JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF THE HIGH TATRAS REGION – OLD SMOKOVEC

Discover the history, monuments, and attractions of the most famous Tatra settlements during a cultural – tourist tour in JUNE with a professional tour guide, lasting approximately 2 hours. ENTRY TO THE JOURNEY IS FREE.

What you can learn:

Each Tatra settlement is unique, and each offers something that others do not. For example, from Tatranská Kotlina, you can reach the only accessible cave in the Tatras, the Belianska Cave. In addition, you will also find a former quarry that now serves as a rock climbing wall, the peak Pálenica, where lime was once burned. Thanks to the rediscovery of the Belianska Cave, another settlement arose, Tatranské Matliare. Today, this unassuming part of the town of Vysoké Tatry once hosted famous personalities such as Franz Kafka, Fraňo Kráľ, Emil Zátopek, and Ludvík Svoboda. There was also a military garrison here that ensured the safety of the borders and helped build, for example, the Votrubova Cottage. Jiří Wolker was treated in Tatranská Polianka, and you can still relax in the pleasant surroundings of Wolker's lakes today. This settlement is key if you want to go to the highest peak in Slovakia – Gerlach. Dr. Michal Guhr, the founder of the sanatorium you can visit today, was not only a great doctor but also a promoter of winter sports in former Hungary. Few people know that it was thanks to him that Polianka was the first settlement to have ski jumps.

Which settlement is the oldest, where was Maša Haľamová, when was Ľudovít Štúr first at Kriváň, where were the Ice Hockey World Championships, why do Smokovce have the sun in their coat of arms, how did the name Smokovec originate, where was the first swimming pool in the Tatras built, where do mineral springs emerge in the Tatras, which mountain lodge is the oldest, where is Mrs. Čenková's cottage located, and many other interesting facts about the Tatra settlements that you may not have even known.

WHEN AND WHERE DO WE MEET?

FOR THE HISTORY OF TATRANSKÁ KOTLINA

Time and place of meeting: 10:30 a.m. I bus stop Čarda

Date: 06.06.2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF TATRANSKÁ LOMNICE

Time and place of meeting: 10:30 a.m. I train station main entrance

Date: 07.06.2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF TATRANSKÉ MATLIAROV

Time and place of meeting: 10:30 a.m. I bus stop near Cesta Slobody

Date: 13.06.2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF OLD SMOKOVEC

Time and place of meeting: 10:10 a.m. I Tatra Information Office

Ending at the Museum of Tatra Cinematography and Photography with a screening of a short retro film about the Tatras.

Date: 14.06.2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF TATRANSKÁ POLIANKA

Time and place of meeting: 10:00 a.m. I train station

Date: 27.06.2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF ŠTRBSKÉ PLESO

Time and place of meeting: 10:00 a.m. I train station at Štrbské Pleso – stairs by the platforms

Date: 28.06.2026

In case of interest from larger groups – over 20 persons, please report the number of participants to the guide at +421 949 202 493 or at ivafigova@gmail.com.

“Implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic”