Gelnica
Photos: Investigatio, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); peter 67, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); Jan Starec, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); Jan Starec, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); FOTO:Fortepan — ID 93807: Adományozó/Donor: Fortepan/Album004., CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); FOTO:Fortepan — ID 93808: Adományozó/Donor: Fortepan/Album004., CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Gelnica is a town in eastern Slovakia, serving as the administrative center of Gelnica District in the Košice Region. The town lies on the Hnilec River at the foot of the Volovské vrchy, part of the Slovak Ore Mountains. Surrounded by forested hills, Gelnica sits at an elevation of 372 m and is a notable locality within the historical Spiš region.
Gelnica was first mentioned in the 13th century and received town privileges from King Béla IV in 1264. By 1435, it became a free royal town. The arrival of German settlers made it a significant mining center, with gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, and mercury extracted from its mines. Mining operations continued until 1923, after which the town experienced decline.
Gelnica is known for its mining heritage, the ruins of a medieval castle, the Gothic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, a Lutheran church, a stone bridge over the Hnilec, remnants of a Dominican monastery, and historic merchant houses. The Mining Museum, located in the former town hall, presents the town’s past. The surrounding nature attracts visitors with its forests and mountain scenery.
Gelnica is an excellent base for outdoor activities. Numerous hiking trails start here, such as "Gelnica, station – Kojšov", "Tatarkov Križ – Gelnica, station", and "Ríchnava, stop – Sľubica", as well as routes to the peak Kojšovská hoľa. Mountain hikers can use the Erika Hut (1,137 m). The Mining Museum in Gelnica and the "Jozef" adit are must-see attractions.
Getting there from Ukraine
From Uzhhorod to Gelnica is about 182 km (≈2 h 45 min without queues): Uzhhorod – Vyšné Nemecké → I/19 via Sobrance and Michalovce to Košice → D1 motorway via Prešov to the exit near Levoča → road 533 to Spišská Nová Ves. The D1 motorway requires an e-vignette (eznamka.sk).
Sources: Wikipedia, Wikidata, OpenStreetMap, Karpaty.rocks data. More on Wikipedia
Trails nearby
All trails
EasyOne-dayMarkedTatarkov Kríž Gelnica, stationElevation profile347–866 m7.9 kmascent 10 m≈ 2 h walkingunder 1 km from the centre
EasyOne-dayMarkedGelnica, station KojšovElevation profile343–643 m9.2 kmascent 309 m≈ 3 h walkingunder 1 km from the centre
HardMulti-dayMarkedKrompachy, station PopročElevation profile356–1 130 m33.4 kmascent 1 896 m≈ 12 h walkingunder 1 km from the centre
EasyOne-dayMarkedKrompachy, station ŽakarovceElevation profile373–888 m8.6 kmascent 515 m≈ 3 h walking3 km from the centre
EasyOne-dayMarkedPrakovce, stop Pri hrobíkuElevation profile388–772 m4.2 kmascent 4 m≈ 1 h walking3.1 km from the centre
ModerateOne-dayMarkedStrieborná Kojšovská hoľaElevation profile642–1 246 m8.4 kmascent 672 m≈ 3.5 h walking3.3 km from the centrePeaks nearby
All peaks
PeakKojšovská hoľaKojšovaltitude 1 246 m8.7 km from the centreKojšovská hoľa (colloquially Kojšovka; German Koischdorfer Höhe, Hungarian Kojsói-tető) is a 1,246 m mountain in the Volovské vrchy, part of the Slovak Ore Mountains...
PeakSľubicaSlatvinaaltitude 1 129 m14 km from the centreSľubica is a 1129 m summit in the Branisko mountains of eastern Slovakia, the third highest of the range and the highest in its southern part, which bears the same name.
PeakSmrekovica (Branisko)Vyšný Slavkovaltitude 1 200 m22 km from the centreSmrekovica is the highest peak of the Branisko Mountains in eastern Slovakia, 1200 m high (1199.9 m to be exact).What to visit
All
MuseumMining Museum in Gelnica and the Jozef AditGelnicaunder 1 km from the centreThe Mining Museum in Gelnica (Banícke múzeum v Gelnici) is the town museum of an old mining town in the Hnilec valley, among the Volovské vrchy, part of the Slovak Ore...
LakeRužín reservoir on the HornádMalá Lodina11 km from the centreRužín is a reservoir on the Hornád river in the deep, winding valley of the Čierna hora hills, the north-eastern part of the Slovak Ore Mountains, a dozen or so...
Water parks & thermal poolsŠtós spa: climatic cure, speleotherapy and poolŠtós18 km from the centreKúpele Štós is a climatic spa in south-eastern Slovakia, in the settlement of Štós-kúpele a few kilometres north of the mining village of Štós, where the Volovské...
CastleSpiš CastleŽehra21 km from the centreA castle visible for dozens of kilometres Spiš Castle (Spišský hrad) is the ruin of a vast castle on top of a 634 m travertine rock that rises 200 m above the Spiš basin.
ChurchSpišská Kapitula and St Martin’s CathedralSpišská Kapitula22 km from the centreSpišská Kapitula is an ancient church town on St Martin’s Hill, directly opposite Spiš Castle. It is often called the ‘Slovak Vatican’.
WaterfallHáj waterfalls in the Slovak KarstHáj25 km from the centreThe Háj waterfalls (Hájske vodopády, Hungarian Áji vízesések) are a cascade of travertine waterfalls in the Háj valley in the Slovak Karst National Park (Slovenský...Craft nearby
All craft places
Koliby & Hutsul cuisineSpišský salaš below Spiš Castle: Spiš cooking since 1964Spišská Kapitula23 km from the centreBetween Spiš Castle and Spišská Kapitula, at the edge of the plain below the travertine mound of Sivá brada, stands the wooden Spišský salaš.
Craft beer & breweriesHerrenwald craft brewery, Malá Ida: tour with the brewerMalá Ida26 km from the centreThe Herrenwald brewery stands in its Panský les ("Lords’ Wood") quarter, from whose German name it takes its own.
Crafts & workshopsHáj Pottery: wheel-thrown ceramics and wood-fired kilns in HájHáj26 km from the centreAt the back of an old farmhouse here is Háj Pottery (Hájske hrnčiarstvo), run by Amália Holíková. She throws utility ware on the wheel and models it by hand, but her...Spas and thermal pools nearby
Huts, shelters and springs nearby
Getting there from Ukraine
Border crossings
- Uzhhorod – Vyšné Nemecké — road, 24/7
- Malyi Bereznyi – Ubľa — road, 24/7 For cars and buses; pedestrians not confirmed by the Ukrainian border service, lorries up to 3.5 t.
- Mali Selmentsi – Veľké Slemence (pedestrian) — pedestrian, 09:00–21:00 Kyiv time Pedestrians and cyclists only; inconvenient for the Tatras without onward transport.
- Chop – Čierna nad Tisou (rail) — rail, 24/7
By car
From Uzhhorod ≈182 km, ≈2 h 45 min without queues: Uzhhorod – Vyšné Nemecké → I/19 via Sobrance and Michalovce to Košice → D1 motorway via Prešov to the exit near Levoča → road 533 to Spišská Nová Ves (≈177 km, ≈2 h 30 min from the border). From Lviv via Uzhok and Ubľa ≈407 km, ≈6 h 40 min; through Poland (Kraków – Nowy Targ) ≈496 km, ≈6 h 20 min. The D1 requires an e-vignette (eznamka.sk).
Checked 23.10.2026; border crossing hours and timetables change — check before you travel.
