8th INTERNATIONAL CARPATHIAN CONTROL CONFERENCE

The town of High Tatras is a central part of The Tatra National Park (TANAP) which covers an area of 74.111 hectares. It is the oldest and largest national park in the Slovak Republic, The National Park encompasses the three mountain ranges of the region, The High Tatras, The Western Tatras and Belianske Tatras (The White Tatras). The National Park was established in 1949 as a direct result of prolonged effort of leading Slovak environmentalists who strove to save one of most beautiful and most valuable natural resorts in central Europe for the future generations. In terms of geomorphology, High Tatras with its 24 peaks higher that 2.500 m above sea level provide the only mountains with an Alpine character in the whole of the 1.200 km length of the Carpathian Mountain range. In order to protect the fragile environment visits to the natural park area are strictly regulated and visitors are obliged to use only the marked hiking and ski trails provided by the Park Authorities. All main trails open to hikers visiting the Tatras are only open to the public between the 15th June until the 31st of October. Despite these restrictions however, there is open access for walkers to the many mountain chalets and hotels.

The High Tatras were created about 60 mil. years ago heaving up the granite massif above the level of the surrounding land. It gained its current appearance by the glacier activity 2 mil. years ago. The characteristic peaks (such as Gerlachovský Peak, Kriváň, Rysy, Lomnický Peak), deep valleys of glacier origin ( Mengusovská Valley, The Grand and The Small Cold Valley), moraines and mountain lakes ( Štrbské Mountain Lake, Skalnaté Mountain Lake ) were formed the same way, too.

In the region, there are situated villages with numerous historical monuments ( Kežmarok, Spišská Sobota, Poprad) and tourist centres ( Old Smokovec, Štrbské Mountain Lake, Tatranská Lomnica and Ždiar). From the above-mentioned centres you can start all day trips to the following attractive destinations ( Low Tatras, Pieniny, Slovak Paradise, Levoča, St.Jacob Church, Spiš Castle, Plejsy).

Actual information you will find on www.tldtatry.sk.

Exclusive hotel presents you with a rich mosaic of wonderful surprises. In these exceptional surroundings you will find comfort and invigoration, a great selection of gastronomic specialities and an amenable staff, constantly prepared to provide guests with any one of a wide range of hotel services.

The dominat building at Štrbské Pleso ("Strba Tarn" - 1355 metres above sea-level) is the PATRIA Hotel, named after the nearby peak Patria (in Latin: "fatherland"), 2203 metres high. The hotel stands near the shore of the high-mountain tarn at the mouth of Mlynická Valley, sensitively incorporated into the Tatra landscape.

The surroundings of the PATRIA Hotel offer inexhaustible opportunities for relaxation, leisure activitis and sport. At the nearby sports area there are tennis courts, trampolines, a children's karting track and a boating pool. You can choose from high/mountain walking (with or without a quide), rock-climbing, mountain-biking, horse-riding, skiing, skijöring, paragliding, and for the courageous we can arrange bungee-jumping from the high ski-jump tower, or recommend suitable roller-skating routes. There are safe ski-slopes for beginners here, as well as the Inter ski and Solisko pistes for more advanced skiers, and cross-country tracks going directly from the hotel in the direction of Jamské Pleso. More leisurely vistiors can enjoy an easy ride up to the loftier places of the High Tatras by cable-way: the chair-lift from Štrbské Pleso up to Solisko, the funicular railway from Starý Smokovec up to Hrebienok, or the cabin lift from Tatranská Lomnica up to skalnaté Pleso ("Rocky Tarn"), continuing by cable-car up to Lomnický Štít ("Lomnica Peak" - 2632 m).