Tatra

or High Tatra (in Polish, Tatry Wysokie; in Czech, Vysoké Tatry), a mountain range in Poland and Czechoslovakia, the highest in the Carpathian Mountains.

The Tatra Mountains are 65 km long and have elevations to 2,655 m, at Gerlachovský Śtít. They are composed mainly of granites, granodiorites, and limestones. The alpine landforms show traces of ancient glaciation, including cirques and mountain lakes. There are karst caves, such as Belanská and Alabastrová. On the slopes, at elevations up to 1,500 m, are spruce forests with admixtures of beech, fir, pine, and larch; at higher elevations there is a belt of Krummholz (up to 1,900 m) and subalpine and alpine meadows (up to 2,250 m). The highest meteorological observatory in the Carpathians is located in the Tatra Mountains, on Lomnický Śtít (2,632 m).

Mountain climatic resorts in the Tatra Mountains include Zakopane in Poland and Štrbské Pleso and Starý Smokovec in Czechoslovakia. The Tatra Mountains are popular with mountain climbers, tourists, and skiers; a ropeway has been constructed to the crest. The Tatra People’s Park is located in the mountains, and Poronin, which has a V. I. Lenin house-museum, is at the northern foot of the range.

The Tatra Range is often considered a system of mountain ranges, including the Tatra proper and the Low Tatra.