According to ITYPEJOB, Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia. The city is located in the spurs of the Carpathians in the west of the country. Bratislava was founded in 907 and, under Hungarian rule from 1541, was the capital of Hungary. Bratislava Castle, which has survived to this day, was previously a fortress, and later – the residence of kings. In the center of it is a Gothic palace with four wings. Now it houses the Museum of Folklore Music.
In the Primate’s Palace with the Hall of Mirrors, in 1805, Napoleon and the Austrian emperor Franz I signed the peace agreement. The palace complex includes a large fountain of St. George and the Mirbach Palace with a rococo facade.
St. Martin’s Cathedral is located on the outskirts of the Old Town. Previously, coronations of monarchs took place here. On the main square, the Old Town Hall is interesting, which was built in the 13th century. There is a cannonball stuck in its walls. It is believed that it was here as a result of the bombardment of the city by Napoleon’s army. Also here are the Roland Fountain, which was built in 1572 for the coronation of Maximilian II, the Church of the Holy Trinity, the Royal Chambers, the garden of Janka Kralya. There are many museums in the Old Town – the Slovak National Gallery, the Municipal Museum, the Hummel Music Museum, the Wine Museum, the Archaeological Museum, the Historical Museum, the Bratislava City Museum.
High Tatras (Slovakia)
The High Tatras are a mountain range located on the territory of Slovakia and Poland. This massif is the highest part of the Carpathian Mountains, the maximum height within it reaches 2655 m (mountain Gerlakhovsky-Shtit), the height of the other peaks fluctuates around 2500 m. The Tatras provide opportunities for recreation all year round. In summer it is walks in the picturesque surroundings, in winter – mountain skiing.
There are several ski resorts on the territory of the massif, the most popular of which are Smokovci, Tatranska Lomnica, Strbske Pleso. The resorts are united by the railway.
Smokovci is the oldest resort in the High Tatras, uniting several villages: Old, New, Gorny and Dolny Smokovets. Old Smokovets is located in the center of all Smokovets, to the west of it is Novy, two kilometers to the east – Gorny, and two kilometers to the south – Dolny. The skiing height in Smokovci ranges from 800 to 1480 m. There is 1 funicular and 6 ski lifts. There is a choice of 1 difficult track, 2 – medium difficulty, 4 – easy, 1 toboggan; the total length of the tracks is 7 km. The main ski area is Grebenok, located at an altitude of 1263 m. Descents of varying complexity begin from here. The most difficult track is considered “Horna Luka”. To get to its beginning, you need to climb on a drag lift to a height of 1500 m. A ski school has been created in Smokovtsy, there are children’s slopes and 2 children’s lifts. It is pleasant not only to play sports here, but also just to take a walk: villas and houses in the Tatra style are clinging to picturesque hills overgrown with spruce forests, and mountain peaks are visible in the distance. In addition, Nowy Smokovec is a climatic health resort where respiratory diseases are treated.
The resort Tatranska Lomnica is the largest town in the Tatras. It is located at an altitude of 850 m and offers the best slopes and luxury hotels.. Here are the lower stations of the cable cars to the Rock Lake and the Lomnicki saddle, and from the Rock Lake another cable car leads to the top of Lomnicki Shtit (2632 m). The rocky lake is located at an altitude of 1750 m. Trails suitable for beginners descend to it. And down, to the intermediate station of the lift “Start”, there is a route of medium difficulty (length 3300 m, elevation difference 730). From this station begins the next middle route (length 2600 m, elevation difference 270 m), which leads to the village of Lomnica. In turn, from Lomnica you can get to the Lomnica sedlo ski area, located at an altitude of 2180 m. In this spacious mountain saddle there are difficult tracks for downhill and giant slalom (length 1500-2000 m, slope width 300-500 m, height difference 870 m). Also in the vicinity of Lomnica is the Yamaski area with light and medium pistes illuminated at night. The trails are equipped with snow cannons. In addition to the ski slopes, there is a toboggan run.
Strbske Pleso located on the shores of the lake of the same name at an altitude of 1355 m. This is the highest of the resorts, so the skiing season here is the longest. Strbske Pleso hosts the stages of the European Championships in cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The height of skiing in the resort ranges from 1300 to 1915 m. There are 2 chair lifts, 3 ski lifts and 1 children’s lift. Among the tracks – 3 medium difficulty, 2 easy; their total length of trails is 4.5 km. The resort also has 42.5 km of trails for cross-country skiing, trails for night skiing and an ice rink. Strbsko Pleso is also a health resort. The main method of treatment is climatotherapy, which consists of two parts: air treatment (aerotherapy) and sun treatment (heliotherapy). Well-developed infrastructure: there are several sanatoriums and good hotels where guests can use the services of fitness centers and massage rooms. In summer, the resort is the starting point for many hiking trips: to the Jamske and Popradske lakes, to the waterfall in the Mlynica valley, climb the peaks of Prednje Solisko (2093 m), Faster Sedlo (2490 m) and Rysy (2500 m).
On the territory of the High Tatras is the Tatra National Park. It was created in 1948 to protect coniferous forests, which occupy 67% of the total area, and wildlife (bear, chamois, roe deer, marmot, etc.). Alpine lakes and numerous waterfalls make this area even more attractive. In the vicinity of the Tatra villages, well-groomed paths have been laid for walking. More difficult trails lead to valleys, waterfalls, mountain passes and peaks. Some peaks can only be climbed with a guide.
