Holiday apartment in Gánovce – Neanderthals, travertine and culture

Gánovce combines an exceptional prehistoric heritage with travertine, springs, churches and trails through the surrounding area. The Hrádok travertine site in Gánovce yielded a braincase cast of a Neanderthal woman who lived around 105,000 years ago. The Neanderthal Geopark Gánovce contains the site at Hrádok where a Neanderthal skull cast of European and global significance was found. The exhibition “Gánovce – Neanderthal and His Environment” at the Podtatranské Museum in Poprad presents further context relating to this remarkable site.

Culture

One of the village’s defining landmarks is the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Gánovce. It is an early Gothic church built in the second half of the 13th century, around 1260. Its interior features Gothic wall paintings from the mid-14th century and an incomplete late Gothic altar dating from around 1500. Filice is also home to an evangelical church, whose construction began in 1873 and was completed five years later. It was consecrated on 29 September 1878, on Michaelmas Day, the 16th Sunday after Trinity.

The Kúria in Gánovce, declared a cultural monument in 1963, is also part of the village’s historic setting. The ART.4G.PARK adds a contemporary touch: several editions of art symposia have been held there since 2016. The wooden church in Kežmarok is also located in the surrounding area, while the Sans-souci church lies in the wider regional area around Gánovce.

Nature

The landscape of springs is reflected both in geological formations and in the history of the village. The Gánovské travertíny National Nature Monument covers 2 hectares. The Dolina Gánovského potoka Site of European Importance is also located around Gánovce, with Carpathian travertine salt meadows and salt-tolerant vegetation associated with mineral springs.

In addition to the healing spring, there are two mineral water springs in Gánovce and Filice. The AquaSpa Gánovce healing spring is considered to produce water containing gypsum, earthy substances and carbon dioxide, with predominantly bicarbonate, calcium and magnesium, at a temperature of 24.2 °C. Healing springs in Gánovce were already mentioned in 1549; a spa settlement gradually developed around them.

The open-air minimuseum of Slovak travertines is also part of this theme. It was designed to collect and display travertine specimens from various parts of Slovakia.

Trails

The green-marked “Zámčisko” hiking trail leads from Poprad railway station via Gánovce, the Starý Juh settlement and Kvetnica to Zámčisko. The route is 9.5 km long and takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. Another connection is provided by the “In the Footsteps of Neanderthals” circular route, which passes through Gánovce Geopark and returns via Poprad.

Surroundings

Several mountains are located at varying distances around Gánovce. Mount Krížova is in the immediate vicinity, while Mount Orlov is in the area around Gánovce. The mountains Krížna and Tri Kopce are also located in the surrounding area. The ruins of Kláštorisko are nearby, while the historic site of Votrubova Chata lies in the wider regional area around Gánovce.

For further exploration of the area, the connections also lead to other places: Batizovce, Liptovská Teplicka, Velký Slavkov, Vernár, Strba, Nová Lesná, Poprad and Gerlachov.

To the main travel overview: Okres Poprad.