Rysy
Encyclopedia
Rysy (ˈrɨsɨ; ) 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 2503 m (8,211.9 ft); the north-western at 2499 m (8,198.8 ft); and the south-eastern at 2473 m (8,113.5 ft). The north-western peak is the highest point of Poland
; the other two peaks are on the Slovak side of the border, in the Prešov Region
.
and Slovak
name Rysy, meaning "scratches" or "crevices", refers to a series of gullies, either those on the western slopes of Żabie Ridge or the very prominent 500 m (1,640.4 ft) high gully and numerous smaller ones on the northern side. A folk explanation on the Slovak side says that the name comes from the plural word rysy meaning "lynx
es", although the habitat of the lynx does not extend above the timberline.
The Hungarian
name Tengerszem-csúcs and the German
name Meeraugspitze mean "eye-of-the-sea peak", from the glacial lake at the northern foot of the mountain, called "eye of the sea" (Morskie Oko
in Polish).
was made in 1840, by Ede Blásy and his guide Ján Ruman-Driečny, Sr. The first winter ascent was completed in 1884, by Theodor Wundt and Jakob Horvay. In the 20th century, the communist
authorities used to forward the undocumented supposition that Vladimir Lenin
climbed the mountain sometime in the early 1910s.
Rysy is the highest peak in the Tatra Mountains
that is accessible to individual tourists
on foot without a mountain guide
. It is possible to ascend the peak from the Slovak side, starting at Štrbské pleso
and passing Chata pod Rysami, a mountain chalet at an altitude of 2250 m (7,381.9 ft), open during the summer season (May–October). The mountain can also be ascended from the Polish side coming from the Morskie Oko lake, which is a harder and steeper route.
In the period November 1 - June 15, the trail on the Slovak side is closed.
The border can be crossed between 16 June and 31 October - for only in this period is the trail open on the Slovak side. After the Polish and Slovak Republic to the Schengen Agreement
in 2007 was liquidated to tourist border crossing features, however, under the provisions of the border at this point can be easily exceeded. Note, however, that despite the absence of border controls when traveling to another European Union
country, you need to possess some identity document (ID card or passport).
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the crest of the High
High Tatras
High Tatras or High Tatra are a mountain range on the borders between Slovakia and Poland. They are a part of the Tatra Mountains...
Tatras
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...
, lying on the border between 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...
and 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...
. Rysy has three peaks: the middle at 2503 m (8,211.9 ft); the north-western at 2499 m (8,198.8 ft); and the south-eastern at 2473 m (8,113.5 ft). The north-western peak is the highest point of Poland
Extreme points of Poland
This 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:...
; the other two peaks are on the Slovak side of the border, in the Prešov Region
Prešov Region
The Prešov Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions. It consists of 13 districts.-Geography:It is located in north-eastern Slovakia and has an area of 8,975 km². The region has diverse types of landscapes occurring in Slovakia, but mostly highlands and hilly lands dominate the...
.
Name
Experts assume that the PolishPolish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
and Slovak
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
name Rysy, meaning "scratches" or "crevices", refers to a series of gullies, either those on the western slopes of Żabie Ridge or the very prominent 500 m (1,640.4 ft) high gully and numerous smaller ones on the northern side. A folk explanation on the Slovak side says that the name comes from the plural word rysy meaning "lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
es", although the habitat of the lynx does not extend above the timberline.
The Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
name Tengerszem-csúcs and the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
name Meeraugspitze mean "eye-of-the-sea peak", from the glacial lake at the northern foot of the mountain, called "eye of the sea" (Morskie Oko
Morskie Oko
Morskie Oko is the largest and fourth deepest lake in the Tatra Mountains...
in Polish).
History
The first known ascentMountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
was made in 1840, by Ede Blásy and his guide Ján Ruman-Driečny, Sr. The first winter ascent was completed in 1884, by Theodor Wundt and Jakob Horvay. In the 20th century, the communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
authorities used to forward the undocumented supposition that Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
climbed the mountain sometime in the early 1910s.
Tourism
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...
that is accessible to individual tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
on foot without a mountain guide
Mountain guide
Mountain guides are specially trained and experienced mountaineers and professionals who are generally certified by an association. They are considered experts in mountaineering.-Skills:Their skills usually include climbing, skiing and hiking...
. It is possible to ascend the peak from the Slovak side, starting at Štrbské pleso
Štrbské 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...
and passing Chata pod Rysami, a mountain chalet at an altitude of 2250 m (7,381.9 ft), open during the summer season (May–October). The mountain can also be ascended from the Polish side coming from the Morskie Oko lake, which is a harder and steeper route.
In the period November 1 - June 15, the trail on the Slovak side is closed.
The border can be crossed between 16 June and 31 October - for only in this period is the trail open on the Slovak side. After the Polish and Slovak Republic to the Schengen Agreement
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
in 2007 was liquidated to tourist border crossing features, however, under the provisions of the border at this point can be easily exceeded. Note, however, that despite the absence of border controls when traveling to another European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
country, you need to possess some identity document (ID card or passport).
See also
- 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...
- 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...
- Geography of PolandGeography of PolandPoland is a country in Central Europe with an area of 312,679 square kilometres , and mostly temperate climate. Generally speaking, Poland is an almost unbroken plain reaching from the Baltic Sea in the north, to the Carpathian Mountains in the south...
- Geography of SlovakiaGeography of SlovakiaSlovakia is a landlocked Central European country with mountainous regions in the north and flat terrain in the south.-Area:Slovakia lies between 49°36'48" and 47°44'21" northern latitude and 16°50'56" and 22°33'53" eastern longitude....
- 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...
- List of highest paved roads in Europe
- List of mountain passes
External links
- TOPR - Polish Tatra Mountain Rescue Service
- Additional photos
- Rysy at Peakbagger.com
- Chalet below the Rysy peak
- Additional information including some photos
