Gerlachovský štít

The Gerlachovský stit seen from the tree line from the summer

Pd3pd5

The Gerlachovský stit (debate? / I) and also colloquially Gerlach or Gerlachovka ( German Gerlsdorfer peak, Gerlach tip or Gerlach ) is the highest mountain in the High Tatras, the 1,500- km long Carpathian mountain ridge and Slovakia, as well as the highest mountain in Central Europe east of the Alps.

The exact height of the mountain is 2654.4 m nm, although commonly 2655 m nm be specified. The pyramid-like appearance of the mountain range is marked by a large kettle. Despite the relatively low level compared to other high mountains of the world of mountain rises 2,000 vertical feet above the valley. The Gerlachovský was stit in history to 1918, the highest mountain of the Kingdom of Hungary, and after 1918 (until 1992 ) the highest of Czechoslovakia, 1939-45 with interruption by the First Slovak Republic. Thus he was the highest mountain of three countries within little more than 20 years.

1997 iron summit cross was erected on the summit.

Origin of the name

The name derives from the formerly colonized by Carpathian and founded in the Middle Ages place Gerlsdorf ( slovak: Gerlachov ) from the Zips at the foot of the mountain.

Height

The Gerlachovský stit was not always considered to be the highest mountain in the Tatras. After the first official height measurement in the High Tatras in the 18th century, saw the mountain Krivan ( 2494 m nm ) as the highest mountain. 1773 held by the Scottish physician and botanist Robert Towson after his barometer measurements of the nearby mountain Lomnický stit ( 2632 m nm) for higher than Gerlachovský stit. The Swedish botanist Göran Wahlberg designated in 1813 the mountain Ľadový stit ( 2624 m nm) as the highest, but the amount he could not determine weather conditions.

Only the forester Ludwig Greiner ( slovak: Ľudovít Greiner ) introduced in 1837 Gerlachovský stit determined as the highest mountain and published it in 1839 in the Buda -profit journal sheets for the learning and maintenance. But his measure came initially with little understanding. Although in 1868 a national measurement group of the Imperial Army confirmed this hypothesis formally, Greiner found measurements only after the issuance of the card of the High Tatras in 1876 by ​​the Military Geographical Institute wide acceptance.

Name

The first known name is the zipserdeutsche Kösselberg on a map from 1762. This name, as well as the 1821 Slovak recorded name Kotol ( "Shell " ), refers to the characteristic kettle on the south side.

The current name comes from the name of the municipality Gerlachov to the municipality was part of the High Tatras. Thus, already in 1717 in a sketch of the High Tatras of Gerlachfalvenses montes (Latin for "Mountains of Gerlsdorf " ) talk - without distinguishing between individual peaks. This generic name was used in parallel with the Ludwig Greiner name Gerlsdorfer peak use. During the Hungarian domination of today's Slovakia as part of the former Upper Hungary, he was officially named Hungarian Gerlachfalvi Csúcs. But later he had often been subject to political and governmental purposes:

• To 1896: Gerlach ( generally, especially Slovak and Polish), greed Lach ( Polish), Gerlach peak ( German ), Gerlachfalvi Csúcs (Hungarian official); the form Gerlach is for the first time in 1717 at J. Buchholtz detectable
• 1896-1919: Franz- Joseph- tip ( German ), Ferenc József Csúcs (Hungarian), Štít Františka Jozefa ( Slovak), Štít Františka Josefa ( Czech); 1896 renamed the millennial anniversary of the Hungarian " land grab "
• 1919-1949: Gerlach ( ovka ) ( Slow ); with interruptions: 1918 -: Szczyt Polski ( Polish), Polish tip ( German )
• ? 1923 -: Štít Legionárov ( Slow ), Štít Legionářů ( tschech. ) Legionáriusok csúcsa (Hungarian), head of the Legionaries ( German ); renamed out of gratitude for the help of the Czechoslovak legionaries in the formation of Czechoslovakia; around 1932 was named the mountain in any case again Gerlach
• 1939-1945: Slovenský stit ( Slow ), Slovak tip ( German ), Szlovak Csúcs ( Hungarian)

Neighborhood

Unofficially the mountain after a typical boiler on the south side was as Kotlový stit ( 2601 m, German: Kessel peak) respectively. Today, however, the tank top is considered to be independent mountain. To find names and relatives in close proximity is also the Gerlachovská veža ( 2,642 m, Gerlach tower ) and the Zadný Gerlach ( 2616 m, behind Gerlach ).

Mountaineer

The mountain is easily accessible in the summer for experienced mountain hikers in one day tour, but may today - like most mountain peaks in the Slovak Tatra National Park - be climbed only with a mountain guide. The best way leads from the mountain hut Sliezsky dom.