Holiday apartment in Hozelec – Nature, Culture and Family Experiences

Nature

With Hozelské slaniská, Hozelec showcases a natural area of European importance. Hozelské slaniská is the current name of the area SKUEV0139; it was previously called Gánovské slaniská. Most of the area lies within the cadastral territory of Hozelec. The present-day name therefore refers both to the current designation of the area and to its former name. Mineral water springs occur there, where younger travertine deposits are formed. Another special feature is the water from the ŠHG-2 borehole, which emerges eruptively at certain intervals. The place in question is considered a suitable stop during tourists’ walks.

The natural features combine various forms: springs, the formation of younger travertine deposits and the intermittently eruptive emergence of water from the borehole. Thus, alongside its designation as an area of European importance, a geologically distinctive detail is also central. The names Hozelské slaniská and Gánovské slaniská belong to different periods in the area’s designation.

Family Experiences

Hozelec is home to FunVille, an indoor children’s playground below the Tatras. The attractions cover 700 m² and include a large climbing and play structure, a car track, climbing walls, a Lego zone and a sports zone. There are also ball pits, trampolines, air cannons, a fountain, slides and a slide or toboggan. FunVille thus combines numerous different play elements within a covered facility. The list ranges from climbing and play elements through movement and sports to water and sliding elements. Together with the covered facility, this variety forms a clearly defined recreational area in Hozelec.

Getting Around

The “Po stopách neandertálcov” route passes through Hozelec. This route offers several opportunities for refreshments, benches and informative information boards. The name refers to the traces of Neanderthals, while the route’s amenities are described in terms of places to stop and information. Both the route through Hozelec and the station elements mentioned are therefore part of the character of this route: its name represents the theme, benches and refreshment opportunities provide breaks, and information boards provide supporting content.

History

The history of Hozelec includes a single-nave Gothic church dedicated to Saint Martin, Bishop, probably built around the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. The Late Gothic high altar of the Suffering Christ for this church was made between 1516 and 1520 in the workshop of Master Paul of Leutschau. Architectural fragments of the Gothic church, which is no longer preserved, are now displayed in the center of Hozelec near the bell tower. The church is thus associated both with its probable time of construction and its single-nave Gothic character, as well as with the later treatment of its surviving fragments. The altar also preserves a specific period from the workshop’s history, between 1516 and 1520.

Another defining building is the Classicist manor house. It was built in the final decades of the 18th century on the initiative of the Okolicsányi family. The 18th-century manor house is currently considered the most valuable historic building in the municipality of Hozelec. It is registered as the national cultural monument NKP Kúria under identification number ÚZPF 876/1. Its construction period, Classicist style, the initiative of the Okolicsányi family and its current registration are therefore among the key details of this building.

Further destinations: Strba, Svit, Gánovce, Vernár, Nová Lesná, Velký Slavkov, Spišský Štiavnik, Gerlachov

For the higher-level travel overview: Okres Poprad.