High Tatras
Encyclopedia
High Tatras or High Tatra (Slovak and Czech: Vysoké Tatry, Polish: Tatry Wysokie) are a mountain range
on the borders between Slovakia
and Poland
. They are a part of the Tatra Mountains
. The High Tatras, with their 17 peaks over 2500 m AMSL, are, together with the Southern Carpathians
, the only mountain ranges with an alpine
character in the whole 1200 km length of the Carpathian Mountains
.
The mountain range borders Belianske Tatras
to the east, Podtatranská kotlina
to the south and Western Tatras
to the west. The major part and all the highest peaks of the mountains are situated in Slovakia. The highest peak is Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 m. Many rare and endemic animals and plant species are native to the High Tatras. Large predators, such as the bear
, Eurasian lynx
, marten
, wolf and fox
live there.
, Starý Smokovec
and Tatranská Lomnica
in Slovakia and Zakopane
in Poland. The town of Poprad
is the gateway to the Slovak Tatra resorts.
The first European cross-border national park was founded here—Tatra National Park—Tatranský národný park in Slovakia in 1948 and Tatrzański Park Narodowy in Poland in 1954.
Parts of the Eragon
movie were filmed here.
The 15 highest peaks of the High Tatras—all located in Slovakia—are:
identified Gerlachovský Peak as the summit of the Tatras, Carpathians
.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
on the borders between Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. They are a part of the Tatra Mountains
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
. The High Tatras, with their 17 peaks over 2500 m AMSL, are, together with the Southern Carpathians
Southern Carpathians
The Southern Carpathians or the Transylvanian Alps are a group of mountain ranges which divide central and southern Romania, on one side, and Serbia, on the other side. They cover part of the Carpathian Mountains that is located between the Prahova River in the east and the Timiș and Cerna Rivers...
, the only mountain ranges with an alpine
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
character in the whole 1200 km length of the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
.
The mountain range borders Belianske Tatras
Belianske Tatras
Belianske Tatras is a mountain range in the Eastern Tatras in North Central Slovakia. Eastern Tatras are part of the Tatra Mountains, which are part of the Inner Western Carpathians....
to the east, Podtatranská kotlina
Podtatranská kotlina
The Podtatranská kotlina is a basin in northern Slovakia, part of the Fatra-Tatra Area, which belongs to the Inner Western Carpathians....
to the south and Western Tatras
Western Tatras
The Western Tatras are mountains in the Tatras, part of the Carpathian Mountains, located on the Polish-Slovak borders. The mountains border the High Tatras in the east, Podtatranská kotlina in the south, Choč Mountains in the west and Rów Podtatrzański in the north...
to the west. The major part and all the highest peaks of the mountains are situated in Slovakia. The highest peak is Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 m. Many rare and endemic animals and plant species are native to the High Tatras. Large predators, such as the bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
, Eurasian lynx
Eurasian Lynx
The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized cat native to European and Siberian forests, South Asia and East Asia. It is also known as the European lynx, common lynx, the northern lynx, and the Siberian or Russian lynx...
, marten
Marten
The martens constitute the genus Martes within the subfamily Mustelinae, in family Mustelidae.-Description:Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large...
, wolf and fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
live there.
Description
The area is well known for winter sports. Ski resorts include Štrbské plesoŠtrbské pleso
Štrbské pleso is a picturesque mountain lake of glacial origin and a top tourist destination in the High Tatras, Slovakia. It is the second largest glacial lake on the Slovak side of the High Tatras, after Hincovo pleso...
, Starý Smokovec
Starý Smokovec
Starý Smokovec is a part of the town of Vysoké Tatry in northern Slovakia in the Tatras. Its name is pronounced approximately "Star-EE Smoke-oh-vets", meaning "Old Smokovec".Starý Smokovec is a popular resort for skiing and hiking...
and Tatranská Lomnica
Tatranská Lomnica
Tatranská Lomnica is a town in the Slovakian part of the High Tatras mountains. It is a skiing and hiking resort best known for the cable car to Lomnický štít, one of the steepest in Europe and remarkable for its lack of support pylons between the two stations...
in Slovakia and Zakopane
Zakopane
Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...
in Poland. The town of Poprad
Poprad
Poprad is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the tenth largest city in Slovakia with a population of approximately 55,000.The Poprad-Tatry Airport is...
is the gateway to the Slovak Tatra resorts.
The first European cross-border national park was founded here—Tatra National Park—Tatranský národný park in Slovakia in 1948 and Tatrzański Park Narodowy in Poland in 1954.
Parts of the Eragon
Eragon (film)
Eragon is a 2006 fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Alun Armstrong, Joss Stone, and the voice...
movie were filmed here.
Highest peaks
| Peak | |Elevation (m|ft) | |
|---|---|---|
| Gerlachovský štít | 2,655 | 8,711 |
| Gerlachovská veža | 2,642 | 8,668 |
| Lomnický štít Lomnický štít Lomnický štít is one of the highest and most visited mountain peaks in the High Tatras mountains of Slovakia. Connected by cable car to Tatranská Lomnica, its summit is 2634 metres above sea level, making it the second highest peak in the High Tatras after Gerlachovský štít.The first ascent was... |
2,633 | 8,638 |
| Ľadový štít | 2,627 | 8,619 |
| Pyšný štít | 2,623 | 8,605 |
| Zadný Gerlach | 2,616 | 8,583 |
| Lavínový štít | 2,606 | 8,550 |
| Malý Ľadový štít | 2,602 | 8,537 |
| Kotlový štít | 2,601 | 8,533 |
| Lavínová veža | 2,600 | 8,530 |
| Malý Pyšný štít | 2,591 | 8,501 |
| Veľká Litvorová veža | 2,581 | 8 468 |
| Strapatá veža | 2,565 | 8,415 |
| Kežmarský štít | 2,556 | 8,386 |
| Vysoká | 2,547 | 8,356 |
Other notable peaks
- KriváňKriván (peak)Kriváň is a mountain in the High Tatras, Slovakia, that dominates the upper part of the former Liptov County. Multiple surveys among nature lovers have ranked it as the country's most beautiful peak. Readily accessible along maintained marked trails and with the exceptional vistas afforded from...
