Gerlachovský štít

Gerlachovský štít, also called Gerlach, is the highest peak in the High Tatras, in Slovakia, and in the Carpathian Mountains. It stands about 2,654 meters above sea level and rises sharply from the valley below. For many years, people thought it was just another mountain in the rugged High Tatras, but it later became very important to many nations in Central Europe.

Between the 19th and mid-20th century, the mountain had four different names because of changes in the countries around it. It was once considered the highest mountain of the Kingdom of Hungary, then of Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, and Czechoslovakia again, all within just a few decades.

Like the rest of the High Tatras, Gerlachovský štít has special rocks and plants. During a time when travel was limited for people living in certain parts of Europe, many Czechs, East Germans, Hungarians, Poles, and Slovaks enjoyed climbing this mountain because it was one of the highest they could reach. Even though it is now harder to visit the peak, it still draws many visitors each year.

Names

Present

Gerlachovský štít means the "Peak (of the village) of Gerlachov". The Slovak informal name is Gerlach. In Polish, the official names are Gerlach or Gierlach, and the informal names are Girlach and Garłuch. The village of Gerlachov might have been named after a local lord or after the gravel in a nearby river.

Gerlachovská Veža ("Gerlachov Tower", 2642m) is considered part of Gerlachovský Peak.

Past

The mountain’s earliest recorded name was the Szepes-German Kösselberg (Cauldron Mountain) from a map in 1762. The Slovak name Kotol, also meaning "Cauldron", was first recorded in 1821.

Its current name became popular in the 19th century, linking the mountain to the village of Gerlachov (Carpathian German: Gerlsdorf). The name Gerlsdorfer Spitze (Gerlachov Peak) was used in 1838 by the first person to identify the mountain as the highest in the Tatras. A Slovak version of this report in 1851 called it gerlachovský chochol (Gerlach crest).

As different groups controlled the area, the mountain’s name changed for symbolic reasons. In 1896, when it was part of Austria-Hungary, it was named after Emperor Francis Joseph I. After 1918, it was known as Gerlachovský štít because it belonged to the village of Gerlachov. The Polish government called it Szczyt Polski (Polish Peak), but never controlled the area. In 1923, the new Czechoslovak government renamed it Štít legionárov (Legionnaires Peak) to honor the Czechoslovak Legions, but this name was replaced by Gerlachovský štít in 1932. After the Communist coup d'état in 1948, the mountain was renamed Stalinov štít (Stalin Peak) in 1949. The traditional name Gerlachovský štít was restored in 1959.

History

Gerlachovský štít wasn’t always known as the tallest mountain in the Tatras. In the 18th century, after the first measurements, Kriváň was thought to be the highest peak. Other mountains like Lomnický štít and Ľadový štít were also considered. It was Ľudovít (Ludwig) Greiner who first correctly identified Gerlachovský štít as the highest in 1838. This was later confirmed by surveys in 1868 and became widely accepted after new maps were published around 1875.

The first known climb of Gerlachovský štít was done by Ján (Johann) Still from Nová Lesná in 1834.

Access

Only members of a special club for mountain climbers can climb this peak by themselves. Everyone else needs a trained mountain guide to help them. The easiest paths up and down have had safety chains since 1880. These paths can be tricky, especially in some parts where it’s hard to know which way to go.

The climb can be about 1,000 metres higher if you stay overnight at a hotel, or about 1,665 metres if you start from a town called Tatranská Polianka. In winter, climbing here is very difficult because of snow and the chance of dangerous snow slides.

There are also two long and tricky climbing routes on the eastern and south-western sides of the mountain, made of strong granite rock.

Conditions at the summit

Weather

The weather at the top of Gerlachovský štít can be very different from what you might expect just because it’s high up. Even though the temperature can feel warm on clear days, it often gets cold and windy, especially when clouds cover the mountain. This can make it tricky to see and stay safe.

Summer days usually start clear, but clouds build up by noon, and there can be rain or storms in the afternoon. The least chance of rain is between 9–10 am, while the most rain usually happens between 2–3 pm. Lightning storms happen just as often here as they do at lower elevations.