Rysy

Rysy
Northern summit
Highest point
Elevation	2,503 m (8,212 ft)
Prominence	163 m (535 ft)
Listing	Country high point (Poland)
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
Naming
Translation	scratches or crevices (Polish and Slovak)
Geography
Rysy Location in Slovakia (on the Polish border)
Location	Poland / Slovakia
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 Poland and Slovakia. 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.

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).