The region of the Tatras offers a wide range of cultural monuments left behind by our forefathers. It is not only human creations that are worth admiring. Mother Nature has created real masterpieces too. Just look around.
The Spiš castle is a real jewel of European culture. It is the largest castle complex in Central Europe and was included in the UNESCO World cultural and natural heritage list in 1993. When taking a tour along preserved majestic ruins, one can climb to an attractive observatory tower or visit an exposition of archaeological finds and weapons, the castle torture chamber and the Gothic chapel of St. Elizabeth. A road runs to the castle from the town of Spišské Podhradie. It takes about 45 min to get there from Poprad by car.
The Spiš Chapter /Spišská Kapitula is one of the centres of Slovak religious education. It features the Roman cathedral of St. Martin, which is on the UNESCO list. It is opened daily from 9:00 to 16:30 and accessible via a road from the town of Spišské Podhradie.
The oldest archaeological findings of Levoča date back to the 9th century. The historical centre of the town was declared a conservation area in 1950. The castle system is well preserved with six of fifteen bastions and towers including three gates. At the Church of St. Jacob (UNESCO) in the middle of the square, there is the highest Gothic altar in the world (18.62 m) made of lime wood in the workshop of Master Paul of Levoča in the 16th century. The so called Marian hill with a cathedral rises above the town. The biggest Marian pilgrimage in Slovakia takes place here. Even Pope Jean Paul II visited it in 1995. It takes about 30 min to get there from Poprad by car.
The Castle of Ľubovňa built in the early 14th century is the dominant feature of the own. Polish crown jewels used to be stored there in the past and the well known Slovak traveller Maurice Benyovszky was imprisoned in the castle. Visitors can have a look at the renewed palace and castle brewery. One tour is about 80 minutes long. Below the castle, there is an open-air museum which presents folk architecture mixture of the North-East Spiš region and the North-West Šariš region. One can see dwellings, a blacksmith´s forge, a mill and a cabinetmaker´s workshop which were brought there from the whole area. The castle is opened daily from 9:00 to 19:00. It takes about 50 min to get there from Poprad by car.
The Nestville park at Hniezdne informs tourist about the history, traditional crafts, exceptional skills that people in this area had and working tools they would use in various periods. Once can learn there about the history of alcohol production from the past until the present and enjoy a special reward at the end of the tour – drink tasting of Nestville production. The park is opened daily from 9:00 to 17:00 and one tour is about 90 minutes long. It takes about 50 minutes to get there from Poprad by car.
Demänovská dolina is the most beautiful valley in the Low Tatras. It is 16 km long and located in the National Park of the Low Tatras, which contains precious natural jewels such as Demänovský kras (karst), Vrbické pleso (tarn), Demänovská jaskyňa slobody (cave) and Demänovská ľadová jaskyňa (ice cave). The area offers cableway trips, there is a bike park and various marked tourist trails. It takes about 50 minutes to get there from Poprad by car.
In the northern section of the mountain range of Slovenské rudohorie, between the town of Spišská Nová Ves and the villages of Hranovnica and Dobšiná, there is a limestone mountain range that was named Slovak Paradise. It is a manifold karst area with a lot of gorges, chasms, narrow valleys and canyons as well as preserved plains that are rich in karst formations. There is about 300 km of marked tourist trails. The Slovak Paradise is accessible from the villages of Podlesok or Čingov. It takes about 20 min to get there from Poprad by car.
Zakopane is a charming tourist town located in the Polish section of the Tatras, an ideal 1-day trip destination. One day is enough to enjoy a cable car trip to Mt. Kasprowy Wierch, swimming at a water park and walking around the busy town centre along the famous shopping street of Krupowki.
Implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic.
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