Rainer’s lodge
It is certainly the oldest and probably also the smallest lodge in the High Tatras. Specifically because of its size and because you cannot spend the night there, it is often called a “refuge”. It saw the light of day in 1863 and the initiator of its creation was the legendary tenant of Stary Smokovec – Johan Georg Rainer.
The cottage is situated at the mouth of the Great Cold Valley in Starolesnianska Polana, near the waterfalls of Studeny Potok, at an altitude of 1,301 meters above sea level. It takes about half an hour of easy walking to get to it from Hrebienok.
“Rainerka”, as it is familiarly called by most of the tourist community, was originally established as a simple shelter. Today it is regarded as the first tourist facility built in the Slovak High Tatras. Mr Rainer wanted to make the stay of tourists easier in these inhospitable lands. In 1884 a new tourist hotel Kamzik (chamois) and the original building ceased to serve its original purpose and the lodge became a storehouse.
Nearly a century had to go by in order for life to return to “Rainerka”. First, around 1980, it was a group of enthusiasts from Poprad – Velka, who helped to repair the walls and built a shingle roof, but this this was of little use. It was Mr. Peter Petras, a mountain carrier and former high school teacher from the nearby Kezmarok, who helped to give the lodge its new face and soul.. He took it taken under his wing in 1997 and it has been serving the public since 1998. A year later (1999), on the the day of the Epiphany he built the first ice nativity set that has since complemented the festive atmosphere of this town every winter.
Thanks to the new tenant, it acts as an information centre with refreshments and also a sort of mini-museum of mountain carrying in the Mala and Mala Studena Valley.
Thanks to its location, it is a favorite destination for people of all ages, including families with small children. The current administrator Mr. Peter Petras has made great improvements to the lodge. Visiting “Rainerka” is a must when visiting the Hight Tatras.
GPS: 49°10’01.4″N 20°13’07.7″E
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