Cichy Wierch is a modest but fascinating peak in the Liptovské kopy range, tucked deep within the High Tatras. It's a summit shrouded in mystery — we don't even know the names of the first people who ever stood on top.

The peak rises between Gładki Wierch and Zadnia Garajowa Kopa, separated from them by the Zawory saddle and the Wierchcicha col. Its northern slopes descend into the wild Wierchcicha Valley, from which it takes its name, while on the Kobyla Valley side its base drops away steeply, with a long moraine wall holding back the scree slides. It's a raw, alpine landscape once used by shepherds for grazing livestock.

Good to know: today Cichy Wierch is essentially off-limits to hikers.

• Since 1949, the Liptovské kopy area, including Cichy Wierch, has been a strict nature reserve within TANAP
• The summit is completely closed to tourism — no marked trails lead there
• Historically, access was known only to shepherds and poachers

Fun fact: for decades Polish and Slovak maps disagreed on the peak's name and height — Slovak maps listed 1943 m and the name Tichý kopec, until in 1999 both sides agreed on the Polish version: Tichý vrch at 1979 m.