Miedziana Kotlina (Slovak: Medená kotlina) is one of the most untamed corners of the High Tatras — a vast, snow-filled mountain cirque tucked between dramatic ridgelines on the Slovak side of the range. With no marked trails and snow persisting almost year-round, this is a place that rewards the adventurous and experienced mountain explorer.
Stretching between roughly 1850 and 2250 m above sea level, the basin resembles an enormous gully squeezed between the ridges of Lomnický štít to the west and the Kežmarský štít group to the east. Its floor is never fully free of snow — a permanent snowfield known as the Miedziany Śnieżnik lies at the bottom, a rare sight in the Tatras. The outlet of the cirque towards the Veľká Zmrzlá dolina (Wild Valley) is buried under a massive field of boulders and scree, giving the whole area a raw, almost otherworldly atmosphere. In summer the contrast between bright snowfields and dark rocky ridges is striking; in autumn a deep, cold silence settles over the basin.
How to get thereThe name 'Copper Basin' recalls the Copper Ledges (Miedziané Ławki), where copper ore was mined in the 18th century — a fascinating piece of Tatra industrial history now completely reclaimed by wilderness.