Harmanecká Cave - attractions in the surroundings

Harmanec Yew Forest

Distance from the cave: 2,6 km | Type: Places of interest

National nature reserve from 1949 with area of 20 ha to protect the natural old stand of the Tertiary relict – European Yew growing in the limestone beech forest stand. The location of European importance – Natura 2000.

Turecká village

Distance from the cave: 5,2 km | Type: City

Turecká village is located 17 km to the north-west from Banská Bystrica in the Great Fatra Mts. It lies at elevation of 610 m on the foothill of the Krížna massive with 1,574 m elevation. The first mentions on the village are from 1563. The original inhabitants were charcoal burners, who burned it for neighbouring mines in the Starohorská Valley. Turecká village is by its location predetermined for tourism, mainly the winter sports and mountain hiking.

Staré Hory 1536

Distance from the cave: 6,1 km | Type: Places of interest

Previous mining settlement (copper and silver), with a Baroque building of the old mining office and a dominant – pilgrim Gothic church from 1448. There is an interesting technical work of water power station above the village. Starting point for tours in the valley and Turecká village.

Harmanec Tunnel – the longest tunnel in Slovakia

Distance from the cave: 6,7 km | Type: Places of interest

Another interesting side of the locality is traveling by train from Banská Bystrica to Diviaky. This 35 km long part of the railway has 22 tunnels cut through the Great Fatra Mts., ends with the Čremošné tunnel as an example of combination the construction and nature. The longest tunnel is the Harmanecký tunnel 4,700m long (28.9.1936).

The beauty of the Harmanecká Valley with so many tunnels is attractive also for the film makers. The tunnels can be seen in films Day, which won’t die (director Martin Ťapák, 1973), Thousand years' old bee (Juraj Jakubisko, 1983), Peacemaker (Mimi Leder, 1996),...

Banská Bystrica city

Distance from the cave: 11,6 km | Type: City

Turčianske Teplice spa

Distance from the cave: 14,1 km | Type: City

Great Fatra National Park

Distance from the cave: 14,3 km | Type: Places of interest

Rounded grassy highlands as remains of the Valahia colonizing create the peculiar character of this mountain range. The immigrants who flooded the Slovak mountains in 16th – 17th century cut out and burned off vast areas of forests, mainly in the crest positions of the mountains, thus changing them to pastures. Now when the shepherds gave way to nature protection in some places, the highland meadows begin to be grown over by trees again, but the characteristic trait of the landscape with picturesque vegetation and solitaires of trees still remains. The typical scenery of the Great Fatra mountains is shown by lonely slag of dolomite nappe on a grassy crest in the Kráľova studňa saddle.

Park Snow Donovaly

Distance from the cave: 15,2 km | Type: Skiing and hiking

Low Tatras National Park (NAPANT)

Distance from the cave: 38,3 km | Type: Zaujímavé miesto, Lyžovanie a turistika

Bystrianska Valley

Distance from the cave: 40,7 km | Type: Zaujímavé miesto, Lyžovanie a turistika

A valley important for tourism on the southern side of the Low Tatras, through which the brook Bystrianka flows. The valley is bordered by the hills Baba (1,617 m), Pálenica (1,653 m), Dereše (2,003 m), Chopok (2,023 m), Ďumbier (2,043 m) and Veľký Gápeľ (1,776 m). The Bystrá Valley widens about 4 km in front of the mountain village Bystrá into a wide belt of meadows called Tále. Tále originally meant a local name for parts of meadows and today it is one of the most visited centres of tourism in the Low Tatras.

Tourist centre Tále – Srdiečko, skiing with artificial snow: Chopok South, Mýto pod Ďumbierom, Čertovica.