Štrbské Pleso is a lake at the foot of the High Tatras, around thirteen hundred metres up, and it was made by ice. A glacier dropped a pile of rock and gravel here, a moraine, and meltwater pooled behind it, giving a clear, cold lake set among spruce woods with the dark wall of the mountains behind. On a still day the peaks mirror in the water, and the sharp ridge of Mount Krivan, a national symbol of Slovakia, rises in the distance.
The resort around it has a long history as a mountain retreat, and it has hosted major winter sports events, including the Nordic World Ski Championships in 1970. A tall ski-jumping hill still stands near the lake. A rack railway climbs here from Štrba, down in the valley, and there are cable cars and chairlifts up into the high country. The architecture is a mixture of old wooden villas and big concrete hotels from the communist period, which gives the place a slightly odd, faded character, but the setting is unbeatable.
The Slovak High Tatras are small but dramatic. They are the highest part of the Carpathians, a compact range of granite peaks with sharp crests, glacial lakes and steep valleys, and they pack Alpine scenery into a remarkably small area. The Freedom Road, the Cesta Slobody, runs along the foot of the range from end to end, linking the resorts through forests of spruce and dwarf pine. It is a fine road, with smooth surfaces and gentle bends, rather than a wild one, and its pleasure is in the constant views of the mountains. Speed limits are strict and enforced, and wildlife, including bears, can appear near the forest edges.
In 2004 a violent windstorm flattened huge areas of forest across the Tatras, and the regrowing slopes still show the scars. Weather here can change quickly, with cold rain even in summer, and snow possible from autumn to spring. Mornings usually give the clearest views.
Fuel is not available at the lake itself, so use Štrba or Svit nearby, or Poprad a little farther, and fill up before you come. There are cafés, hotels and restaurants around the lake, serving Slovak classics like bryndzové halušky, potato dumplings with sheep cheese, which is hearty and delicious after a cold ride. A walk around the lake takes about half an hour.