Hrubý JesenÃÂk (sometimes called High Ash Mountains in English; or ) is a mountain range and geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the east of the country in the Olomouc and Moravian-Silesian regions. It is the second highest mountain range in the Czech Republic.
According to the most probable theory, the name has its origin in the word jasan, i.e. 'ash'. JesenÃÂk (respectively Jesenný potok) was first the name of a stream that flowed through an ash forest in a valley. The name was Germanized to Gesenke (i.e. 'slope') and used as a name of a small town that was founded in the valley (but later disappeared), and then it was transferred first to the valley, and then to the whole mountain range. Later the name was changed back to Czech JesenÃÂk. JesenÃÂky (plural form of JesenÃÂk) is a collective term for an area that includes the mountain ranges of Hrubý JesenÃÂk (literally 'rough JesenÃÂk') and NÃÂzký JesenÃÂk (i.e. 'low JesenÃÂk').
Hrubý JesenÃÂk is a mesoregion of the Eastern Sudetes, which is part of the Sudetes within the Bohemian Massif. It is the second-highest mountain range in the Czech Republic. There are 56 peaks with an altitude of at least 1,000 m, which are spread evenly throughout the territory.
It is bordered with the NÃÂzký JesenÃÂk in the southeast, with the Zlatohorská Highlands in the northeast, with the Golden Mountains in the northwest, and with the Hanuà ¡ovice Highlands in the southwest.
Hrubý JesenÃÂk is further subdivided into the microregions of KeprnÃÂk Mountains, MedvÃÂdàMountains and PradÃÂd Mountains.
The highest peaks are:
A distinctive feature of the relief is also Mt. MedvÃÂdàvrch, which at is the highest mountain of the MedvÃÂdàMountains microregion and is among the most prominent mountains of Hrubý JesenÃÂk.
The territory has an approximately circular shape. Hrubý JesenÃÂk has an area of and an average elevation of .
Several rivers and streams originate in the mountain range. The most important are the Desná and the sources of the Opava River. The only notable body of water is the Dlouhé stránàReservoir.
Due to the mountainous character of the landscape, there are no larger settlements here. The largest settlement in the territory is Vrbno pod PradÃÂdem. The town of JesenÃÂk is located just beyond the borders of the mountain range.
Almost the entire territory of Hrubý JesenÃÂk is protected within the JesenÃÂky Protected Landscape Area. The JesenÃÂky PLA then extends further to the north into the Zlatohorská Highlands and to the south into the Hanuà ¡ovice Highlands. Furthermore, small-scaled protected areas are defined. There are 32 small-scaled protected areas in the JesenÃÂky PLA. The most important are the national nature reserves PradÃÂd, à  erák-KeprnÃÂk, RejvÃÂz and Skà ÂÃÂtek (Skà ÂÃÂtek and RejvÃÂz extend only marginally into Hrubý JesenÃÂk), and the Javorový vrch National Nature Monument.