Turiec has been awarded the “Turiec Garden” years ago. It has an extended north-south shape with a width of approximately 10 km and a length of 30 km. On the territory of the basin there was a lake in the ancient times, respectively sea, which is evidenced by the local rich limestone deposits with a relatively high occurrence of fossils. The central watercourt that runs across the basin is the Turiec River, which flows in Vrútky into the Váh that runs its northern edge and divides the Malá Fatra into two parts.
Turčianska Kotlina Basin is one of the most united parts of Slovakia. The average altitude is about 400-500 meters. It has mixed forests with the dominance of deciduous trees, mainly beech and maple, conifers mostly spruce. River Turiec flows through Turčianska basin, which springs to the south in the Kremnicke vrchy Mountains and flows to the north into the river Váh.
We can temporarily include the Turčianska basin between slightly warm areas with winter average temperatures of -2 to -5 ° C and summer temperatures of 16 to 18 ° C. The number of days with a snow cover is from 60 to 80, the number of summer days from 30 to 50.
The Turčianska basin is not classified as protected landscape areas, but a small part of the territory in the east is part of the National Park of Veľká Fatra. Apart from this protected area, there are also other places that have been classified as protected by their rare natural potential.
In 1974 the State Nature Reserve of the Kláštorské lúky with rare protected plants was declared. Near the village of Mošovce is the protected natural monument of Mošovské alleys. But the alluviums are covered with javors, ashes, chestnuts, and lipas and are evidence of our ancestors’ sensitive relationship to the natural environment and the ability to incorporate suitable natural elements into the mountain panorama. Natural sights include Lake Jazernica, National Nature Reserve (from 1962 originally protected) is Turiec.