Kriváň (2494 m), a peak in the High Tatras, is not only one of the most beautiful peaks in the whole Carpathians but also is widely considered to be a national mountain of Slovakia, appearing even on Slovakia’s euro coins. This paper shows cultural background of how the mountain became a symbol connected with slovak national identity, starting in mid 19. Century’s "­national rebirth". It also describes "slovak national pilgrimages" to the top of Kriváň and the history of monuments on the top of the mountain, showing it as a space of cultural struggle between slovak nationalists and hungarian state.