Rysy

Rysy
Northern summit
Highest point
Elevation	2,503 m (8,212 ft) ^[1]
Prominence	163 m (535 ft) ^[1]
Listing	Country high point
Coordinates	49°10′46″N 20°5′17″E / 49.17944°N 20.08806°E / 49.17944; 20.08806Coordinates: 49°10′46″N 20°5′17″E / 49.17944°N 20.08806°E / 49.17944; 20.08806 ^[1]
Naming
Translation	scratches or crevices (Slovak and Polish)
Geography
Rysy Location in Slovakia (on the Polish border)
Location	Slovakia / Poland
Parent range	High Tatras
Geology
Mountain type	Granite
Climbing
Easiest route	Hiking

Rysy (Polish and Slovak: Rysy, Polish pronunciation: [ˈrɨsɨ]; German: Meeraugspitze, Hungarian: Tengerszem-csúcs) is a mountain in the crest of the High Tatras, lying on the border between Slovakia and Poland. Rysy has three peaks: the middle at 2,503 m (8,212 ft); the north-western at 2,499 m (8,199 ft); and the south-eastern at 2,473 m (8,114 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.

Name

Experts assume that the Polish 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 (1,600 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 "lynxes", 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).

History

The first known ascent 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 claimed Vladimir Lenin climbed the mountain sometime in the early 1910s. Rysy is the highest point in Poland.

Tourism

A colourful outhouse of Chata pod Rysami

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 Rysmi, a mountain chalet at an altitude of 2,250 m (7,380 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 former border crossing at the summit.

Since the accession of Poland and Slovakia to the Schengen Agreement in 2007, the border between the two countries may be easily crossed at this point like at any other.

References

1 2 3 http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=10302

External links

3D Panorama

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, May 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.