The roof of the Carpathians
Gerlachovský štít is the highest summit in the Carpathians and one of the most massive peaks of the Tatras. Its height is usually given as 2,654.4 m, rounded to 2,655 m. The mountain does not stand on the main Tatra ridge but on a south-eastern spur that leaves it at Zadný Gerlach (about 2,616 m); the Gerlachovské sedlo (Tetmajer Pass) separates the two. From the main summit the ridge continues to Kotlový štít (about 2,601 m), where it splits into two arms enclosing the Gerlachovský kotol, the cauldron-shaped cirque that gave the mountain its oldest name. The secondary tower Gerlachovská veža is regarded as part of the summit massif.
The view is the widest in the Tatras: almost every Tatra peak, the Podtatranská basin, the Low Tatras, Babia hora, the Slovak Paradise and, in clear weather, mountains in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Ukraine. The Polish composer and mountaineer Mieczysław Karłowicz called Gerlach the "king of the Tatras".
Where it is and how to get there
Gerlach rises above the resorts of the southern Tatras, between the Velická and Batizovská valleys, within the Tatra National Park (TANAP), Slovakia's oldest national park (1949). The nearest town is Poprad, with a railway station on the Bratislava–Košice main line (one of the express trains is even called Gerlach) and a small airport. From Poprad the Tatra electric railway runs to Tatranská Polianka (about 1,000 m), the start of the approach.
From Tatranská Polianka a green-marked trail climbs the Velická valley to the Sliezsky dom hotel beside the Velické pleso lake in about 1 h 45 min. Sliezsky dom, at 1,670 m, is the highest mountain hotel in Slovakia: the first hut here was built by the Hungarian Carpathian Society in 1895, burned down in 1962, and the present building of 1968 was fully renovated in 2010. It has 36 rooms and 8 apartments and a restaurant. Hotel guests can be driven up for a fee or from the car park in Tatranská Polianka; other hikers must walk.
Who may climb it: guides and park rules
Like all unmarked summits in the Tatra National Park, Gerlach may be climbed only by members of mountaineering clubs affiliated to the UIAA (or people who have passed an approved high-mountain course) and by those led by a certified mountain guide. Leaving marked trails without this status can lead to a fine. In practice almost all visitors hire a guide, which also solves the main difficulty: finding the way on a complex face where many have gone wrong.
Guides are organised in the Spolok horských vodcov Vysoké Tatry (High Tatras Mountain Guides Association), based in Starý Smokovec. According to its 2026 price list, the classic route from Sliezsky dom (UIAA II) costs €420 for one client, €460 for two and €500 for three; the variant via the Tatranská próba (II+) costs €440–500. The price list covers parties of up to three clients per guide. The association states that its clients' trips include insurance for the costs of a Mountain Rescue Service (HZS) intervention. Book well ahead for July and August.
As on the rest of the Slovak side, the marked trails above the huts are closed from 1 November until the end of May; guided climbs follow the conditions on the mountain and the park's rules.
Routes to the summit
Velická próba up, Batizovská próba down (the classic guided traverse). From Sliezsky dom the route climbs past the waterfall of the Večný dážď into the flowery Kvetnica terrace (about 1,820–1,840 m) and then into the steep Velický žľab. Its hardest section, the Velická próba, has been protected with chains and iron pegs since 1880 (though not always in the same place); the exposure here and the tricky route-finding on the summit ridge make it one of the more demanding scrambling routes in the High Tatras. After a traverse above the Gerlachovský kotol the summit is close at hand. The descent follows the Batizovský žľab, also equipped with chains in its lower part, down to the Batizovské pleso lake and the red-marked Tatranská magistrála trail, which leads back towards Sliezsky dom or down to Vyšné Hágy. Without snow, guidebooks grade the routes II to III on the UIAA scale. The ascent is about 1,000 m from Sliezsky dom and about 1,665 m from Tatranská Polianka; the guides' association gives 6–8 hours for the outing from the hotel.
Other routes. The Tatarka route (Cesta Vlada Tatarku), built in 2001, reaches the Gerlachovské sedlo from the upper Velická valley beyond the Dlhé pleso lake; its exposed sections have bolts, chains and pegs. The Valový žľab leads from the upper Batizovská valley to the same saddle, followed by an exposed final ridge. A technically easier line goes over the Dromedárov chrbát on the left side of the cirque. The most demanding and most scenic is the Martinka (Martin's route), first done in 1905, which follows the ridge from the Poľský hrebeň saddle over the Litvorové towers and Zadný Gerlach, with easy climbing and abseils. The east and south-west faces carry long multi-pitch rock climbs on solid granite.
Winter. In winter Gerlach becomes a serious alpine climb with mixed ground and avalanche risk. The first winter ascent was made on 15 January 1905 by Janusz Chmielowski and Karol Jordán with the guides Klimek Bachleda, Ján Franz Sr. and Pavol Spitzkopf, via the Krčmárov žľab.
When to go and weather
The guided season runs mainly from July to September, when the gullies are usually free of snow. Summer weather in the Tatras has a typical rhythm: a clear morning, clouds building by noon and showers or storms in the afternoon. Observations on the high ridges show the chance of rain is lowest around 9–10 am and highest around 2–3 pm, falling again after 6 pm, which is why guided parties start early. The summit is in cloud for part of most days, and fog on the ridge is a real navigation hazard. The temperature difference between the resorts (900–1,350 m) and the summit can be large; on a windy, cloudy day the cold can be severe even without rain or snow.
