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Vysoké Tatry (town)
Encyclopedia
Vysoké Tatry informally Mesto Vysoké Tatry (literally, The Town of High Tatras), is a town at the feet of the Slovak part of High Tatras
in Slovakia
including all the major resorts in that region. It was created in 1990, and its official name from 1990 to 1999 was Starý Smokovec
, which is the name of one of its major settlements.
, but a conglomerate of separate and different settlements (originally separate villages), whose only common feature is that they are the main tourist resorts in the Slovak High Tatras, while being connected through a common railway network (the Tatra Railway). After the country's capital, the town is Slovakia's major tourist destination. On December 31, 2004, it had 4953 inhabitants, excluding tourists. It is located at an altitude of 1010 m (3,313.65 ft) above sea level
. Covering 380216 km² (146,802.22 sq mi), it is Slovakia's largest urban area.
The local authority, cultural centre, and main shops are located in the settlement of Starý Smokovec.
The town consists of three cadastral areas, which consist of 14 settlements:
The municipality (that is, not a town) of Vysoké Tatry was created as early as 1947 on the territory of the following formerly distinct municipalities: Batizovce, Huncovce, Folvarky, Gerlachov, Kežmarok, Liptovská Kokava, Mlynica, Nová Lesná, Malý Slavkov, Mengusovce,výbor Vysoké Tatry" - literally, "The United National Committee of High Tatras", 'national committee' being the term then used to designate local authorities in Czechoslovakia
).
In 1954, parts of the municipalities Pribylina
(the majority of which was returned in 2004), Východná, and Liptovská Kokava were added to Vysoké Tatry. Starý Smokovec was made the seat of the Vysoké Tatry municipality.
In 1960, the Vysoké Tatry municipality ceased to exist and was divided into the following separate municipalities: Starý Smokovec (enhanced with town status), Štrbské Pleso, Tatranská Lomnica, Ždiar, and Štôla. However, since 1964 these municipalities had again a common local authority, although they remained distinct municipalities.
In 1990, three of the above municipalities - Starý Smokovec, Štrbské pleso and Tatranská Lomnica - were merged to create the town of 'Starý Smokovec'(named after the settlement serving as the seat of the authorities). The remaining municipalities - Ždiar
and Štôla - are still independent municipalities.
In 1999, the town of 'Starý Smokovec' was renamed 'Vysoké Tatry'.
, 92.95% of inhabitants were Slovaks
, 2.22% Czechs, 0.57% Hungarians, 0.26% Germans
, and 0.17% Rusyns
. The religious make-up was as follows: 61.96% Roman Catholics, 18.96% people with no religious affiliation, 7.64% Lutherans, and 3.62% Greek Catholics.
. The area was scheduled to host the 17th Winter Deaflympics
, but the event was cancelled because of the lack of readiness by the Slovakian Deaflympic Organizing Committee to host the games.
with:
Košice
, Slovakia
(since 2006) Pardubice
, Czech Republic
High Tatras
High Tatras or High Tatra are a mountain range on the borders between Slovakia and Poland. They are a part of the Tatra Mountains...
in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
including all the major resorts in that region. It was created in 1990, and its official name from 1990 to 1999 was Starý Smokovec
Starý Smokovec
Starý Smokovec is a part of the town of Vysoké Tatry in northern Slovakia in the Tatras. Its name is pronounced approximately "Star-EE Smoke-oh-vets", meaning "Old Smokovec".Starý Smokovec is a popular resort for skiing and hiking...
, which is the name of one of its major settlements.
Features and statistics
The town of Vysoké Tatry is special in many respects. It is not a true townTown
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
, but a conglomerate of separate and different settlements (originally separate villages), whose only common feature is that they are the main tourist resorts in the Slovak High Tatras, while being connected through a common railway network (the Tatra Railway). After the country's capital, the town is Slovakia's major tourist destination. On December 31, 2004, it had 4953 inhabitants, excluding tourists. It is located at an altitude of 1010 m (3,313.65 ft) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. Covering 380216 km² (146,802.22 sq mi), it is Slovakia's largest urban area.
The local authority, cultural centre, and main shops are located in the settlement of Starý Smokovec.
Administrative division
- Štrbské PlesoŠtrbské PlesoŠtrbské Pleso with its large glacial mountain lake is a favorite ski, tourist, and health resort in the High Tatras, Slovakia. With extensive parking facilities and a stop on the Tatra trolley and rack railway, it is a starting point for a host of popular hikes including to Kriváň and...
(the settlement itself was transferred to the village of ŠtrbaŠtrbaŠtrba is a village in the Poprad District, Prešov Region, northern Slovakia. It is situated in the Sub-Tatra Basin, which separates the High Tatras and Low Tatras at the European continental divide between the Baltic and the Black Sea. It is approximately 16 km west of the city of...
, according to the ruling of the Supreme Court)- Vyšné Hágy (f. in 1890, 1125 m)
- Podbanské (f. in 1871, 940 m, partly in the village of PribylinaPribylinaPribylina is a village in Liptovský Mikuláš District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia, at the foot of Kriváň, Slovakia's symbolic and often considered most beautiful mountain.-Geography:...
now)
- Starý SmokovecStarý SmokovecStarý Smokovec is a part of the town of Vysoké Tatry in northern Slovakia in the Tatras. Its name is pronounced approximately "Star-EE Smoke-oh-vets", meaning "Old Smokovec".Starý Smokovec is a popular resort for skiing and hiking...
