HZS High Tatras regional centre

The Slovak High Tatras and the Belianske Tatras; the Slovak Pieniny are also assigned to this centre.

Mountain emergency — Slovakia18 300 · 11218 300 — Slovak Mountain Rescue Service emergency line (operations centre), 24/7; 112 — single European emergency number

Contacts HZS Vysoké Tatry

HZS High Tatras regional centreOblastné stredisko HZS Vysoké TatryHeadquarters: Starý Smokovec 18023, 062 01 Vysoké Tatry, SlovakiaOfficial website: hzs.sk/vysoke-tatry
  • 18 300 Slovak Mountain Rescue Service emergency line (operations centre), 24/7
  • +421 52 442 28 20 HZS regional centre (not instead of 18 300)
Get directions

The High Tatras regional centre of the Mountain Rescue Service (Oblastné stredisko HZS Vysoké Tatry) in Starý Smokovec is where professional mountain rescue in Slovakia began: a professional rescue service started work in the Tatras on 20 January 1950. The centre rescues people in the High Tatras — the highest mountains of Slovakia and Poland, with Gerlachovský štít (2,655 m) — and in the Belianske Tatras, as well as in the Slovak Pieniny. The 26-km main ridge of the High Tatras runs from the Ľaliové sedlo to the Kopské sedlo pass.

How to call for help

Dial the HZS emergency line 18 300 or 112. The best way is the official HZS app: one button connects you to the operations centre and sends your exact location, and with a weak signal you can use its chat. Say where you are and what happened, how many people are hurt and how badly, and give a call-back number. Keep your phone on.

Area and stations

The centre covers the High Tatras from the Ľaliové sedlo eastwards, the Belianske Tatras and the Slovak Pieniny. Its main base is the HZS regional centre in Starý Smokovec, where the HZS info centre also advises on trail conditions, weather and avalanche danger. The HZS headquarters are nearby in Horný Smokovec.

Good to know

  • Rescue in Slovakia is charged: the person rescued pays for search and transport, while medical care is covered by health insurance. Minors are exempt. Buy mountain insurance before you set out.
  • Before a hike, log it in the electronic hike book in the HZS app: the evening before it sends warnings for your area, and if you don't check back, rescuers will come looking.
  • Before setting out, read the current HZS warnings and mountain conditions for your area: they are published on the service's website and in the app together with the weather forecast.
  • In winter, follow the avalanche bulletin of the HZS Avalanche Prevention Centre — published on its own website and in the app.
  • The Polish border runs along the main ridge: if you fall or stray onto the Polish side, TOPR rescues you free of charge; on the Slovak side you pay.

Stations and bases

Unit and addressPhonesDirections
HZS High Tatras — Starý SmokovecStarý Smokovec 18023, Vysoké Tatry
Get directions

Map of the stations

Official apps

  • Horská záchranná služba (HZS) — Official HZS app: one-button call for help sending your GPS location to 18 300, chat (with automatic translation) when the signal is weak, 'Guardian Angel', an electronic hike log, avalanche warnings and mountain insurance. Verify your phone number in the app in advance.

Is the rescue free

Since 1 July 2006, under the Act on the Mountain Rescue Service, anyone in a Slovak mountain area must pay the HZS for the costs of rescue or search concerning them. This does not apply to minors or persons without legal capacity. Medical care is covered by health insurance, while the 'technical intervention' (search, extrication, transport) is paid by the person rescued, whether or not they were at fault. The HZS therefore advises mountain insurance, which can also be bought in the HZS app.

Other mountain rescue services: Slovakia

Last updated: 3 November 2026. Numbers checked against the services' official websites (sources below). If a number does not answer, call 112.

Sources (7)