Slovak Museum of Nature Protection and Speleology

The Slovak Museum of Nature Protection and Speleology (Slovenské múzeum ochrany prírody a jaskyniarstva, SMOPaJ) in Liptovský Mikuláš is a national museum devoted to the caves, karst and nature of Slovakia and to how people protect them. It is housed in a historic building on Školská street in the town centre. Two large exhibitions cover 1,400 m² on four levels — from the basement to the attic — and the visit ends on a lookout tower with a view of the mountains of the country's two largest national parks, TANAP and NAPANT. It is the ideal place to stop before visiting the Demänová caves a few kilometres to the south.

The museum tradition in Liptovský Mikuláš goes back to the mid-19th century, when the literary and cultural society Tatrín (1844–1848) was active here. In 1904 a Liptov collection of antiquities and natural history objects was set up at the town casino. The real museum came about thanks to the grammar-school teacher Ján Volko-Starohorský: on 2 June 1930 a founding assembly established the Museum of the Slovak Karst, focused on the caves and karst areas of all Slovakia. After the war the Slovak Speleological Society took the museum under its wing, Vojtech Benický became its head in 1949, and in July 1951 a nationwide cave exhibition opened in the former district court building on Školská street. The museum was nationalised in 1952 and since 1954 has been one of the centrally run national museums.

What to see

• "Karst and Caves of Slovakia" in the basement — the karst phenomenon in all its aspects: hydrology, surface and underground karst and its protection, ice caves, cave formations, cave animals, traces of early people in caves and caving itself — as a hobby, a science, collecting and an inspiration for art. A small club shows films on the curators' work and old footage of cave discoveries.
• The history of the building and the museum on the ground floor — films about the reconstruction, archaeological finds from the building works and restored fragments of the original wall paintings; also an exhibition hall and a teaching laboratory with microscopes.
• "Protected Nature of Slovakia — Earth, a Place for Life" — from the birth of the universe and the planet to minerals (whose chemical composition is explained with the sounds of musical instruments), fragments of Slovak meteorites, plants and fungi, endemics and relicts, different habitats and animal calls; then the history of nature protection, DNA and biodiversity, maps of protected areas and a diorama of species of European importance.
• "Man, Mountains, NATURA 2000" in the attic, reached through a model mining adit — forestry, beekeeping, fishing and hunting, as well as hiking, mountaineering, skiing and ski touring, human impact on the climate and mountain rescue; there is an interactive corner for children.
• The lookout tower with views of the landmarks of Liptovský Mikuláš and a panorama of the Tatras.

The museum also holds temporary exhibitions, lectures and educational programmes for schools.

Practical information

The museum is in the centre of Liptovský Mikuláš, an easy walk from the main square. It is open every day — on weekdays from the morning, at weekends from 10:00; last entry is at 15:30. A ticket for the exhibitions plus the lookout tower costs €8 at the desk (€7 online), half price for pupils, students, seniors and disabled visitors, and there is a family ticket; details are in the "At a glance" box. Cards are accepted.

Allow 1.5–2 hours for the four floors and the tower. The museum is well suited to families with children and to rainy days when the weather in the mountains is bad.

Nearby: trails and peaks

A few kilometres to the south, in the Demänová valley of the Low Tatras, lie the two best-known caves of the region — the Demänovská Cave of Liberty and the Demänovská Ice Cave: after the museum it is fascinating to see them for real. North of town spreads the Liptovská Mara reservoir, and further east, in Liptovský Hrádok, you can continue exploring the region at the Ethnographic and Shepherding Museum, Liptovský Hrádok.

Official website: smopaj.sk

Photos: Patrik Kunec (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Slovenské múzeum ochrany prírody a jaskyniarstva, official website.