Holiday apartment in Stará Lesná – TANAP and astronomy

Nature

Stará Lesná lies in the Poprad Basin below the lower boundary of Tatranský národný park. The townscape therefore encompasses two spatial references side by side: the Poprad Basin and the boundary of the national park. Tatranský národný park administers 2,428 hectares of the former cadastral territory of Stará Lesná. This area refers to the former cadastral territory and supplements the present-day location with a historical administrative reference.

The landscape can therefore be understood both through the town's present-day location and through its former territorial affiliation. The reference to the Poprad Basin describes the area in which Stará Lesná lies; the boundary of Tatranský národný park marks the adjacent protected area. The figure of 2,428 hectares explicitly refers to the former cadastral territory and not to a new town boundary.

Activities

Stará Lesná serves as a starting point for the central part of TANAP. Marked routes for skiers and cyclists lead from Stará Lesná. The Astronomical Educational Trail comprises 13 information panels with important information about the technical equipment of the astronomical institute and celestial bodies. It combines technical information about the institute with the presentation of astronomical topics. The Astronomical Educational Trail begins at the institute's main building in Stará Lesná and ends at the last dome with telescopes. The Astronomical Educational Trail is accessible year-round.

The educational trail thus connects a clearly defined starting point and endpoint with two different subject areas: the panels provide information about the technical equipment of the astronomical institute as well as about celestial bodies. The route leads from the main building to the last dome with telescopes. In addition to this astronomical trail, the marked routes for skiers and cyclists form part of the described access to the central part of TANAP.

Culture

The churches of Stará Lesná include the Roman Catholic church and the Protestant church. The Roman Catholic church is the most valuable architectural monument in Stará Lesná and has a Renaissance bell tower that was added around 1600. The Protestant church in Stará Lesná was built in 1822, after Emperor Leopold II approved the expanded rights of the Protestant Church. Both churches are historic buildings in the town; their construction dates and historical contexts differ.

The two churches therefore represent different historical periods and architectural contexts. In the case of the Roman Catholic church, the Renaissance bell tower added around 1600 points to a later extension of the building. The Protestant church was built in 1822 in connection with the expanded rights of the Protestant Church approved by Emperor Leopold II.

History

The Berzeviczy family founded Stará Lesná in the second half of the 13th century; the town was first mentioned in documents in 1294.

The foundation and the first documentary mention do not date from the same year: the foundation is assigned to the second half of the 13th century, while the document from 1294 constitutes the earliest written record mentioned.

Getting there

Stará Lesná can be reached by bus from Poprad and Kežmarok. From the direction of the High Tatras, the connection runs via TEŽ (Tatranská elektrická železnica) and then by bus to Stará Lesná.

The journey options therefore include both bus connections from Poprad and Kežmarok and the combination of TEŽ and bus from the direction of the High Tatras. TEŽ refers to Tatranská elektrická železnica; the subsequent bus is part of the same described connection to Stará Lesná.

The cadastral territory of Stará Lesná contains several large hotels, recreational facilities, guesthouses and a settlement with private holiday homes.

Accommodation

Several large hotels, recreational facilities, guesthouses and a settlement with private holiday homes are listed in the cadastral territory. These different forms of accommodation form part of the area's described facilities.

More pages about localities: Lendak, Veľká Lomnica, Vrbov, Lechnica, Červený Kláštor, Reľov, Spišská Stará Ves and Tvarožná.

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Kežmarok.