Apartment in Tatranská Polianka: History and Routes to the High Tatras

The Chapel of the Seven Sorrows of Mary was established in 1994 in the building of the former post office in Tatranská Polianka and consecrated on 10 December 1995. In front of the chapel stands a carved wooden cross by Martin Gavalér.

Culture and History

In the adjacent forest park, a monument with a bust of V. Kýna from 1949 marks a poet’s popular resting place. The origins of Tatranská Polianka date back to 1884. At that time, the wealthy farmer and butcher Pavol Weszter from Veľký Slavkov built a hunting lodge next to the municipal forester’s lodge of the time.

In 1902, the younger Michal Guhr founded a climate sanatorium in Tatranská Polianka for the treatment of tuberculosis and asthma. Another chapter in the village’s history is connected with winter sports: after Michal Guhr brought his passion for skiing from Davos, Switzerland, in 1901, his initiative led to the construction of the first ski jumping hill in the High Tatras at the mouth of the Velická dolina valley.

Historically, the Mariana, Tusculum and Themis hotels in Tatranská Polianka served as starting points for excursions into the Velická dolina valley.

Poliankovo also features a digital gallery covering 600 m², with projection surfaces of up to 140 m². The technologies used include virtual reality, 3D projections, augmented reality, holograms and shadow plays. The exhibition includes interactive elements and paintings by the Slovak painter Lubomir Korenk enhanced with augmented reality.

Geographical Location

Tatranská Polianka extends on both sides of Cesta slobody between Starý Smokovec and Štrbské Pleso.

Routes and Landscape

The paved road from Tatranská Polianka to Sliezsky dom is 6.8 km long and also serves as a cycle path. The Tatranská Polianka–Sliezsky dom route is listed as a designated cycle route in the visitor regulations of Tatra National Park.

For the circular hike from Tatranská Polianka to Sliezsky dom and back, the stated figures are 9 km, 3 hours 35 minutes, and 666 m of total ascent and total descent respectively. Velické pleso can be reached from Tatranská Polianka via a paved road or hiking trail in approximately two hours.

The Tatranská Polianka–Sliezsky dom–Tatranská Polianka circuit is designated as a difficult 14 km mountain bike route with 698 m of elevation gain. A challenging, full-day hike to Východná Vysoká begins in Tatranská Polianka and includes exposed sections.

The route information clearly distinguishes between a paved connection, a circular hike, a designated mountain bike circuit and a challenging hike. Concrete distance, time and elevation figures are provided for the first two routes; the cycling route is additionally specified with its difficulty level and elevation gain. For the route to Východná Vysoká, the full-day duration and exposed sections are also part of the description of this route. The information is provided alongside the respective route type.

Transport Connections

Tatranská Polianka can be reached by train and by road. Other destinations include Tatranska Lomnica, Štrbské Pleso, Tatranska Kotlina, Starý Smokovec and Horný Smokovec.

To the higher-level travel overview: Vysoké Tatry.