Markusovce Manor - Dobsinska Ice Cave - Sucha Bela canyon - Spisska Sobota - Levoca

Route: Kosice - Markusovce Manor - Dobsinska Ice Cave - Sucha Bela canyon - Spisska Sobota - Levoca - Kosice
Duration: 12 h
Our first stop will be at  the one of the stateliest buildings of eastern Slovakia is situated in the southern part of region Spis. It is the manor house Markusovce. The Markusovce Manor House was built in the mid-17th century. The original form of a Renaissance fort with round towers at the corners was changed during the extensive reconstruction in 1773 when it acquired the Rococo flair. Shortly after, because of the expected arrival of Emperor Josef II, the summer residence Dardanely was built in the manor's garden. The summer residence houses an exhibition of keyboard instruments of the Spis Museum. The wonderful hall of the summer residence ornamented by imposing frescoes is now used as a concert hall. Next we will visit to the one of the most famous ice caves in the world and the largest ice cave in Slovakia. The ice filling has a volume of 110.132 m3 and occurs in the form of ground ice, waterfalls, ice stalagmites and columns. Dobsinska Ice Cave has several magnificent parts – halls, corridosr and domes. Thanks to the icy air, which lies down deep, the cave is full of fantastic ice formations and glaciers that sometimes fill it up to the ceiling. The thickness of the ice filling in the Great Hall is as much as 26.5 metres! Next we wil visit to the Sucha Bela canyon which is the most visited gorge in the Slovak Paradise, both for its accessibility and for its high concentration of waterfalls and exposed areas on a short stretch.  The canyon is 4 km long and the water in it through cascades and waterfalls overcomes the altitude of up to 400 meters. There are many reasons why it obtained the attribute of the most romantic gulley of the Slovak Paradise. The picturesque, romantic and dreamlike atmosphere is enhanced by cascades, gurgling crystal waterfalls and fairytale nature everywhere around.  it is a matter of course that dangerous sections are provided by ladders, chains, footrests and footbridges that require increased caution and fitness. Next we will reach the Spišská Sobota which is historically the biggest urban district of Poprad. Spišská Sobota represents one of the best preserved medieval urban units in Slovakia. Its core is a triangle-shaped square bordered by a row of burgher houses built on narrow medieval plots. The typical trait of the burgher houses in Spišská Sobota are tall shingled roofs with massive shingled cornices. They can be seen, for instance, on the houses of the tanners at the north-eastern end of the square. The Roman-Catholic church of St George built before 1273 in the Late-Romanesque style, was rebuilt in the Gothic style in 1464. The church contains five Gothic altars. The Late-Gothic wing altars of St George and St Anton were installed in the years between 1503 and 1520 in the workshop of Maestro Pavol of Levoča. Near the church stand a Renaissance belfry from 1598 and a Baroque statue of the Immaculate from 1772. The isolated building of the town hall was originally a Late-Baroque palace dating from the last third of the 18th century. The Evangelical church was included into the row of houses around the square in 1777. In its interior, the valuable altar painting of Christ on the Mount of Olives from 1852 can be admired. Next we will stop at the historic town Levoča, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city was first mentioned in a deed from 1249 as Leucha. The community, thriving on its advantageous position on the trade route Via Magna, rapidly grew into a town with several privileges. Shortly after, Levoča became the centre of German colonisation in the Spiš region and in 1271 it was even promoted to the capital of the Association of the Spiš Saxons, which eventually lost its influence and Levoča was declared the free royal borough in 1323.  The Town Monument Reserve of Levoča represents a complete set of important cultural and historical monuments bordered by the oblong, relatively well-preserved town walls. You will see the large rectangular square, with the Roman-Catholic St. James church from the 14th century where is the Late Gothic wooden main altar of St. James with the height of 18.6 m is the highest of its kind in the world. It was made of lime wood in 1507-1517 in the workshop of Maestro Pavol of Levoča. Next by the former Town Hall which was built after the fire in 1550 and is one of the finest buildings of secular Renaissance architecture in Slovakia. Also see the so-called cage of opprobrium located in the square is from the 16th century and was used in the past as a pillory for the public humiliation, also see more than 50 remarkable burgher and patrician houses, many of which carry the name of their former owners.  Also here located the Mariánska hora which is the point of the largest pilgrimage in Slovakia. After we return to Kosice.
Price: per person