Amazing Slovakia by Amazing Planet

Filip Kulisev

Amazing

SLOVAKIA

Slovakia

The highest mountain in Slovakia is Gerlach Peak in the High Tatras, with an elevation of 2,655 meters. The High Tatras themselves are the smallest of the world’s major mountain ranges. The geographic center of the European continent is located in the Kremnica mines of Central Slovakia. More than 44% of Slovakia is composed of forests, making it one of the most forested

Žilina

CZECH REPUBLIC

Martin

Trenčín Skalica Prievidza

Váh

Nové Mesto nad Váhom Senica Piešťany

Topoľčany

W E S T E R N Malacky

S L O V A K I A Váh

Slovakia is a land-locked country in the heart of Central Europe. While among the smaller European countries with an area less than 50,000 square kilometers, Slovakia is endowed with abundant natural, cultural and historical beauty. For thousands of years its territory was crisscrossed by north-south and east-west trade routes. This commerce is evident in the more than 120 castles and chateaux, 200 manor houses and hundreds of monasteries and churches, per capita the largest in the world. Slovakia’s surface is characterized by a wide diversity of geographical types. While the northern part of the country is mountainous, the south is dominated by lowland plains. The overall landscape undulates, with an average elevation of 392 meters.

Čadca

Little Carpathians

Banská Štiavnica

Trnava Pezinok

Sereď

BRATISLAVA

Lit

tle

Nitra

Kráľová

Senec

AUSTRIA

Žiar nad Hronom

Levice

Nové Zámky

Dunajská Streda Komárno

POLAND Orava Reservoir Pieniny

Bardejov

Stará Ľubovňa Dolný Kubín

High Tatras

Greater Fatra

Levoča

Sabinov Prešov

Slovak Paradise Low Tatras

C E N T R A L Banská Bystrica

Poprad

Liptovský Mikuláš

Ružomberok

Spišská Nová Ves

S L O V A K I A

Medzilaborce

Stropkov Kežmarok

Gerlach Peak

Liptovská Mara

Svidník

E A S T E R N

S L O V A K I A

Domaša

Snina Humenné

Poloniny

Vranov nad Topľou Zemplínska Šírava

Brezno Muráň Plateau

Košice

Rožňava

Revúca Slovak Karst

Zvolen

Michalovce Trebišov

UKRAINE Rimavská Sobota Lučenec

Veľký Krtíš

HUNGARY

countries in Europe, which provides conditions for great biodiversity. More than 6,000 caves are located here, many formed by water, which is in abundant supply. Žitný Ostrov, situated between the Danube and Little Danube rivers, is an important groundwater reservoir. It is the largest river island in Europe and provides the richest supply of quality drinking water in the center of the continent. Slovakia is also home to more than 1,300 mineral springs. Slovakia has nine national parks covering more than one-fifth of the country. A further seven locations are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are Bardejov, Vlkolínec, the caves and chasms of the Slovak Karst, the wooden churches of Eastern Slovakia, the beech forests in the Carpathians, the medieval mining town of Banská Štiavnica and the giant Spiš Castle with its surrounding monuments. Slovakia can be divided into three main regions: East, Central and West.

Eastern Slovakia Eastern Slovakia is home to five national parks: Slovak Paradise, Slovak Karst, Pieniny, Poloniny and the High Tatras, where there are 29 peaks above 2,000 meters. The High Tatras are the highest mountains in Slovakia and the only ones with an Alpine character. Slovakia also has a large number of rivers, lakes and waterfalls. The High Tatras alone have more than 80 mountain and glacial lakes. The town of Herľany is graced with a treasured cold geyser, which until 2006 was the only one in Europe. Carbon dioxide causes water to spray spontaneously 15 meters high every 32 to 40 hours. The local spas exploit the abundance of springs in Eastern Slovakia. It is the only place in the country with climatic spas located in an Alpine environment. Eastern Slovakia also has a unique deposit of precious stones in the opal mines of the Slanské Hills, which are the largest and oldest in the world, and where miners discovered the largest opal ever found, weighing 607 grams. A significant number of Slovakia’s eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites are found in the east. The natural beauties of Eastern Slovakia include the beech forests in Poloniny National Park and the Vihorlat Protected Landscape Area as well as the caves and chasms in the Slovak Karst. The Ochtinská Aragonite Cave is the only one of its kind located in Europe and one of only three aragonite caves in the world. It includes Krásnohorská Cave, mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest stalagmite in the world, measuring more than 33 meters in height. Eastern Slovakia also has many cultural monuments cited by UNESCO. They include the historical cities of Levoča and Bardejov, Spiš Castle and eight wooden churches in northeastern Slovakia. The oldest of these churches was built in the 16th century.

5 Bardejov

Stará Ľubovňa

Svidník Medzilaborce

Stropkov Kežmarok

11 High Tatras

Poprad

Sabinov

Levoča

12 10

Spišská Nová Ves

Prešov

Snina Humenné

Vranov nad Topľou

Košice

Michalovce

Rožňava

Trebišov

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Kriváň Stará Ľubovňa Castle Marian Hill Morské Oko Bardejov Spa Poloniny National Park

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Ružín Reservoir Šikľavá Skala Slovak Karst National Park Slovak Paradise National Park Štrba Tarn Spiš Castle

Miesto VÝCHODNÉ SLOVENSKO

Morské Oko is the third largest natural lake in Slovakia. It lies within the Vihorlat Protected Landscape Area and is all that remains of the mountain’s former volcanic activity. Morské Oko has crystal clear water that reaches a depth of 25 meters. In 2007, Morské Oko was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Morské Oko EASTERN SLOVAKIA

In the winter, this Spiš region waterfall turns into the Šikľavá Skala icefall. It was formed in the 19th century when the banks of the Hornád River were shifted during the construction of the KošiceBohumín Railway, thus revealing a massive limestone rock 40 meters high and nearly 400 meters wide, over which the water of the Hornád now runs. In summer the waterfall is not very high, but quite wide. However, in winter the freezing water falls over the rock overhang, forming an icefall that is 14 meters high and 30 meters wide. It is one of the most gorgeous sights in Slovakia.

