 Once it was determined that the mountain was the highest point in the region , the succession of the authorities that held control over it took an interest in its name and changed it periodically for symbolic reasons . In 1896 , as part of Austria @-@ Hungary , the highest peak of the Carpathians received its first government @-@ sponsored name − after the contemporary head of state Emperor Francis Joseph I. Guidebooks sometimes did not catch up on these name changes . After the dissolution of the monarchy in 1918 , the mountain continued to be known simply as Gerlachovský štít because it belonged to the village of Gerlachov . The Polish government , claiming the territory of the High Tatras for Poland , simultaneously called the mountain Szczyt Polski ( Polish Peak ) , but never gained control over it . The new Czechoslovak government changed the name to Štít legionárov ( Legionnaires Peak ) in honor of the Czechoslovak Legions in 1923 , but the name was dropped in favor of the earlier Gerlachovský štít in 1932 . As a result of the Communist coup d 'état in 1948 , the mountain was renamed once more − to Stalinov štít ( Stalin Peak ) in 1949 . Its traditional name Gerlachovský štít was restored yet again a decade later and has remained unchanged through the present . 
