"Not swimming pools, but natural wealth, and it must be protected" — this is how the Slovak Minister of the Environment Tomáš Taraba explained why he ordered the heads of national parks to urgently strengthen supervision of the ban on swimming in mountain lakes. The reason is a video on social networks where tourists, including foreigners, are swimming in the Tatra lakes as if on a beach.
If you plan a summer hike in the Tatras (Tatry), keep in mind: trying to cool off in a lake after a hot climb can cost you a 300 euro fine on the spot, and if it goes to administrative proceedings — up to 3319.39 euros. Rangers are already in the field daily and will check visitors more often, reports Refresher.
What has changed
The administration of the Tatra National Park (Správa TANAP) has increased the number of patrols and installed physical barriers. Near Skalnaté pleso (Skalnaté Lake) new information boards and fences have appeared, marking access points to the water. The idea was borrowed from the Polish Tatra National Park — there similar measures help direct the flow of tourists, writes TASR.
The order to strengthen control was issued by the minister after both the ministry and park administrations began regularly receiving complaints about violations of the ban. Warnings were posted, but people still went into the water.
What is the formal violation
The park rules do not explicitly mention the word "swimming." But this is not a loophole. Entering the water is classified as a violation of the ban on moving outside designated tourist trails, and no trail leads through a lake or mountain stream. So formally, a swimmer violates the law "On Nature and Landscape Protection."
The fines are as follows:
On the spot (blokové konanie - block proceedings) — up to 300 euros, issued immediately.
Administrative proceedings (priestupkové konanie - misdemeanor proceedings) — up to 3319.39 euros.
Why the lakes are so protected
The Tatra plesá (glacial mountain lakes) are home to rare plants and animals tied to the specific conditions of high mountains. The director of Správa TANAP Michal Babnič emphasizes: every entry into the water is interference with a fragile ecosystem.
The damage comes from two sides. Chemical: sunscreens and repellents wash into the water and pollute it. Physical: people trample the shores and destroy biotopes where, among others, glacial relics like žiabronôžka severská (Branchinecta paludosa) live — a crustacean that has survived in these lakes since the glacial period.
What is allowed and what is not
The head of the ranger service Róbert Javorský clarified the boundary: rinsing hands or face in a mountain stream is not a violation. The violation is full swimming, that is, entering the water of a lake or stream for swimming.
What this means in practice for a hike in the Tatras in hot weather:
Cool off with stream water — wash your face, wet your hat, but do not go into the water up to your knees or deeper.
Stay on marked trails — this basic rule is the basis for the swimming ban.
Rangers now patrol more often, and new signs near Skalnaté pleso remove the excuse "I didn't know."
The water in the Tatra lakes is icy even in the heat, so the pleasure is doubtful, but the 300 euro fine is quite real. Better leave the plesá to their glacial inhabitants.
