JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF THE HIGH TATRAS REGION – LOWER AND UPPER SMOKOVEC

Discover the history, monuments, and interesting facts about the most famous Tatra settlements during a cultural - tourist tour in the month of JULY with a professional tour guide that lasts approximately 2 hours. ENTRY TO THE JOURNEY IS FREE.

What you can learn:

Each Tatra settlement is unique; in each you will find something that is not in the others. For example, from the Tatra Kotlin, you can access the only open cave in the Tatras, the Belianska Cave. In addition, you will also find a former quarry that 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 was established, Tatranské Matliare. Today, this inconspicuous part of the city of Vysoké Tatry once hosted famous personalities such as Franz Kafka, Fraňo Kráľ, Emil Zátopek, and Ludvík Svoboda. There was also a military garrison that took care of border security and helped to build, for example, Votrubova Chata. Jiří Wolker was treated in Tatranská Polianka, and you can still sit in the pleasant surroundings of Wolker's ponds today. This settlement is key if you want to go to the highest peak of Slovakia – Gerlach. Dr. Michal Guhr, the founder of the sanatorium that you can still visit today, was not only a great doctor but also a promoter of winter sports in the former Hungary. Few know that it was thanks to him that Polianka was the first settlement with ski jumps.

Which settlement is the oldest, where did Maša Haľamová live, when was Ľudovít Štúr in Kriváň for the first time, where were the Ice Hockey World Championships held, why do Smokovce have a 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 all over 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 known.

WHEN AND WHERE DO WE MEET?

FOR THE HISTORY OF TATRANSKÁ LOMNICA

Time and meeting place: 10:30 AM | train station main entrance

Date: July 4, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF LOWER AND UPPER SMOKOVEC

Time and meeting place: 10:10 AM | wooden church in Lower Smokovec

Date: July 5, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF NOVÁ POLIANKA, TATRANSKÉ ZRUBY – SPECIAL

Time and meeting place: 10:00 AM | train station Nová Polianka

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

Date: July 11, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF VYŠNÉ HÁGY

Time and meeting place: 10:30 AM | train station

Date: July 18, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF TATRANSKÁ JAVORINA – SPECIAL

Time and meeting place: 11:00 AM | bus stop Javorová dolina

Date: July 19, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF NOVÝ SMOKOVEC

Time and meeting place: 10:10 AM | White Evangelical Church

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

Date: July 25, 2026

FOR THE HISTORY OF ŠTRBSKÉ PLESO

Time and meeting place: 10:00 AM | train station at Štrbské Pleso – stairs at the platforms

Date: July 26, 2026

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

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