JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF THE HIGH TATRAS REGION – NOVÁ POLIANKA / TATRANSKÉ ZRUBY

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

What you can learn:

Each mountain settlement is unique, and in each, you will find something that is not present in the others. For instance, from the Tatranská Kotlina, you can access the only cave open to the public in the Tatras, the Belianska Cave. Furthermore, you will also find an old quarry, which today serves as a climbing wall, the peak of Pálenica, where lime used to be burned. Thanks to the rediscovery of the Belianska Cave, another settlement, Tatranské Matliare, emerged. Today, the once inconspicuous part of the town of Vysoké Tatry hosted famous personalities such as Franz Kafka, Fraňo Kráľ, Emil Zátopek, and Ludvík Svoboda. There was also a military garrison here that ensured border security and helped build, for example, the Votrubova Chata. Jiří Wolker was treated in Tatranská Polianka, and you can still enjoy the pleasant surroundings of Wolker's pools today. This settlement is key if you wish to go to the highest peak of 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 know that thanks to him, Polianka was the first settlement to have ski jumps.

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

WHEN AND WHERE WILL WE MEET?

FOR THE HISTORY OF TATRANSKÁ LOMNICA

Meeting time and place: 10:30 AM | main entrance of the railway station

Date: July 4, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF DOLNÝ AND HORNÝ SMOKOVEC

Meeting time and place: 10:10 AM | wooden church in Dolný Smokovec

Date: July 5, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF NOVÁ POLIANKA, TATRANSKÉ ZRUBY – SPECIAL

Meeting time and place: 10:00 AM | Nová Polianka railway station

The journey will start in the settlement of Nová Polianka, then we will transfer by tram (or by own car) to Tatranské Zruby, where the tour will continue.

Date: July 11, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF VYŠNÉ HÁGY

Meeting time and place: 10:30 AM | railway station

Date: July 18, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF TATRANSKÁ JAVORINA – SPECIAL

Meeting time and place: 11:00 AM | bus stop Javorová dolina

Date: July 19, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF NOVÝ SMOKOVEC

Meeting time and place: 10:10 AM | White Evangelical Church

The tour begins inside the church with an introductory word from the local priest Mr. Pavol Kušnír. We will also visit the family tomb of the Szontagh family and conclude the journey with an exterior tour of the settlement.

Date: July 25, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF ŠTRBSKÉ PLESO

Meeting time and place: 10:00 AM | railway station at Štrbské Pleso – stairs near the platforms

Date: July 26, 2026

For larger groups – over 20 persons, please report the number of people 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”