Teplička: Gothic Church and Trails in the Mountain Landscape

Teplička combines a Gothic church with hiking and cycling routes in mountainous terrain. The municipality is shaped by the final foothills of the Volovské vrchy. Cultural landmarks also include the Stations of the Cross, Krížová cesta, and the Tepličan folk ensemble. Alongside these cultural attractions, the routes offer further points to consider when planning your trip.

Gothic Church and Cultural Sites

The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (Kostol Narodenia Panny Márie) was originally a single-nave Gothic building dating from the first quarter of the 14th century. Its remodeled tower has paired Gothic windows with trefoil tracery. The church is an important cultural monument in Teplička. “Single-nave” describes the original building form; paired windows are arranged in pairs, while trefoil tracery describes a three-lobed ornament. This makes it possible to understand the building both through its medieval origins and through a specific detail of the tower’s design.

The Tepličan folk ensemble is part of cultural and social events in Teplička and the surrounding area. The Stations of the Cross, Krížová cesta, are located in the northwestern part of Teplička. Alongside the church, visitors can therefore choose a local ensemble featured in events and another named place as cultural points of interest.

Hiking in the Municipality

The SR27 circular hike “Na vrchol Pálenice” is listed as taking eight hours and 45 minutes, with an elevation gain of 675 meters. It leads from Teplička through the valley of the Teplický Brusník and runs mostly through forest. The loop starts and ends at the SAD bus stop, the ŽSR railway stop, or the parking lot in Teplička. At nearly nine hours, the hike is a significant part of planning your day; its duration, elevation gain, and start and end points provide concrete details to help with planning.

Another hiking route starts at the Teplička nad Hornádom stop and leads via Pod Tepličkou. This offers another named starting point to consider when finding your way.

Cycling Routes and Their Course

Cycling route 8922, “Madaras – Pod Tepličkou – Roveň,” follows the Brusník valley to the cottage settlement near Teplička, then climbs toward Roveň. Its course therefore leads from the valley to the ascent.

Cycling loop 4 runs from Spišská Nová Ves through Markušovce, Oľšo, Hnilčík, Bindt, Teplička and Pod Tepličkou, then back to Spišská Nová Ves. The sequence of places shows how Teplička fits into the route of this loop.

Each route has a different feature to consider when comparing them: SR27 is a multi-hour circular hike with named start and end points; the other hiking route starts at the Teplička nad Hornádom stop and leads via Pod Tepličkou. Among the cycling routes, 8922 can be distinguished by its transition from valley to ascent, while cycling loop 4 is characterized by its sequence of places and return to Spišská Nová Ves.

Discover more destinations: Markušovce, Krompachy, Spišské Tomášovce, Hnilčík, Betlanovce, Slovinky, Letanovce, Harichovce.

For the broader travel overview: Spišská Nová Ves District.