Water
Sliezsky dom has a restaurant where you can buy drinks before the climb. Above the hotel there is no hut, and the gullies are dry rock in late summer, so carry 1.5–2 litres per person for the round trip. Streams in the Velická valley and the lakes on the way should be treated before drinking. On the descent, the Tatranská magistrála leads back to Sliezsky dom.
Mobile coverage and internet
The resorts of Tatranská Polianka and Starý Smokovec have normal Slovak mobile coverage, and on the open upper ridges a signal is often available, but in the gullies it can disappear. Your guide will carry a phone and knows where to get a signal. The Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS) answers on 18 300; the general emergency number is 112. Download offline maps before you start, and carry insurance that covers mountain rescue in Slovakia.
Dangers and safety
The first known victim of the mountain, a forest ranger from Mlynica, froze in a sudden storm on its southern slopes in May 1886. The dangers are those of all high Tatra scrambles: exposure on the chained sections, loose rock in the gullies, falling stones from parties above, slippery rock when wet, early-season snow and ice in the couloirs, and lightning on the ridge. Disorientation in fog is a classic problem on the summit ridge. Gerlach's weather is not very different from other high Tatra summits, but storms build quickly in the afternoon, so starting early and turning back on time matter more than speed.
History and name
For a long time nobody knew that Gerlach was the highest peak of the Tatras. In the 18th century Kriváň was thought to hold the title; later Lomnický štít or Ľadový štít were favoured. In 1837–1838 the forester Ľudovít (Ludwig) Greiner measured the Tatra peaks by triangulation and found that Gerlach was the highest; his result was confirmed by an Austrian army survey in 1868 but generally accepted only in the 1870s.
The first known ascent was probably made in 1834 by Ján Still, a teacher from Nová Lesná, with his brother-in-law Jakub Gellhof, the miller Martin Spitzkopf-Urban and two chamois hunters; Still confirmed it in a letter only in 1874. Austrian military surveyors certainly reached the top in 1868. In 1874 Mór Déchy's party made the first ascent by the Velická próba, and in 1875 the guides Ján Ruman Driečny Jr. and Ján Pastrnák first climbed the Batizovská próba. The first woman on the summit was the Polish climber Natalia Janotha, on 22 August 1883.
The mountain's name comes from the village of Gerlachov below it, founded in the 14th century by the sons of a Count Gerlach. Its later names followed politics:
- until 1896: Gerlach, Gerlsdorfer Spitze, Gerlachfalvi csúcs, Gerlachovka;
- 1896–1919: Franz Joseph Peak, after the emperor, with plaques that Polish climbers threw down in 1900 and Slovak patriots destroyed in 1919;
- 1919–1923: Gerlach again (during the plebiscite period Poles also called it Szczyt Polski, "Polish Peak");
- 1923–1932: Legionnaires' Peak (Štít Legionárov), in honour of the Czechoslovak Legions, a name that never caught on;
- 1939–1945: Slovak Peak (Slovenský štít), in the wartime Slovak state;
- 1949–1959: Stalin Peak (Stalinov štít), with a 46 kg plaque "out of gratitude for liberation" that unknown climbers soon destroyed;
- since 1959: Gerlachovský štít.
The Slovak National Uprising left its own mark nearby: in 1944 a Lisunov Li-2 aircraft carrying members of the 2nd Czechoslovak Parachute Brigade to support the uprising crashed into Zadný Gerlach, killing all 26 on board. They are buried in Gerlachov, there is a memorial at the Symbolic Cemetery by Popradské pleso, and parts of the wreck can still be seen.
Interesting facts
- Despite the harsh conditions, 15 species of vascular plants grow on the summit, among them the alpine bellflower and the dwarf primrose.
- In 1906, and again in 1922, there were plans for a summit observatory and a cable car from Tatranská Polianka; the money never came, and the observatory was built on Lomnický štít instead.
- Pope John Paul II rested at Sliezsky dom during his 1995 visit to Slovakia and blessed a rope and an ice axe for the Mountain Rescue Service there.
- Under communism, when travel to the Alps was restricted, Gerlach was one of the few high mountains open to climbers from Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and East Germany.
FAQ
How high is Gerlachovský štít? 2,655 m (2,654.4 m in precise listings). It is the highest point of Slovakia, the Tatras and the Carpathians.
Can I climb Gerlach without a guide? Only if you are a member of a UIAA-affiliated mountaineering club. Everyone else must go with a certified mountain guide; hiking it alone off the marked trails can be fined.
How long does the climb take? About 6–8 hours for the guided round trip from Sliezsky dom (about 1,000 m of ascent), plus about 1 h 45 min to walk up to the hotel from Tatranská Polianka if you do not stay there.
How difficult is it? It is a long scramble at UIAA grade II (II+ on some variants), with chained, exposed sections and loose rock. You need a head for heights and good fitness; climbing experience helps but the guide provides the rope and protection.
How much does a guide cost? The High Tatras Mountain Guides Association lists €420 for one client, €460 for two and €500 for three on the classic route (2026); the Tatranská próba variant is €440–500.
Is there water on the way? Only at Sliezsky dom, where drinks are sold. Carry 1.5–2 litres; treat any water from streams or lakes.
Is there mobile phone coverage? In the resorts and often on the open ridges, but not reliably in the gullies. Mountain Rescue (HZS) is on 18 300 and the general emergency number is 112.
When is the best time to climb Gerlach? July to September, ideally starting early in the morning to avoid afternoon storms. Outside summer it is a winter mountaineering objective.