Tatranská Polianka: Hotels and Trails in the High Tatras

Tatranská Polianka combines a multifaceted local history with religious culture, the Poliankovo digital gallery, and described routes through the mountain landscape. The settlement stretches on both sides of Cesta slobody between Starý Smokovec and Štrbské Pleso. Tatranská Polianka can be reached by train and by road.

Culture and History

The beginnings of Tatranská Polianka date back to 1884. At that time, the wealthy farmer and butcher Pavol Weszter from Veľký Slavkov built a hunting lodge next to the former municipal forester's lodge. Another important milestone followed in 1902, when Michal Guhr the Younger founded a climatic sanatorium in Tatranská Polianka for the treatment of tuberculosis and asthma.

The development of winter sports is also linked to the settlement. After Michal Guhr brought his passion for skiing from Davos, Switzerland, in 1901, his initiative led to the construction of the first ski jump in the High Tatras at the mouth of the Velická dolina.

The Chapel of the Seven Sorrows of Mary is part of the area's visible cultural history. It was established in 1994 in the building of the former post office in Tatranská Polianka and consecrated on December 10, 1995. In front of the chapel stands a carved wooden cross by Martin Gavalér. In the adjacent forest park, a monument with a bust of V. Kýna from 1949 marks a poet's popular place of repose.

Experiences

Tatranská Polianka is also home to Poliankovo, a digital gallery covering 600 square metres. Up to 140 square metres of projection surfaces are used there; the exhibition includes, among other features, virtual reality, 3D projections, augmented reality, holograms, and shadow plays. The exhibition includes interactive elements as well as paintings by Slovak painter Lubomir Korenk, enhanced with augmented reality.

Trails and Landscape

The routes around Tatranská Polianka are described with varying lengths and difficulty levels. The visitor regulations of Tatra National Park list the Tatranská Polianka–Sliezsky dom route as a designated cycling route. In addition, the paved road from Tatranská Polianka to Sliezsky dom is 6.8 kilometres long and also serves as a cycle path.

For hiking, the circular route from Tatranská Polianka to Sliezsky dom and back is listed as 9 kilometres long and taking 3 hours 35 minutes. It includes a total ascent and total descent of 666 metres each. Velické pleso can be reached from Tatranská Polianka via a paved road or a hiking trail in approximately two hours.

The same circuit is also designated as a separate mountain biking route: Tatranská Polianka–Sliezsky dom–Tatranská Polianka is 14 kilometres long, is classified as a difficult mountain biking route, and has an elevation difference of 698 metres. Another challenging, full-day hike to Východná Vysoká begins in Tatranská Polianka and includes exposed sections.

The Mariana, Tusculum, and Themis hotels in Tatranská Polianka historically served as starting points for excursions into the Velická dolina.

More Destinations

Find more destinations in the same local group at Tatranska Kotlina, Horný Smokovec, Štrbské Pleso, Tatranska Lomnica, and Starý Smokovec.

For the higher-level travel overview: Vysoké Tatry.