Skalka (Kremnica Mountains)

Skalka (formerly Suchá hora) is a 1232 m peak on the main ridge of the Kremnica Mountains (Kremnické vrchy) in central Slovakia. It rises above the village of Králiky, about 8 km west of Banská Bystrica. The mountain is recognisable from afar thanks to the mast of the Suchá hora transmitter, about 300 m tall, which stands right next to the summit. Skalka belongs to the Banská Bystrica Region and lies on the border of the Žiar nad Hronom and Banská Bystrica Districts: the eastern part of the ridge is in the cadastre of Banská Bystrica, the western part belongs to the town of Kremnica. The nearest villages are Králiky (3 km), Kordíky and Krahule (4 km each) and Tajov.

Skalka lies in the southern part of the Flochovský chrbát, on the main ridge of the Kremnica Mountains, which is the watershed between the Hron and Turiec basins; exactly at Skalka the watershed, coming from the north, turns west. The ridge runs from Zlatá studňa (1265 m) in the south via Mýtny vrch (1221 m) and from Skalka via Kremnická skala north to Vyhnatová (1283 m) and Svrčinník (1313 m). The shallow Bystrické sedlo saddle (1190 m) bounds the massif to the south and the slightly deeper Tunel saddle to the north. The eastern slopes are steep, deeply cut and fully forested; the western ones are gentle and broad, and their meadows and old clearings hold the Skalka sports and recreation complex.

How to get there / routes

• The red ridge trail of the Kremnica Mountains crosses the summit: from the south from Zlatá studňa via Mýtny vrch, from the north from Svrčinník via Vyhnatová and the Tunel saddle. From Skalka to the Tunel saddle takes about 25 min (30 min back), to Bystrické sedlo 15 min.
• The Path of the Heroes of the Slovak National Uprising (Cesta hrdinov SNP, red) comes from Krahule through the Skalka resort to the Tunel saddle, where it joins the ridge trail.
• Marked trails also lead from Banská Bystrica via Králiky, from Kremnica, and to the Tunel saddle from Tajov via the Tichá junction and from Turček.
• Road II/578 from Kremnica leads to the resort below the summit, which makes reaching the ridge much easier.

What you can see from the top

The highest part of Skalka lies inside the closed transmitter area, and the wooded ridge has few viewpoints. The treeless sections, however, offer an excellent view: many Kremnica Mountains peaks, the Zvolen basin, Javorie, Poľana, the Low Tatras and the south-eastern Greater Fatra, and to the west parts of the Lúčanská Fatra, the Strážov Mountains and Vtáčnik.

Nature and history

The massif is built of young Tertiary volcanic rocks – andesites, with tuffs and conglomerates formed from their pyroclastic material. Rock walls, pillars and steps appear near the summit. Erosion and gravitational movements have created crevices and small caves up to 8 m deep and 16 m long, known as Jánošíkove diery (Jánošík's Holes). The eastern slopes feed the headwaters of the Tajovský potok to the Hron, and the north-western ones the Turček stream to the Turiec.

Below the summit on the western slopes, towards Kremnica, lies the Skalka complex with several older mountain hotels, a new sports hotel with an indoor pool and a winter stadium. In winter it is one of the largest cross-country skiing centres in Slovakia, with an extensive network of trails; in summer visitors come for the via ferrata and a rope bridge.

Safety, season and rules

Do not enter the fenced transmitter area. The ridge is wooded, but on the open meadows the wind can be strong, and in winter the trees are covered with rime and snowdrifts. In winter do not walk on the cross-country or downhill ski runs. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300); general emergency number 112.

Interesting facts

• The mountain's former name, Suchá hora, lives on in the name of the transmitter.
• The Suchá hora mast, about 300 m tall, is a landmark visible from more than 11 km away.
• At Skalka the main Hron–Turiec watershed turns sharply from north to west.

Photos: Jaro Nemčok, CC BY-SA 4.0; Pe3kZA, CC BY-SA 3.0; Jaro Nemčok, CC BY-SA 4.0; Pe3kZA, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.