right.
In both Slovak and Polish most letters are pronounced as in English – remember that g is always hard, as in ‘goat’. In Slovak, the stress nearly always goes on the first syllable. In Polish it usually goes on the penultimate syllable. However, in the local dialect spoken by the Góral (highlander) people, who inhabit parts of the Tatras on both sides of the border, the first syllable is stressed. The differences are described to the best of our ability in Appendix A, although some sounds are almost impossible to explain in writing.
A wide variety of diacritics (accents) appears over some letters, affecting the way they are pronounced – see Appendix A.
There are no definite or indefinite articles in either language. All nouns and place names have gender – masculine, feminine or neuter – and this together with grammatical cases affects the endings of many words in a way that is far too complicated to describe in detail here, but you should be prepared for the names of people and places to appear in a multitude of versions. Tatra can also be seen in Slovak as Tatry, Tatier, Tatrám, Tatrách and Tatrami; in Polish as Tatry, Tatr, Tatrami and Tatrach. Even your name may be rendered in several ways. In Slovak, Colin Saunders can also appear as Colina Saundersa, Colinovi Saundersovi or Colinom Saundersom, while Renáta Nárožná may appear as Renáty Narožnej, Renáte Nárožnej or Renátou Nárožnou. In Polish, also as Colina Saundersa, Colinowi Saundersowi or Colinem Saundersem; Renáty Nárožny, Renácie Nárožnie, Renátę Nárožnę or Renátą Nárožná.
In this book we use where possible the unaffected versions of names for simplicity, but on maps, signposts and so on, you may find the endings altered.
Appendix A contains a glossary of words that you are likely to encounter on the Tatras maps, or in the mountains and villages, as well as some useful words or phrases, for example to help you order a drink or a meal. For further help, you can buy inexpensive pocket dictionaries in bookshops in the Tatras resorts (see Shopping and Services information in Sections 3 and 4 for each country), and in specialist bookshops in English-speaking countries.
Place names
In this book we use Slovak or Polish place names as appropriate, and translate them where possible, either in the main text or in the gazetteers, to add interest and help with identification. Note that some places in the Tatras have slightly different names in Slovak and Polish – we use where possible the name that is relevant to the location.
When using Polish and Slovak maps, it is easy to get confused by a number of situations that have arisen over the years. The following is an attempt at clarification, although you may be none the wiser by the end.
On Slovak maps, for names applied to geographical features, you will see that it is customary to use lower case for the initial letter of the type of feature (such as tarn, valley, saddle), whether this comes first or second, such as Skalnaté pleso, Suchý žľab, Lomnicky štít, Kopské sedlo, Kôprová dolina, hrebeň Svištových veží, pleso Nad Skokom. This looks wrong to English speakers, so in this book we have given capital letters to all the words, to make clear that they are all part of the place name. In Slovak there is an exception to the rule when applied to the names of towns or villages, when both words have capital letters, for example Štrbské Pleso, Kežmarské Žľaby.
High up in Malá Studená Dolina (Green 5812A) (photo: R Turnbull)
On Polish maps, as in English, all words in the names of geographical features start with capital letters, except where prepositions are included.
In Slovak place names, as in English, it is usually (but not always) correct to put the type of geographical feature last, such as chata (chalet), dolina (valley), pleso (tarn), polana (clearing), potok (brook), sedlo (saddle or pass) and vrch (hill).
In Polish it is usually (but not always) correct to put, for example, dolina (valley), polana (clearing), hala (pasture), jaskinia (cave) and schronisko (refuge) first, but some Polish mapmakers have chosen to show these terms last in some (but not all) cases. However, potok (brook), przełęcz (saddle or pass), staw (tarn) and wierch (hill) nearly always come last on all maps. Sometimes the correct procedure is abandoned, simply because the opposite sounds better to native ears, as in Siwa Polana. In this guidebook we try to follow the correct procedure, but what is correct is not always clear.
Bear in mind that the circumstances and names of some places and chalets shown on older maps may have changed since your map was published. In Slovakia the chalet Chata Kapitána Rašu (near Tri Studničky) has burned down, Chata Kapitána Morávku (at Popradské Pleso) has been renamed Chata pri Popradskom Plese, and Poľana Kamzik (near Hrebienok) has been renamed Starolesnianska Poľana.
In Poland the refuges are usually known by a name that is shorter than that shown on maps, and some older maps may show names that are no longer used. The saddle that is known to local people as Raczkowa Przełęcz is shown on some maps as Gaborowa Przełęcz Wyžnia, with a note that the other name is incorrect.
We try to explain these situations in the text or gazetteers, where relevant, and hope that it will not be too confusing.
Border controls
In 2007 Poland and Slovakia became members of the Schengen Convention, which meant that they had to abolish border controls between the two countries. Now you can normally cross the border freely at all accessible points, including Rysy, where eagle-eyed guards once ensured that walkers returned the way they came. However, there may be times when guards or customs officials are required to set up temporary controls, so always take your passport if planning to cross the border.
See also ‘Cross-border walking’.
SECTION 2
PREPARATION FOR WALKING
When to go
Your decision may be affected by the weather – see page 28. For settled weather (although there is no guarantee) and to avoid crowds in the honeypots, the best time to go is between the end of August and early October. The peak period is from mid July to late August, when it is more difficult to find suitable accommodation, and the more popular walking routes and the honeypots are very busy. There is even good walking in the winter (see page 59), but it is probably not worth going in the spring, when the paths are awash with melting snow and many paths on the Slovak side are closed to walkers. Whatever time you decide to go, book as far ahead as possible, as even at off-peak times a conference or other event may take up much of the accommodation.
Obtaining information
Postal and internet addresses, phone numbers and websites are given in this book so that you can obtain further information as required. The person who answers the phone may not speak English, and although German is widely spoken in Slovakia, it is not in Poland.
The electric train to Studený Potok at Tatranská Lomnica station, Slovakia
Phone numbers for places in Poland and Slovakia are those that you dial while in those countries. If dialling from outside, you need to prefix the local number with the international dialling code and remove its initial zero. The international dialling codes vary between countries, as follows.
To Poland from: UK, Irish Republic, New Zealand and Slovakia – 0048, Australia – 001148, Canada and USA – 01148, South Africa – 0948.
To Slovakia from: UK, Irish Republic, New Zealand and Slovakia – 00421, Australia – 0011421, Canada and USA – 011421, South Africa – 09421. If calling Slovakia from Poland, you dial 0, await a second tone, then 0421.
Websites may appear initially in the local language. Many have an English equivalent, for which you click ‘English’, ‘EN’ or the Union Jack logo near the top. If not, your browser should offer a translation facility.
Travel and insurance
Details of travel to and within Poland and Slovakia are given in Sections 3 and 4, for each