Spišská Belá: Moorland, cycle path and Petzval Museum

Spišská Belá can be explored through three clearly defined themes: the nature of Belianske lúky, the Belianska cyklotrasa and the history of photography at the Petzval Museum. There is also a historic town centre and cultural sites in the surrounding area.

Nature

Belianske lúky is located in the cadastral area of Spišská Belá. It is a Natura 2000 site of European importance with the identification code SKUEV0144. Belianske lúky is also a national nature reserve with the largest remaining calcareous fen in Slovakia. The fen began to form approximately 11,000 years ago. Belianske lúky is also home to the only confirmed known occurrence of the moss Calliergon trifarium in Slovakia.

Beliansky rybník is a recreational area close to Spišská Belá, offering views of the High Tatras massif and, in part, the Belianske Tatras. Before the entrance to Beliansky rybník, there are two car parks with a combined capacity of approximately 80 spaces; one is paved and the other is gravelled. Visitors to Beliansky rybník can also use a carp pond for fishing.

The landscape can be explored via two differently designed educational trails. The Fľak forest educational trail is accessible year-round and is 2,800 metres long. It forms a continuous circular route with ten stations featuring information panels. The Belianske lúky educational trail is an 800-metre circular route with seven information panels and a 250-metre wooden raised boardwalk.

Cycling and trails

The Belianska cyklotrasa is a 9-kilometre route between Spišská Belá and Tatranská Kotlina, beginning at Beliansky rybník. It is paved, suitable for two-way traffic and designed for recreational cycling. There are four covered rest areas along the route.

Culture and history

The historic centre of Spišská Belá is designated as an urban conservation area. The burgher houses there stand on typical narrow medieval plots extending lengthwise into the depth of the block. As a result, the historic urban structure remains recognisable not only through the designation of the area but also in the shape of the plots.

The J. M. Petzval Museum has been open since 1964 in the birthplace of Jozef Maximilián Petzval in Spišská Belá. The exhibition presents the life and work of Jozef Maximilián Petzval and Otto Baltazár Petzval. It traces the development of photographic technology from the first experiments with the camera obscura to the first photograph from 1826. Also on display is a fully metal replica of a daguerreotype camera by Voigtländer & Sohn with a portrait lens, which J. M. Petzval was the first person in the world to calculate in 1840.

The permanent exhibitions at Kaštieľ Strážky include “Ladislav Mednyánszky and Strážky”, portraits from the 17th to the 19th century in the Spiš region, and Slovak sculpture of the 20th century. At Kaštieľ Strážky, the Slovak National Gallery offers educational programmes for school groups of 15 pupils accompanied by an educator. During these programmes, participants work directly with original works of art.

Other places: Busovce, Vrbov, Majere, Červený Kláštor, Jezersko, Spišská Stará Ves, Matiašovce, Stara Lesna

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For the higher-level travel overview: Kežmarok District.