- Horný Smokovec (950 m)
- Dolný Smokovec (890 m)
- Nový Smokovec (1 000 m)
- Starý SmokovecStarý SmokovecStarý Smokovec is a part of the town of Vysoké Tatry in northern Slovakia in the Tatras. Its name is pronounced approximately "Star-EE Smoke-oh-vets", meaning "Old Smokovec".Starý Smokovec is a popular resort for skiing and hiking...
(founded in 1793, 1 010 m) - Tatranská Polianka (f. in 1885, 1 005 m)
- Tatranské Zruby (f. in 1923, 995 m)
- Nová PoliankaNová PoliankaNová Polianka is a village and municipality in Svidník District in the Prešov Region of north-eastern Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 337 metres and covers an area of 5.471km². It has a population of about 60 people.-External...
(f. in 1946, 1 060 m)
- Tatranská LomnicaTatranská LomnicaTatranská Lomnica is a town in the Slovakian part of the High Tatras mountains. It is a skiing and hiking resort best known for the cable car to Lomnický štít, one of the steepest in Europe and remarkable for its lack of support pylons between the two stations...
- Tatranská LomnicaTatranská LomnicaTatranská Lomnica is a town in the Slovakian part of the High Tatras mountains. It is a skiing and hiking resort best known for the cable car to Lomnický štít, one of the steepest in Europe and remarkable for its lack of support pylons between the two stations...
(f. in 1893, 850 m) - Tatranská Kotlina (f. in 1881, 760 m)
- Tatranská Lesná (f. in 1927, 915 m)
- Kežmarské Žľaby (920 m)
- Tatranské Matliare (f. in the mid-19th century, 885 m)
- Tatranská Lomnica
History
The present-day town was created in 1990 and has a complicated administrative history.The municipality (that is, not a town) of Vysoké Tatry was created as early as 1947 on the territory of the following formerly distinct municipalities: Batizovce, Huncovce, Folvarky, Gerlachov, Kežmarok, Liptovská Kokava, Mlynica, Nová Lesná, Malý Slavkov, Mengusovce,výbor Vysoké Tatry" - literally, "The United National Committee of High Tatras", 'national committee' being the term then used to designate local authorities in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
).
In 1954, parts of the municipalities Pribylina
Pribylina
Pribylina is a village in Liptovský Mikuláš District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia, at the foot of Kriváň, Slovakia's symbolic and often considered most beautiful mountain.-Geography:...
(the majority of which was returned in 2004), Východná, and Liptovská Kokava were added to Vysoké Tatry. Starý Smokovec was made the seat of the Vysoké Tatry municipality.
In 1960, the Vysoké Tatry municipality ceased to exist and was divided into the following separate municipalities: Starý Smokovec (enhanced with town status), Štrbské Pleso, Tatranská Lomnica, Ždiar, and Štôla. However, since 1964 these municipalities had again a common local authority, although they remained distinct municipalities.
In 1990, three of the above municipalities - Starý Smokovec, Štrbské pleso and Tatranská Lomnica - were merged to create the town of 'Starý Smokovec'(named after the settlement serving as the seat of the authorities). The remaining municipalities - Ždiar
Ždiar
Ždiar is a village and municipality in the Poprad District in the Prešov Region in Spiš in northern Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an elevation of 896 metres and covers an area of 27.323 km². It has a population of about 1,340 people....
and Štôla - are still independent municipalities.
In 1999, the town of 'Starý Smokovec' was renamed 'Vysoké Tatry'.
Demographics
On 31 December 2006, Vysoké Tatry had a population of 4,718. According to the 2001 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, 92.95% of inhabitants were Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
, 2.22% Czechs, 0.57% Hungarians, 0.26% Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, and 0.17% Rusyns
Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...
. The religious make-up was as follows: 61.96% Roman Catholics, 18.96% people with no religious affiliation, 7.64% Lutherans, and 3.62% Greek Catholics.
Sport
In 1935 and 1970 the area hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski ChampionshipsFIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been held in various numbers and types of events since 1925 for men and since 1954 for women. Championship events include nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined...
. The area was scheduled to host the 17th Winter Deaflympics
Deaflympics
The Deaflympics are an International Olympic Committee -sanctioned event at which deaf athletes compete at an elite level...
, but the event was cancelled because of the lack of readiness by the Slovakian Deaflympic Organizing Committee to host the games.
Notable people
- Ludwig GreinerLudwig GreinerLudwig Greiner was an influential 19th-century forest and lumber industry management expert who improved the effectiveness of woodland valuation methods in the Austrian Empire and trained a whole new generation of foresters in a comprehensive approach to the management of natural resources...
, identified Gerlachovský Peak as the summit of the Tatras, CarpathiansCarpathian MountainsThe Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
Twin towns — Sister cities
Vysoké Tatry is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
(since 2006) Pardubice
Pardubice
Pardubice is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the river Elbe, 65 miles east of Prague. Pardubice has an antique centre square and old town, with many restaurants that stay open until late in the evening. There is an old Tower and a recently renovated Castle...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....