As Independence Day is approaching, the authorities of the Pieniny National Park (PPN) appeal to not hang flags on mountain peaks. – The flag is a foreign element in the national park and may constitute a death trap for animals entangled in it – argue the PPN authorities and point out that in accordance with the Act on National Symbols, the flag should be honored and respected.
“Since the primary goal of national parks is to protect nature, we kindly ask you not to leave such items in the field. We are aware of how important the manifestation of patriotic feelings is for many compatriots, we see that such images can be moving and arouse a sense of pride, but it is However, it is a foreign element in this place. If the flag is carried away by the wind, it may fly to an inaccessible area, where it will take a long time to decompose and may become a deadly trap for animals entangled in it,” we read on the PPN Facebook profile. As naturalists from PPN argue, “a fluttering flag makes a sound that scares birds, and when viewed from a distance it becomes an irritating point in the natural landscape.” Moreover, park employees must dismantle such flags left behind “because someone did not take the flag back.”
Such an incident has already occurred
According to the Act on the coat of arms, colors and anthem of the Republic of Poland and on state seals, honoring and respecting these symbols is the right and duty of every Pole, and as the PPN authorities argue, leaving flags in unattended places exposes this symbol to ill-treatment and even desecration . On November 11, 2018, at the viewing gallery on Okrąglica – the highest peak in the Three Crowns massif in the Pieniny Mountains – a tourist planted a white and red flag on the mast. A day later, the flag was taken down from the summit by PPN employees.
Main photo source: Adobe Stock