Culture & Nature Attractions

There are plenty of cultural and natural attractions in the High Tatras region that can be easily and quickly accessed from Nova Lesna:

· Stary Smokovec – is one of the oldest settlements in the High Tatras with traditional buildings

· Spis Castle – is the largest castle in middle Europe. It is a beautiful historic place to spend a day with the whole family

· Belianska Cave – is 1.752 meters in length and was discovered in 1881. The cave features sterile ventilation, constant air temperature of 5o Celsius, 95 per cent humidity and, a total absence of allergens

· Galleries – There are several galleries in the region such as Tatranska Galeria and the Yellow House of V. Van Gogh in Poprad city. Jan Zoricak Gallery is located in Zdiar, approximately 25km from Nova Lesna.

· Zdiar – offers Slovak traditional and historical architecture in its village

· Pieniny National Park – is famous for its traditional rafting rides down the river Dunajec

Flora The variety of flowers in the High Tatras is not as rich as in the Belianske Tatras. This is a result of poor acid soils created by erosion of granites and crystalline plates. Despite this fact, there are several rare natural species in the
High Tatras, e.g. so-called relics.They are from earlier eras like Mountain Aven, a relict from the latest glacial era.

Nevertheless, there is an occurrence of several endemic species related to specific areas. There are several species of mosses, which decorates the granite rocks of Tatras with yellow and green colours.

Wildlife

The nature of the High Tatras is very attractive in its variety of animal species. The most numerous class are birds (about 115 species) and mammals (about 42 species), but invertebrates are very common as well.

It is possible to observe herds of roebucks or wild boars on the boundaries between areas of fields and forests.

Thick, spruced forests are the kingdom of deer, rarely bears, wolf, lynx, marten, fox and wild cat.

Impressive inhabitants of the High Tatras are herds of chamois, marmots or eagles, which live above the zone of forests.