, 2494 meters, Slovakia's "most beautiful mountain" - RysyRysyRysy is a mountain in the crest of the High Tatras, lying on the border between Poland and Slovakia. Rysy has three peaks: the middle at ; the north-western at ; and the south-eastern at...
, the popular Polish−Slovak summit border crossing. Rysy has three peaks: the middle at 2,503 meters; the north-western at 2,499 meters; and the south-eastern at 2,473 meters. The north-western peak is the highest point of PolandExtreme points of PolandThis is a list of the extreme points of Poland, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.- Latitude and longitude :* Northernmost point:...
. - Slavkovský štítSlavkovský štítSlavkovský štít is a mountain peak in the High Tatras mountains in Slovakia. Its summit is 2452 metres above sea level. It can be reached by foot on a walking trail in about four and a half hours from Starý Smokovec....
, 2452 meters tall, within the Tatra National Park, SlovakiaTatra National Park, SlovakiaTatra National Park is one of the nine national parks in Slovakia. It is situated in North Central Slovakia in the Tatra Mountains. The Tatra National Park protects the area of the Western Tatras and the Eastern Tatras .The National Park covers an area of 738 km² , and the buffer zone around the...
Major lakes
- Morskie OkoMorskie OkoMorskie Oko is the largest and fourth deepest lake in the Tatra Mountains...
- 1,395 m, 51 m deep. - Czarny Staw pod RysamiCzarny Staw pod RysamiCzarny Staw pod Rysami is a mountain lake on the Polish side of Mount Rysy in the Tatra mountains. At 1,583 m above sea level, it overlooks the nearby lake of Morskie Oko. Its maximum depth is 76 m...
- 1,583 m, 76 m deep. - Wielki Staw Polski - 1,664 m, 79 m deep.
- Štrbské plesoŠtrbské plesoŠtrbské pleso is a picturesque mountain lake of glacial origin and a top tourist destination in the High Tatras, Slovakia. It is the second largest glacial lake on the Slovak side of the High Tatras, after Hincovo pleso...
- 1,347 m, 20 m deep. - Veľké Hincovo pleso - 1,945 m, 54 m deep.
Other lakes
- Zmrzlé pleso
- Ťažké pleso
- Ľadové pleso
- Batizovské pleso
- Veľké Spišské pleso - 2,019 m, 10 m deep.
- Veľké Žabie pleso (Mengusovské) - 1,921 m, 7 m deep
- Vysne Bielovoeske Zabie pleso - 1,699 m, 25 m deep.
- Nizne Bielovodske Zabie pleso - 1,675 m, 21 m deep.
- Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy - 1,624 m, 51 m deep.
Notable people
Ludwig GreinerLudwig Greiner
Ludwig Greiner was an influential 19th-century forest and lumber industry management expert who improved the effectiveness of woodland valuation methods in the Austrian Empire and trained a whole new generation of foresters in a comprehensive approach to the management of natural resources...
identified Gerlachovský Peak as the summit of the Tatras, Carpathians
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
.
See also
- Tatra MountainsTatra MountainsThe Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
- Vysoké Tatry (town)Vysoké Tatry (town)Vysoké Tatry , informally Mesto Vysoké Tatry , is a town at the feet of the Slovak part of High Tatras in Slovakia including all the major resorts in that region...
- GoralsGoralsThe Gorale are a group of indigenous people found along southern Poland, northern Slovakia, and in the region of Cieszyn Silesia in the Czech Republic...
- Orla PerćOrla PerćOrla Perć is a tourist path in the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland. It is considered the most difficult and dangerous public path in the entire Tatras and is therefore a suitable destination only for experienced tourists and climbers. The path is marked with red signs...
- Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue (Poland)
- Mountain Rescue Service (Slovakia)Mountain Rescue Service (Slovakia)The Mountain Rescue Service of Slovakia provides nation-wide Mountain Rescue operations and Search and Rescue operations in difficult terrains in close cooperations with the Air Rescue Service...
- Tatra National ParkTatra National ParkTatra National Park is a National Park located in the Tatra mountains in the Małopolska Region in southern Poland, bordering Slovakia. It was created in 1954 on an area of 215.56 km², but it is currently slightly smaller, at . Of this, 151.91 km² is forest and the remainder mainly meadows...
- Tourism in PolandTourism in PolandPoland is a part of the global tourism market with constantly increasing number of visitors, particularly after joining the European Union. Tourism in Poland contributes to the country's overall economy. The most popular cities are Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Poznań, Lublin, Toruń and the...
External links
- Official site of the town of High Tatras
- Tatry Open Directory
- Tatra Cable Railways
- High Tatras at Summitpost.org
- Article about the High Tatras with nice photos (German)