Visoki Oltar (High Altar) rises to 2621 m and is the highest peak of the Martuljek range, although this isn't immediately obvious when viewed from the valley. It stands in the centre of the group.
Across from this mountain, but hidden from view, there is a ridge that includes the High, Middle and Lower Rokav and Škrlatica which join the Martuljek range, despite not actually being part of it. Oltar (Altar) is a beautiful mountain, and truly worthy of its name. In his book "Sto slovenskih vrhov" (One Hundred Slovenian Peaks), the author Stanko Klinar wrote: "When observed from High Rokav, when the afternoon sun shines brightly on its elevated forehead and at its straight-cut peak, it gives the impression of a hallowed sacrificial table."
An altar (latin "altare") is a symbolic image of a table, generally located in a place of worship and intended for religious purposes such as giving donations and dedicating sacrifices. For Christians, the altar is a sacred table and the highest place of worship, where Christ and his apostles consecrated the Eucharist.
The first ever person to climb Visoki Oltar from the Vrata valley was Julius Kugy, with the help of some locals. Local mountain guides helped him reach the top of many peaks in the Julian Alps that hadn't been conquered before. He also used new routes to reached other summits. Because of this, he is also known as the "discoverer of the Julian Alps".
