Reconstruction of the Kráľová studňa mountain hotel
History
Kráľová studňa underwent an ecological repair
Many Slovaks certainly remember the time spent at school in nature or in the pioneer camp at Kráľová Studna. The mountain hotel below the Krížna hill, whose neighbors are exclusively nature and silence, has experienced enough in 60 years. The building is not indestructible, nor is its equipment eternal. Therefore, builders settled in Kráľová Studna. And for several years.
The mountain hotel Kráľova Studňa in Veľká Fatra has been renovated since the beginning of its operation in 1950. The equipment of the tourist standard was in a desolate state. “There was a leak through the roof, some windows were broken, the interiors from the fifties were destroyed, the steam heating from black coal well infested the surroundings. The sewer system was broken and without a sewage treatment plant. This was a state in the very heart of Veľká Fatra National Park as an ideal starting point for a ridge hike near such gems as Gaderská dolina, Blatnická dolina and others,” says Dušan Kováč, director of BB Expo, which owns the hotel.
The mountain hotel Kráľova studňa is located at an altitude of 1,300 meters, within a radius of 16 km there is no accommodation facility or shelter for survival in case of emergency. During the reconstruction, we did not once turn away an exhausted, lost and frozen tourist, and we kept the hotel open for this purpose.
Dušan Kováč, director of BB EXPO
Dohola
The owner decided to completely change the undignified state of Kráľová Studna – to build a cozy three-star mountain hotel, with every room in the hotel part having a bathroom. The intention was to change the building’s energy properties, electrical circuits, and the overall layout of the hotel. “Our goal was the first mountain eco hotel in Slovakia,” Dušan Kováč explains the investment plans.
The fundamental reconstruction lasted over three years, from September 2006 to December 2009. Except for small details, everything is finished. Only the perimeter structure and the roof remain from the original hotel. “When I start from the top, there is a new roof and ceiling insulation, lining of chimneys, replacement of all doors and windows with high-quality Euro windows, complex insulation of the building, and a winter garden has been added on the terrace,” says the director of the BB Expo company. The internal layout of the building was also changed – the central axis of the hotel’s corridors was moved to the north side, which opened up room for expanding the rooms to the south. “The exterior has changed beyond recognition. The former junkyard has become beautifully landscaped entrance areas where deer graze,” Dušan Kováč does not hide his enthusiasm for the cause.
According to him, two floors of the hotel part have been converted to an approximately three-star category. There are apartments, family rooms, double rooms. On the ground floor there is a high-standard tourist hostel – three eight-bed rooms with shared social facilities. The capacity is now 60 hotel beds and 24 tourist beds.
The hotel has added a reception, a wellness area with a wood-heated sauna, massages and a gym. In addition to the already mentioned winter garden, a stylish royal lounge, dining room and cafe were created, which are multifunctional as conference spaces with complete presentation technology. The kitchen also underwent a comprehensive reconstruction, and the standard of the gastronomic offer was significantly increased. The authors of the reconstruction of the building are two Slovak architects – Ondrej Kramár, living in Germany, and Vladimír Tomala from Banská Bystrica.
Instead of toxic, ecological
Since the intention of the reconstruction was also greening and a gentle approach to the environment, the reconstruction went absolutely into the interior of the building. “The heating system has been comprehensively changed to wood gas, which means that wood from the vicinity of the hotel is burned. All electrical circuits are made in a double circuit for energy-saving light bulbs and LED lamps. We built a new wastewater treatment plant, reconstructed the reservoir and the entire water management. The hotel has its own source of water,” Dušan Kováč lists ecological news. The warehouse for propellant and fuel and the power plant are also new – the building produces its own electricity.
The surroundings of Kráľová Studna also underwent repairs. “We carried out complex landscaping. We removed tons of cinders, oils and other toxic waste from the National Park, i.e. all the junk that was collected there during the operation of the hotel from 1950 until its reconstruction,” adds Dušan Kováč.
They also renovated an unused horse barn near the hotel into an agricultural center. It will be in operation from spring. Horses and domestic animals will be stabled here, and visitors will be offered rides on horses, dog sleds or getting to know animals. Kráľova Studňa also has its own ski lift, including a children’s lift.
Hotel Kráľova studňa is located in the Veľká Fatra National Park. It is 16 km away from the nearest village Dolný Harmanec by a forest road. In 2010, the Banská Bystrica Municipal Forests will reconstruct 7 km of the access road, which will significantly increase the comfort of the hotel’s clients. Veľká Fatra is the last large mountain range that does not have a memorial place for the victims of the mountains – a symbolic cemetery. We initiate its creation. We develop activities that will improve access to the hotel and beautify its surroundings. We are submitting the hotel to the European flower competition.
Dušan Kováč, director of BB EXPO
Miroslava Štrosová, SaR 5/2010, 5. 3. 2010,