Rysy

Rysy (Tengerszem-csúcs, Meeraugspitze) is a mountain in the crest of the High Tatras, at the Polish-Slovak border. Rysy has three peaks: middle (2,503 m), north-western (2,499 m) and south-eastern (2,473 m). The north-western peak is the highest point of Poland, while the highest of the three peaks is just on the Slovak side of the border.

Name

Experts assume that the Polish and Slovak name Rysy ("scratches", "crevices") comes from the series of gullies, either at the western slopes of Žabí Ridge, or from one very prominent 500 m high gully and numerous smaller ones on the northern side. A folk explanation on the Slovak side says that it comes from the plural word rysy meaning "lynxes" (rysie in Polish), although the habitat of the lynx does not extend above timberline.

The Hungarian name Tengerszem-csúcs as well as the German name Meeraugspitze mean "Eye of the Sea"-peak and are derived from Morskie Oko (the Eye of the Sea), a glacial lake at the northern foot of the mountain.

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 used to forward the undocumented supposition that Vladimir Lenin climbed the mountain sometime in the early 1910s.

Tourism

Rysy is the highest Tatra mountain available to individual tourists on foot without a guide. It is possible to ascend the peak from the Slovak side starting at Štrbské pleso and passing the Chata pod Rysmi or from the Polish side coming from the Morskie Oko, which is far harder and steeper. Since 2000 until border controls between the two countries were abolished in 2007, there was a pedestrian border crossing at the peak, operating between 1st July and 30 September from 7:00 to 19:00. At the altitude of 2,250 m on the Slovak side there is a mountain chalet Chata pod Rysmi, which is open only during the summer season (from May till October).