Kráľova hoľa

Kráľova hoľa is the highest mountain of the eastern part of the Low Tatras in central Slovakia. Four rivers rise at its foot: Čierny Váh, Hnilec, Hornád, and Hron. The summit, easily accessible by hiking trails from Telgárt as well as by a paved road from Šumiac, offers a panoramic view of Spiš, the Tatras, Liptov, and the Upper Hron Valley. Largely deforested by exploitative timber harvesting in the early 19th century, its timberline was restored to its natural elevation of about 1,650 m through the efforts of Ludwig Greiner in the second half of that century.Kráľova hoľa is often depicted in Slovak folklore and Romantic poetry as a safe refuge of heroes and highwaymen, in particular Juraj Jánošík. As a metaphor of homeland in folk ballads and particularly in one of the best-known Slovak poems The Death of Jánošík by Ján Botto, the mountain has become one of the informal Slovak national symbols along with Kriváň.