Krompachy: Hiking, Winter Sports and Culture in Slovakia

Krompachy showcases Slovakia as a combination of hilly landscapes, marked trails, winter sports and a multifaceted urban history. The area around the town is characterized by hills, valleys, forests and meadows. Several clearly distinct options are available for active exploration: From Krompachy railway station, a one-hour hike follows blue- and yellow-marked trails to Plejsy. Another three-hour route is marked blue and runs from Krompachy via Galmus to Poráč. The hiking trail network is signposted with trail markers, directions and information about walking times.

Hiking, Cycling and Winter Sports

Those who want to combine different landscape experiences will find both shorter and longer marked routes in Krompachy. A green-marked cycling route also passes through the town. In winter, SKI Plejsy, with nine runs of varying difficulty, offers another option for excursions and sports. The landscape of forests, meadows and valleys provides the geographical setting, without hiking, cycling and skiing having to become one uniform experience.

Traditional hiking events are also part of the town’s local character. Turistický prechod Krompašskými vrchmi is a long-running hiking event and reached its 50th edition. Nočný pochod Krompachy–Prešov is a recurring night hike; 130 hikers started in Krompachy for its 52nd edition. Thus, alongside the signposted trails, the town’s history also includes organized forms of hiking.

Churches, Monuments and the Gothic Route

Krompachy can also be explored through its buildings and places of remembrance. The present Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist was built in 1774 on the site of an older church. In 2004, a memorial room for Mikuláš Šprinc and other notable people born in Krompachy was opened in the building. The Protestant church was built between 1789 and 1791 on today’s Mikuláša Šprinca Street; a mining emblem is located above its entrance. This historical picture is complemented by the Baroque curia, which was built in the second third of the 18th century and remodeled by the Gundelfinger family in 1797.

The Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk commemorates the founding of the Diocese of Rožňava, whose patron saint is St. John of Nepomuk. Krompachy is also part of the signposted Gothic Route. Places of remembrance include the monument to the victims of the Krompachy Uprising, which was unveiled in 1971 on the 50th anniversary of the event and is registered under number 1598/3 in the Central Register of the Slovak Monument Fund. The Holocaust memorial stands on the site of the former Jewish synagogue. At the town cemetery and on Družstevná Street, the site of the bloody events, Krompachy commemorates the Krompachy Uprising and its six victims every year.

Mining History and Local Traditions

The Stará Maša ironworks add another historical focal point. It comprised a reconstructed original blast furnace, a new machine hall and a forge with a cupola furnace, where approximately 1,900 tonnes of pig iron were produced annually. The history of energy is also present: The first hydroelectric power station in eastern Slovakia was built in 1889 on the canal of the Hornád River.

The dance festival in Krompachy has a long tradition and reached its 18th edition in 2026. Pankuškové fašiangy is a traditional carnival event organized by the town of Krompachy. It included competitions involving the rapid eating of Pankušky and sausages. Alongside churches, monuments and industrial heritage sites, such customs give the town its own cultural dimension.

If you would like to compare other places in this regional selection, you can find Spisske Tomasovce, Spišské Vlachy, Smizany, Matejovce Nad Hornádom, Poráč, Letanovce, Jamnik and Hrabusice here.

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