Spiš Castle is impressive from the air as well as from the ground. (source: Fly Media)
There are several attractions people coming to eastern Slovakia can visit, both well-known and hidden.
One of the most visited sites is Spiš Castle, listed among spectacular abandoned castles around the world by CNN television.
“Spiš Castle is a stunning Gothic-Romanesque hybrid,” CNN wrote in the photo caption that accompanied the story.
The castle was visited by a record number of tourists in 2017, amounting to 212,000 people, the regional daily Korzár wrote on its website.
More focus on hidden gems
Fewer people know that close to the castle is another tourist attraction: Spiš Jerusalem. It is a unique model route with constructions situated in a part of Spišské Podhradie called Pažiť. It was built by Jesuit monks between 1666 and 1675 because people could not visit Jerusalem due to the Turkish Wars.
An interesting aspect is that the builders maintained the same distance between the model objects like in Jerusalem, Korzár wrote.
The site belongs among the localities the local tourist organisation Košice Region Tourism wants to focus on. Spiš Jerusalem is a place people can visit during a trip to the more famous Spiš Castle, said Košice Region Tourism’s head Lenka Vargová Jurková, as reported by Korzár.
Another place worth visiting is the village of Ruská Bystrá in the Sobrance district, whose wooded church became part of the UNESCO list in 2008.
The ambition of the tourism organisation is also to further promote the old quarry near the village of Beňatina, reminiscent of the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia.
“We will mark the path to the travertine lake this year,” Vargová Jurková said, as quoted by Korzár. “Since in 2018 we are also celebrating the 10th anniversary of the church's inscription to the UNESCO list, we plan to work with this theme as well.”
Other attractions prepared
Košice Region Tourism focused on the Gemer region last year. Apart from Gombasecká Cave, it built a new educational path, offering information in three languages.
“I also recommend visiting the villages of Štítnik (with a Gothic church) and Slavošovce (with the native house of writer Pavol Dobšinský), as well as Slavošovce tunnel (never once used for railway transport), since they are rarities in the region,” Vargová Jurková said.
Her organisation plans to build a new promenade at Zemplínska Šírava Lake this year, connecting the local hotel with a water park.
The plan is to also reconstruct the cable car to Gerava, improve transport connection in Slovak Paradise and increase the offer of local trips, Vargová Jurková added for Korzár.
