Štrbské Pleso with its large glacial mountain lake is a favorite ski, tourist, and health resort in the High Tatras

High Tatras

High Tatras or High Tatra are a mountain range on the borders between Slovakia and Poland. They are a part of the Tatra Mountains...

, Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

. With extensive parking facilities and a stop on the Tatra trolley

Tatra Electric Railway

The Tatra Electric Railway , colloquially Tatra Railway, is an electrified single track narrow gauge railway in the Slovak part of the Tatra mountains...

 and rack railway, it is a starting point for a host of popular hikes including to Kriváň

Kriván

Kriváň can refer to:* Kriváň , peak in the High Tatras, Slovakia* Veľký Kriváň, the highest peak in Malá Fatra, Slovakia* Malý Kriváň, peak in Malá Fatra, Slovakia* Kriváň , village in Slovakia in the Detva District...

 and Rysy

Rysy

Rysy is a mountain in the crest of the High Tatras, lying on the border between Poland and Slovakia. Rysy has three peaks: the middle at ; the north-western at ; and the south-eastern at...

.

Municipality

Štrbské Pleso is part of the municipal lands of the village of Štrba

Štrba

Štrba is a village in the Poprad District, Prešov Region, northern Slovakia. It is situated in the Sub-Tatra Basin, which separates the High Tatras and Low Tatras at the European continental divide between the Baltic and the Black Sea. It is approximately 16 km west of the city of...

. It was incorporated in the municipality of Vysoké Tatry

Vysoké Tatry (town)

Vysoké Tatry , informally Mesto Vysoké Tatry , is a town at the feet of the Slovak part of High Tatras in Slovakia including all the major resorts in that region...

 from 1947 until 2007. The ownership reverted to Štrba on 1 Jan. 2008 when the Supreme Court's decision of 14 Aug. 2007 took effect. Štrbské Pleso comprises the commercial and residential buildings in the vicinity of the glacial lake of Štrbské pleso

Štrbské pleso

Štrbské pleso is a picturesque mountain lake of glacial origin and a top tourist destination in the High Tatras, Slovakia. It is the second largest glacial lake on the Slovak side of the High Tatras, after Hincovo pleso...

 (spelled with a lower-case p in Slovak) and the nearby small, man-made pond of Nové Štrbské pleso built in 1900. It has about 200 inhabitants.

History

The future resort began to emerge in 1872 when Jozef Szentiványi ("of St. John," 1817-1906, from a noble family with roots in the neraby village of Liptovský Ján

Liptovský Ján

Liptovský Ján is a village and municipality in Liptovský Mikuláš District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.- History :The village was first mentioned in 1263 in historical records. Its traditional name was Sv. Ján, "St. John" , after the local church...

, originally: Sv. Ján, "St. John") built a hunting lodge on the banks of Štrbské pleso

Štrbské pleso

Štrbské pleso is a picturesque mountain lake of glacial origin and a top tourist destination in the High Tatras, Slovakia. It is the second largest glacial lake on the Slovak side of the High Tatras, after Hincovo pleso...

. Access to the High Tatras was made easier the year before when the railroad reached Poprad

Poprad

Poprad is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the tenth largest city in Slovakia with a population of approximately 55,000.The Poprad-Tatry Airport is...

 in their foothills. Szentiványi rented the lot from the village of Štrba

Štrba

Štrba is a village in the Poprad District, Prešov Region, northern Slovakia. It is situated in the Sub-Tatra Basin, which separates the High Tatras and Low Tatras at the European continental divide between the Baltic and the Black Sea. It is approximately 16 km west of the city of...

 whose municipal lands included the lake and which gave its name to it. He opened it to tourists a year later and allowed the Carpathian Union, a hiking society, to build its own Chalet Joseph nearby in 1875. The accommodation facilities that Szentiványi kept adding made it a popular destination. The rack railway connecting it to the main railroad was built in 1896. The first ski school was organized in 1899. The Tatra trolley

Tatra Electric Railway

The Tatra Electric Railway , colloquially Tatra Railway, is an electrified single track narrow gauge railway in the Slovak part of the Tatra mountains...

 linked it with other resorts on the Slovak side of the Tatras in 1912. The resort was acquired by the government in 1901.

The adjacent area of Nové Štrbské Pleso began to develop in 1897 when the land was purchased by the architect Karol Móry of Banská Bystrica

Banská Bystrica

Banská Bystrica is a key city in central Slovakia located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. With 81,281 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia...

. He dammed the Mlynica Brook in 1900 to flood a minor marsh, create the small "New Lake of Štrba," and enhance the charm of his property.

Štrbské Pleso was considerably modernized in the 1970s, including the construction of several hotels, ski jumps etc.

Tourism

With extensive parking facilities and a stop on the Tatra trolley

Tatra Electric Railway

The Tatra Electric Railway , colloquially Tatra Railway, is an electrified single track narrow gauge railway in the Slovak part of the Tatra mountains...

 and rack railway, it is a starting point for a host of popular hikes including to Kriváň

Kriván (peak)

Kriváň is a mountain in the High Tatras, Slovakia, that dominates the upper part of the former Liptov County. Multiple surveys among nature lovers have ranked it as the country's most beautiful peak. Readily accessible along maintained marked trails and with the exceptional vistas afforded from...

 and Rysy

Rysy

Rysy is a mountain in the crest of the High Tatras, lying on the border between Poland and Slovakia. Rysy has three peaks: the middle at ; the north-western at ; and the south-eastern at...

.

Ski Jumping

Štrbské Pleso had a FIS Ski Jumping World Cup competition every year from 1980–1987 and also in 1991. The Junior World Championships were held in 1990, 2000 and 2009

FIS Junior Ski Jumping World Championships 2009

The FIS Junior Ski Jumping World Championships 2009 is a ski jumping World Championship for juniors . It took place in Strbske Pleso, Slovakia, from February 2 until February 8, 2009. The competition took place on Strbske Pleso's MS 1970 B-hill which has a hill size of 100 meters, and the k-point...

. Štrbské Pleso has a 90 metre hill and 120 metre hill. 120 metre hill is not in use for its purpose however. Landing hill was last used for competition in freestyle skiing

Freestyle skiing

Freestyle skiing is form of skiing which used to encompass two disciplines: aerials, and moguls. Except the two disciplines mentioned earlier Freestyle Skiing now consists of Skicross, Half Pipe and Slope Style...

 in 2003.

Access

Štrbské Pleso can be reached from Štrba on the Štrbské Pleso–Štrba rack railway or by road. Štrba is a short 16-km drive west from Poprad

Poprad

Poprad is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the tenth largest city in Slovakia with a population of approximately 55,000.The Poprad-Tatry Airport is...

.