Holiday apartment in Vysoké Tatry: Nature, Peaks and Culture

The Vysoké Tatry form part of the eastern Tatras in Tatranský národný park (TANAP). In Tatranská Lomnica, the vegetation of the Expozícia tatranskej prírody ranges from wetlands, raised bogs, fens and forests to species of alpine meadows and the highest Tatra elevations.

Nature

The Expozícia tatranskej prírody displays around 330 plant and woody species that occur naturally in Tatranský národný park. This exhibition also includes a short walk among woody plants, ponds, streams and a waterfall. The Pramenisko educational trail is part of a walking loop of just under 3.5 km, which begins at the Expozícia tatranskej prírody, the botanical garden in Tatranská Lomnica.

Pramenisko is designated as a national nature reserve and belongs to the Natura 2000 network of European habitats of importance, including mountain and foothill alluvial forests. The educational trail has two viewing platforms and wooden walkways that lead through wet terrain.

Trails and Peaks

Marked trails and high peaks give the landscape different scales. Rysy is a 2,499 m-high border peak between Slovakia and Poland in the main ridge of the Vysoké Tatry. A marked trail leads from Chata pri Popradskom plese via Chata pod Rysmi and the Váha saddle to the summit. Slavkovský štít is 2,452 m high and a popular viewpoint peak among hikers. Východná Vysoká lies between Poľský hrebeň and Prielom; the most common starting points for tours to this peak from the southern foothills are Starý Smokovec and Tatranská Polianka.

A hike of around half a day to Zbojnícka chata begins in Hrebienok, which can be reached from Starý Smokovec by funicular. The Hrebienok educational trail is an approximately 4 km circular route with little change in elevation that begins and ends in Hrebienok. Its stations explain how glaciers shaped the Tatra valleys, what Tatra granite is and how complex the upper tree line is.

The Hrebienok educational trail is open year-round; stations 1 to 5 and 7 are also accessible to people with disabilities. The route from Starý Smokovec via Hrebienok to Rainerova chata runs on asphalt and compacted gravel and is suitable for families with prams.

Below Tatranská Lomnica, a park-and-ride car park has space for 450 cars and is served by shuttle buses year-round. Lomnický štít can be reached by cable car from Tatranská Lomnica or from the Skalnaté Pleso cable car station.

Culture and History

The ethnographic section of the Múzeum TANAP-u presents the material and spiritual culture of the population from villages in the Tatra foothills and in the Tatras. Dioramas depict the habitats of typical Tatra animals, including the Tatra chamois, Tatra marmot, lynx, wolf, brown bear and capercaillie. The museum also offers tactile models of animals, plants and habitats, as well as orientation panels with Braille.

The History of the Smokovci educational trail runs through Starý Smokovec and Nový Smokovec and provides information about the history of the Smokovci at seven stations. In Dolný Smokovec stands a Roman Catholic wooden church, which is one of the most significant architectural monuments in Dolný Smokovec. It was built at the end of the 19th century in the Neoclassical-Secessionist style, based on a design by the architect Gedeon Majunke.

Lomnický štít is home to a hydrometeorological observatory and, since 1962, a physical-astronomical observatory of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. In Starý Smokovec, the bobsleigh launch trainer also enables the public to enjoy a safe ride on real racing sledges. The structure is considered unique and is the only one of its kind in Slovakia.

A Stations of the Cross begins near the centre of Starý Smokovec. Its stations lead along the path to the so-called Pekná vyhliadka.

More about the directly linked places: Starý Smokovec, Tatranska Lomnica, Tatranska Kotlina, Horný Smokovec, Štrbské Pleso, Tatranská Polianka.

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Poprad.

More Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Spišská Teplica, Strba.