Central Slovakia
The Slovak Republic’s greatest tourist sites are its mountains: the High Tatras receive the most publicity, but the Low Tatras and Malá Fatra, although less monumental, are also less developed. Mining and coin minting have played an important part in many of the Central Slovakian towns, with skilled German miners ‘imported’ in the 13th century. Banská Bystrica flourished as the capital of the seven ‘Hungarian’ (actually German) mining towns and was the centre for the failed 1944 uprising. The Town Museum in the Renaissance Thurso Palace and the 13th-century Panna Márie church with its Gothic altar by Master Pavol of Levoca are the most important tourist sites. Banská Stiavnica had the world’s first Mining University (1762). The 11 buildings of the Mining and Forestry Academy, as well as a number of Renaissance burghers’ houses are among its chief attractions. The mixed Gothic and Renaissance hrad (town castle), and the small gallery houses of the miners are the major sites in Kremnica, once the site of the richest gold seams in Europe.
Although only 26km (16 miles) long, the High Tatra Mountains in the north are noted for impressive alpine features. The High Tatra National Park (TANAP) has an abundance of wildlife and over 13,000 species of alpine plants – due to the great differences in elevation from 900 to 2655m (2953 to 8710ft). There are more than 85 mountain lakes, of which Great Hincovo Lake is the largest. The park has a good selection of accommodation and sporting facilities, climatic spas and 350km (220 miles) of marked hiking trails. Tatranská Lomnica makes an ideal starting point for the eastern Tatras. Founded in 1892 as a State climatic spa, it nestles in the foothills of Skalnaté Pleso (1751m/5745ft) which boasts the Tatra’s best downhill ski and bobsleigh tracks. Other wintersports resorts are Smokovce (including a climatic spa), Strbské Pleso, and the picturesque Goral village of Zdiar lying at the divide of the Belianske Tatry and the Spiˇsská Magura mountain ranges. The Low Tatras National Park covers the second-highest range within the western Carpathians. The park includes several ski and recreation resorts including Jasna, and the Demänová Valley, with its extensive ice-cave system. The Pieniny National Park is a bilateral national park shared with Poland, 30km (19 miles) northeast of the High Tatras. The Malá Fatra National Park is renowned for the scenic beauty of its valleys and gorges and its abundant wildlife. It is a favourite with hikers in both winter and summer; outside the park, the wooded spa town of Rajecké Teplice and the folk painted houses at Cicmany are important tourist sites.
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