- Giewont
Infobox Mountain
Name=Giewont
Photo=Giewont mist.jpg
Caption=
Elevation=1,894 metres (6,214 ft)
Location=Poland
Range =Western Tatras
Prominence =
Coordinates = coord|49|15|02|N|19|56|02|E|type:mountain
Topographic
Type=|Age=
First ascent= 1830
Easiest route=South
Translation = | Language =Giewont (pronounced Gyeh-vont) is a
mountain massif in theTatra Mountains ofPoland , and is 1894 metres AMSL at its highest.It comprises three peaks (all m/metres in
AMSL ):
*Small Giewont - (Polish "Mały Giewont", 1728 m)
*Great Giewont - ("Wielki Giewont", 1894 m)
*Long Giewont - ("Długi Giewont", 1867 m).There is a
mountain pass located between Great and Long Giewont, known as Szczerba (1823 m). It is located between the valleys ("doliny") of Kondratowa, Małej Łąki and Strążyska. Long Giewont and Great Giewont are situated at a higher altitude than the nearby town ofZakopane , making them clearly visible from that city.On Great Giewont, there is a 15 m steel cross that is the site of many religious pilgrimages. Unfortunately, the area is also notorious for its hazardous nature during thunderstorms, so this should be taken into consideration when traveling to that location.
Geologically, Giewont is composed of
dolomite andlimestone caves, as well asgneiss andgranite in the southern section.The first recorded ascent to Giewont's summit was undertaken in 1830 by
Franciszek Herbich and Aleksander Zawadzki (the 19th century explorer, not the 20th century communist). The first winter ascent of Giewont occurred in 1904 by a group of five mountaineers led byMariusz Zaruski .Giewont lies in the area of the Polish Tatra National Park ("
Tatrzański Park Narodowy "). InPolish folklore it is associated with a legend about sleepingknight s, who will awake when Poland is in danger. The profile of the mountains is similar to a lying knight, wherein the Long Giewont is the knight's torso, and the Great Giewont is the knight's face as viewed from the side (the three 'peaks' being the chin, the nose, and the eyebrow). The image of Giewont as viewed from the south (see below) makes the profile easy to discern.External links
* [http://www.zakopaneonline.pl/webcam2 Zakopane - Giewont webcam]
* [http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/153793/giewont.html SummitPost.org]
* [http://www.oiccam.com/webcams/?giewont Giewont webcam] - click "Day at a Glance" if night.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
