Holiday apartment in Poráč: Mining, nature and culture in Spiš

The 20 km Galmus cycling loop begins and ends in Poráč and includes a more challenging climb.

Nature and landscape

The Poráčská dolina is a 9 km-long limestone gorge formed by the erosion caused by the Poráčsky jarok stream. The Červené skaly national nature reserve is located in this gorge. It covers 390 ha and protects rare animal species as well as calcicolous flora. Access there is largely restricted to marked hiking trails as well as cycling and cross-country skiing trails.

The Galmus limestone-dolomite area lies between Poráč and Slovinky in the surroundings of Poráč. In 1982, the Galmuská tisina nature reserve was established there to protect the European yew. Another distinctive natural feature is Šarkanova diera, a 177 m-long river cave formed along fissures in light Triassic limestone. The entrance corridor of Šarkanova diera in the cadastral area of Poráč was declared freely accessible to the public in 2008.

The SR32 “Na Galmus” hiking route begins at the SAD bus stop and car park in Poráč. The “Šarkanova diera” educational trail also begins in Poráč.

Cycling and winter

A 54 km cycling loop via Závadka, Oľše and Galmus also begins and ends in Poráč. It leads through the landscape of Spiš, with mountain meadows, open terrain and valleys. For winter sports, the Poráč Park ski complex has 3.3 km of downhill runs, two drag lifts, a children’s lift and a ski school. The Poráč Park ski area also has 25 km of cross-country skiing trails, including 5 km of groomed trails.

Mining and educational trail

The visitor program at the Poráč mine includes organized tours of the mine facilities and use of the mining draisine circuit. Access to the mine facilities is permitted only with a guide designated by the owner, the municipality of Poráč. Visits to the mining draisine circuit must be arranged in advance with the Poráč municipal office.

The Poráčer mining educational trail is a circular route with three loops. The first loop begins and ends at a recreation centre, passes the mining museum of Tovarišstvo Poráčskeho baníctva near the Štôlňa Pavol adit, and then continues in the direction of Poráč. The Poráč mine and its grounds are designated as a national cultural monument comprising nine buildings.

Sacred architecture and tradition

The Church of Saint Demetrius in Poráč is a single-nave church in the Classicist style; the year 1775 is inscribed on its entrance portal. It was declared a national cultural monument on 14 May 1998. Inside, there is a four-tier wooden iconostasis dating from 1905, made by the Budapest workshop Rétay és Benedek.

The “Zosnutie presvätej Bohorodičky” chapel stands in the parish garden of Poráč. It was originally built in the Baroque style in the second half of the 18th century and remodelled and adapted in the historicist Neo-Gothic style in 1905–1906.

The “Šachtare volajú” folklore festival has been held annually in Poráč since 1993. The local tradition also includes long-standing sheep farming: sheep’s milk is processed there into cheese and bryndza.

More pages about localities: Spišské Vlachy, Markušovce, Rudnany, Hnilec, Letanovce, Jamnik, Spisske Tomasovce, Arnutovce.

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Spišská Nová Ves.