Šikľavá Skala EASTERN SLOVAKIA

Miesto VÝCHODNÉ SLOVENSKO

Å trba Tarn EASTERN SLOVAKIA

Ĺ trba Tarn is the second largest glacial lake in the Slovak High Tatras. It is located at an elevation of 1,346 meters where the valleys of the Mlynica Dolina and Furkota Dolina join. The lake has a surface area of about 20 hectares and a depth of 30 meters. For more than 150 days out of the year it is covered with ice, and no surface water flows either into the lake or out of it. Several fish species live in the depths of Ĺ trba Tarn, of which the whitefish is the largest. This lake is the only place where this species of whitefish lives in its genetically pure form.

Čičmany CENTRAL SLOVAKIA

Čabraď Castle CENTRAL SLOVAKIA

South central Slovakia is also home to the ruins of Čabraď Castle. It is located in the high country of the Krupinská Vrchovina and was built in the late 13th century as a sentry castle to protect the approaches to Central Slovakia’s mining towns. This strategically located castle was guarded on three sides by the Litava River. Often besieged by the Ottoman Turks, Čabraď was never taken in battle. The castle ruins and surrounding area are national nature reserves with the largest population of reptiles, especially grass snakes, in Slovakia.

Orava Castle is one of the most beautiful in Slovakia. It was constructed in the 13th century on a limestone outcrop above the Orava River. It is composed of three sections, of which the Upper Castle is the oldest and was used as a defensive citadel. The Central Castle and Lower Castle were added later and have rooms used for entertainment and formal events. One of the deepest wells in Slovakia, measuring 90 meters, is found inside the castle.

Orava Castle CENTRAL SLOVAKIA

Miesto STREDNÃ&#x2030; SLOVENSKO

Orava CENTRAL SLOVAKIA

Jelka Water Mill WESTERN SLOVAKIA

The large water mill at Jelka on the Little Danube is a rarity these days in Central Europe and among Slovakiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most noteworthy landmarks. It was built as a ship mill on a bend in the river in 1894 before it was reconstructed in 1900 as a three-story rolling mill with an extension for lifts, a spillway for loading sacks in wagons and a dust chamber. The mill remained in operation until 1951. For decades it fell into dilapidation before being reconstructed by the community of Jelka in 1993.

Boričky WESTERN SLOVAKIA

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Bratislava WESTERN SLOVAKIA

Bratislava has a population of almost 500,000 and is the only capital in the world to border two other countries, Austria and Hungary. Its strategic position at a ford in the Danube River led to its settlement in the early Stone Age. Bratislava Castle, a massive rectangular structure, is the descendant of an ancient fortified Celtic hill fort. Bratislava has been permanently inhabited for more than two thousand years. The 18th century Janko KrĂĄÄž Garden, located on the opposite bank of the Danube, is the oldest public park in Europe.

103

About the Autor

Filip Kulisev strives to find and photograph the most wonderful and unique sites of our planet for the benefit of all nature lovers in Slovakia and around the world. Through his photographs he has raised awareness of issues related to biodiversity and natural resources. Filip Kulisev, Master QEP, FBIPP has provided material for more than 200 individual exhibitions in Slovakia and around the world. In 2013, he was selected for the “International Masters of Photography“ project in Las Vegas which featured the top ranking photographers of the world. He is the only Slovak to receive such an honor. He has been awarded various international certifications, including the Master QEP title, which is the highest European award for professional photographers. Kulisev became the first photographer from Central and Eastern Europe to be awarded the highest qualification and title of Fellow from the British Institute of Professional Photographers in London. He was also selected as European Landscape Photographer of the Year in 2012. He is the author of nine exclusive monographs which present the beauty and uniqueness of our planet’s various natural wonders. Filip Kulisev’s work and publications are part of the collections of honorable personalities around the world, including Pope Francis, His Royal Highness Prince Charles, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Slovak President Andrej Kiska, UN Secretary General António Guterres, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Academy Award winning artists such as composer Hans Zimmer and Luc Jacquet possess Filip’s work, alongside actors such as Will Smith and Pierce Brosnan.

Amazing

SLOVAKIA Slovakia may be just a small country in the center of Europe, yet it is exceptionally gifted in nature and history. Despite not having a sea, it contains every possible natural, historical and cultural wonder. The more I learn about Slovakia, the more I appreciate its beauty and diversity. There is no need to travel to Peru to see Machu Picchu, when you can find a much smaller version at Čabradský Vrbovok in Central Slovakia. To the east, the crystal-clear water of Morské Oko is comparable to the lakes of the Canadian Rockies. This is why I am delighted to introduce Slovakia’s beauty in this remarkable book, my first ever collection of photographs dedicated to my native land. Welcome to Amazing Slovakia!

Filip Kulisev, Master QEP, FBIPP

ISBN 978-80-971076-8-0

9 788097 107680