Hnilčík: Mining History, Mountain Trails and Mraznica

Hnilčík combines a heavily forested, mountainous landscape with traces of mining, scenic trails and winter sports. The area belongs to the Slovenský raj recreation area. As a result, different travel experiences come together here: mountain educational trails lead to mining heritage sites, circular trails explore the surroundings, and the Mraznica ski and leisure sports centre offers alpine skiing; the separate Grajnár cross-country skiing area can be reached on foot from there.

Mining History on Trails and in the Exhibition

A starting point for the local history is the museum exhibition of Banský skanzen Hnilčík. It is located in a former school building in the Jerohuta district, near the municipal office, and covers the history of Hnilčík. Banský skanzen includes four mountain educational trails: A Roztoky, D Údolím Železného potoka, C Grétla and B Bindt.

The mining history educational trail is a self-guided walking route that can be used year-round. Routes A and D are linear, while B and C are circular. The Roztoky route begins at the Hnilčík, Zajac bus stop, leads through the Ráztoky Valley and reaches the Ľudmila adit. Those who combine the four routes into one loop cover approximately 22 kilometres with more than 800 metres of elevation gain. The individual sections therefore differ considerably from the combined full loop.

Hiking, Cycling and Panoramic Views

Hnilčík offers three circular hiking trails with a total length of 14 kilometres. They lead to a stone settlement, two viewpoints and a small via ferrata on Stangenberg-Hlinisko. The hiking network also includes an interesting and easy cycling route. Another landscape connection is provided by route SR28 along the southern ridge of the Hnilecké vrchy: it begins in Hnilčík at an elevation of 650 metres and offers panoramic views across the varied landscape of the Spiš region.

OBRI V RAJI also offers a nature experience park built in a former quarry in Hnilčík. The site thus combines natural terrain features with different forms of active exploration, without limiting the mining history solely to the museum exhibition.

Winter Sports in Mraznica

For the cold season, the Mraznica ski and leisure sports centre is a separate focus. It has three ski lifts, a total of 3,000 metres of artificially snow-covered slopes and a longest descent of 1,650 metres. A children's ski area includes a conveyor belt, obstacles, a rope lift and ski instructors. The Grajnár cross-country skiing area can be reached on foot from the Mraznica ski and leisure sports centre. This places alpine descents, a separate children's area and cross-country skiing options within the same local leisure landscape.

Churches and Local History

The churches also preserve specific historical references. The parish church “Farský kostol povýšenia sv. Kríža Kristovho” in Hnilčík was initially built as a wooden church in 1792. In Jerohuta, also called Dolný Hnilčík, the branch church “Kostol Narodenia Panny Márie” began as a wooden bell tower in 1830. Its furnishings include a main altar with a statue of the Virgin Mary created by the woodcarver František Repčík from Spišská Nová Ves.

Getting Around the Village

Regional public transport in Hnilčík includes the stops cesta Bindt, chotár, Kira, kostol, Sekel, slobodáreň, Zajac and Zimná dolina. For locating the mining trails, the Hnilčík, Zajac stop is particularly connected with the Roztoky route. The various landscape and local connections can also be supplemented with Jamnik, Spišské Vlachy, Markušovce, Hnilec, Teplička, Rudnany, Slovinky and Smizany.

For the higher-level travel overview: Spišská Nová Ves District.