The Slovak Paradise and Spiš, from castles to ladder gorges

From Košice to the gorges of the Slovak Paradise

From Košice, the road heads up the Hornád valley, between the river, the railway and old mining villages. Then the valley opens onto the fields of Spiš. First the white bell tower of Žehra comes into view, then Spiš Castle, sitting on its hill. Its ruins cover nearly four hectares. Opposite, Spišská Kapitula keeps its cathedral behind its walls.

Further west, the Spiš plain stretches out at the foot of the High Tatras, which you can see from the road between Levoča and Kežmarok. The towns here are old, each one built around a large square.

To the south, the Slovak Paradise is a wooded limestone plateau cut by narrow gorges. You climb up beside the waterfalls on metal ladders. A mountain road then leads to Dedinky lake and the Dobšiná Ice Cave.

Inside the basilica, the high altar carved by the workshop of Master Paul of Levoča is 18.62 metres tall. Finished in 1517, it is the tallest Gothic wooden altar in the world. The same workshop worked on the altar of St George, dated 1516, in the church of Spišská Sobota. This old market town is now a district of Poprad.

In 1412, King Sigismund pledged sixteen Spiš towns to Poland, including Spišská Sobota and Spišská Nová Ves. They only returned to Hungary in 1772. In the 16th century, many Saxons became Lutherans. In Kežmarok, their church is made of wood and stands outside the town walls, as the 1681 articles of law required for Protestants. This articular church has been on the Unesco list since 2008.

The gorges of the Slovak Paradise and the Dobšiná Ice Cave

The plateau, cut into gorges by the Hornád and its tributaries, has been a national park since 1988. The Slovak Paradise is explored on foot, not by car. From Hrabušice-Podlesok, the Suchá Belá gorge climbs beside the waterfalls on ladders and footbridges. The ladder gorges are one-way only, uphill. To the north, at Prielom Hornádu, the path follows the river on footholds fixed to the cliff. Near Čingov, the Tomášovský výhľad viewpoint looks down over the valley.

South of the plateau, the Dobšiná Ice Cave was discovered in 1870 by the mining engineer Jenő Ruffinyi. In 1887, it was one of the first caves in Europe with electric lighting. All year round, it holds more than 110,000 cubic metres of ice. The guided tour lasts half an hour. The cave has been on the Unesco list since 2000.

What not to miss

1. 1St Elisabeth’s CathedralIn Košice, the largest church in Slovakia, with the crypt of Francis II Rákóczi.
2. 2Spišská KapitulaA small walled town around St Martin’s Cathedral, facing the castle.
3. 3ŽehraThe Church of the Holy Spirit and its frescoes from the 13th to the 15th century.
4. 4KežmarokThe wooden articular church and, in the Lutheran church next door, the mausoleum of Imre Thököly.
5. 5Spišská Nová VesA long, spindle-shaped square, overlooked by the tallest church tower in Slovakia (87 metres).
6. 6Betliar ManorThe Andrássy family’s former hunting lodge, set in a large English-style park.

The Slovak Paradise and Spiš in pictures

i

i

i

Ladders beside a waterfall, in a gorge of the Slovak Paradise.

The Spiš table

The food is that of the Slovak mountains. The national dish is bryndzové halušky: small potato dumplings with bryndza, a sheep’s cheese, served with bacon bits. People also eat kapustnica, a cabbage soup. After a hike, the chalets at Podlesok and Kláštorisko serve simple meals.

Smoked sheep’s cheeses, such as parenica, are sold at markets. People drink Kofola, a herbal soft drink, and borovička, a juniper brandy. South-east of Košice, Slovakia owns a small part of the Tokaj wine region.