Slovakia - Eastern Europe - page 634

making the return. Try to book in advance to avoid waiting and bring a jacket or
sweater. It's chilly up there, even in midsummer.
Tatranská Lomnica. Admission 390 Sk ($13/£7.15) (Tatranská Lomnice-Skalnaté pleso) and 550 Sk ($18/£10)
(Skalnaté pleso-Lominick;Stít). July-Aug daily 8:30-6:30pm; other times daily 8:30am-4:30pm.
SHOPPING
Folk handicrafts, like lace or folk costumes, make for interesting, one-of-a-kind sou-
venirs. You'll see stands selling these items at all of the major resorts. Look especially
in the parking lots, where the stands are set up to cater to visiting tourist buses. One
of the nicest places to buy handmade folk items, including genuine folk costumes,
hats, and blouses, is Vila Flora, in Star ; Smokovec (Vila Flora 2; & 0908/321-794 ).
Sport Risy (Star ; Smokovec 70; & 052/478-2911 ) is a great place to stock up any-
thing you might need for the hike. They carry a full range of high-quality walking and
hiking boots, fleeces, caps, and outerwear, and can give good advice on what you're
likely to need.
AFTER DARK
The Tatras, with an emphasis on athletic, healthy living, is alas no place to party. The
Cristal Bar at the Grand Hotel in Star ; Smokovec occasionally books live entertain-
ment in the evenings, so check with the front desk to see what's on. Otherwise, enjoy
a slow meal, take a stroll around the town, and then fall asleep with a good book (that's
why you came here in the first place).
LEVOCA
40km (25 miles) E of Poprad; 360km (220 miles) NE of Bratislava
Levo c a is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in the country, boasting a charm-
ingly tumbled-down square of Renaissance and baroque burghers' houses and a
church with a 15m-high (50-ft.) wooden altarpiece that must be seen to be believed.
Most of the sights can be taken in during an afternoon, but a cluster of nice hotels and
a few recommendable restaurants make Levo c a an excellent place to plan an overnight
stop. For centuries, Levo c a was the leading town of a confederation of 24 towns and
villages, known collectively as the “Spi s ,” filling a large swath of central and eastern
Slovakia. The Spi s towns came of age in the 14th and 15th centuries, following a series
of devastating raids from East that left the area devoid of population. To resettle the
region, the Hungarian kings then in power invited German-speaking Saxons to form
towns, and bestowed special trading rights on the towns to sweeten the deal. The Spi s
soon became wealthy, and Levo c a, which enjoyed the greatest number of these special
trading privileges, emerged as the wealthiest of the lot.
Levo c a reached its high point in the 16th and 17th centuries, and many of the most
impressive buildings date from this time. The highlight of your visit will certainly be
the town's beautiful cathedral, St. Jacob's, in the middle of the main square, and its
exquisitely carved wooden altarpiece, the work of the local master Pavol of Levo c a in
the early 16th century.
Given the town's wealthy past, the state of modern Levo c a comes as kind of a shock.
In and around the beautifully crumbling facades of what were once the homes of the
wealthiest merchants in the land, you'll see Roma children running around, mugging
for the camera, and occasionally begging for a coin or two. Times are tough in the Spi s
region these days, and the brain drain hit these towns especially hard.
The first weekend in July sleepy Levo c a is turned upside down when tens of thou-
sands of worshippers descend for the annual Marian pilgrimage. Most of the action