Pinus cembra forests in the Tatra Mountains were studied by MYCZKOWSKI (1970) and WOJTERSKA et al. (2004), and this research led to a description of a separate forest association called Cembro-Piceetum Myczkowski 1970 or, according to WOJTERSKA et al. (2004), Larici-Pinetum cembrae (Pallmann et Haffter 1933) Ellenberg 1963. However, due to insufficient data, the syntaxo-nomical status of Swiss stone pine forests remained arguable. Therefore, the aim of this study was to verify the syntaxonomical status of P. cembra forests in the Tatra as well as to check the possible oc-currence of these forests in the Western Tatra and on calcareous bedrock, which was omitted in earlier studies. We made 108 relevés based on the Braun-Blanquet method throughout the entire range of P. cembra. Data collected in the field were numerically analysed based on the modified Marczewski and Steinhaus similarity model. The classification was done for the qualitative and quantitative data using cluster analysis UPGMA. Each relevé was classified fourfold and identified based on the index of phytosociological agreement (IPA). Characteristic and differential species were identified by species percentage frequency, fidelity, cover ratio and dominance ratio. We determined two main syntaxonomi-cal units of relic Swiss stone pine forests, Vaccinio-Pinetum cembrae (Pallmann & Haffter 1933) Ober-dorfer 1962 and, on calcareous ground, Swertio perennis-Pinetum cembrae ass. nov. The Vaccinio-Pinetum cembrae was divided into two subassociations and three variants, while the Swertio perennis-Pinetum cembrae occurred in two variants. To establish their syntaxonomical status, data collected in the field were compared with relevés collected from the Tatra upper montane Picea abies forests, Tatra Pinus mugo shrubs, and Alpine P. cembra forests. Results of similarity analyses showed that relic P. cembra forests in the Tatra growing on granite bedrock are a distinct plant association, different from the Plagiothecio-Piceetum, and should be treated as one Swiss stone pine forest association Vaccinio-Pinetum cembrae, common to the Alps and to the Tatra. Furthermore, this study documented the occur-rence of P. cembra forests in the Western Tatra. Keywords: Vaccinio-Pinetum cembrae, Swertio perennis-Pinetum cembrae, phytosociology, Tatra Mountains, Central European upper montane forests, numerical classification.