The turbine hall
Brick, iron and machinery, with paintings shown between them.
Ian Armstrong — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Clemens — CC BY-SA 3.0 at · Michal Klajban — CC BY-SA 3.0 · J.Dncsn — CC BY-SA 3.0
Poprad's regional art gallery, in an entirely unexpected building: a **power station** of 1912, with its chimney still standing and its industrial frame left exposed. The conversion is half the value of the visit — tall halls with brick walls, iron columns and machinery left in place, with paintings and sculpture shown between them. The contrast between industrial and fine art is deliberate and works well. The collection has one specialism: **art inspired by the Tatra mountains**. Nineteenth and twentieth-century paintings by Slovak, Czech, Hungarian and Polish artists who came to these mountains — a record of how the Tatras shifted in the imagination from harsh isolated country into a **national symbol**. Alongside that are temporary contemporary exhibitions and a section of mountain photography. Note: it is small and local in character and does not compete with major museums — but it is the best option in Poprad on a day the weather rules out the mountains.
Brick, iron and machinery, with paintings shown between them.
Two centuries of painting these mountains in four national traditions.
A section of old and contemporary Tatra images.
Hviezdoslavova 12, Poprad
The weather here turns fast and cable cars close for wind, so always keep a fallback. **The caves** are the first answer: the Demänovská Cave of Liberty, the Ice Cave and the Belianska Cave — a constant temperature, and rain is irrelevant. **Thermal baths**: AquaCity in Poprad and Tatralandia near Liptovský Mikuláš, both open all year. **Museums**: this gallery and the Sub-Tatra museum in Poprad. And **Spiš Castle** and **Kežmarok** can both be visited in rain. ⚠ Do not go up the high trails in a storm — lightning on the exposed ridges is a genuine danger in the Tatras.
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