Kamenná chata pod Chopkom

Kamenná chata pod Chopkom (colloquially Kamienka; German: Chopok-Steinhütte) is a mountain hut and hospitality brand located on the main ridge of the Low Tatras in Slovakia, at an elevation of 1,985 metres, roughly 40 vertical metres below the summit of Chopok (2,023.6 m). It is the third-highest mountain hut in Slovakia, after Chata pod Rysmi (2,250 m) and Téryho chata (2,015 m), both in the High Tatras. The hut sits directly beside the upper cable-car station of the Jasná ski resort, making it a natural destination for skiers, ski tourers, hikers, runners and ridge walkers. The core of the building was constructed in 1949–1950 as accommodation for workers building the cableways toward the Low Tatras main ridge near Chopok. With the completion of a continuous cable-car connection on both the northern and southern sides of Chopok in 1957, the area became a popular tourist destination. In the 1970s the building served as overnight quarters for students working on ridge trails, and in the 1980s it housed a snack bar operated by the state enterprise Interhotely Ružomberok. After the Velvet Revolution the building was privatised, and following a further change of ownership it has been run as a mountain hut since 1996. Today the brand operates as a year-round mountain hospitality business. It offers a restaurant with about 100 seats, a dormitory with 20 beds available by prior reservation, breakfast and dinner for guests, and a snack bar and dining room open to all visitors. The hut has a wooden terrace built in 2003, gained its attic storey in a 2006–2007 reconstruction, and was further enlarged and redesigned inside between 2016 and 2019. Its official website presents weather conditions, seasonal notes and branded merchandise such as functional caps and headbands, positioning the hut as a meeting place for the mountain community. The red-marked Cesta hrdinov SNP long-distance ridge trail passes immediately nearby, and marked trails descend north toward Luková and the Jasná resort hotels and south toward Chata Kosodrevina, Srdiečko and Trangoška.

The core of the later hut was a shelter built in 1949–1950 for construction workers building the cableways toward the main ridge of the Low Tatras near Chopok. When a continuous cable-car connection was completed on both the northern and southern sides of Chopok in 1957, the area became a popular destination for tourists. In the 1970s the building served as overnight accommodation for students engaged in building ridge trails in the Low Tatras, and in the 1980s it was the site of a snack bar run by the state enterprise Interhotely Ružomberok. After the Velvet Revolution the building was privatised, and after a further change of ownership it has been operated as a mountain hut since 1996. Construction measures after operations began include a wooden terrace built in 2003 and a reconstruction carried out in 2006–2007 that gave the hut its attic storey. After another reconstruction from 2016 to 2019, the dining room was enlarged and the interior redesigned. The hut is open year-round and offers overnight accommodation (20 beds) with prior registration as well as breakfast and dinner for guests. A snack bar and the dining room are available to all visitors. Its location directly beside the mountain station of the cable cars in the Jasná ski resort attracts skiers and ski tourers as well as tourists travelling along the main ridge of the Low Tatras. The red-marked long-distance trail, part of the Cesta hrdinov SNP, passes immediately nearby as a ridge route between the mountain Dereše to the west and onward east to Ďumbier. Downhill, a yellow-marked hiking trail leads toward the Berghotel Chata Kosodrevina and further to Srdiečko and Trangoška south of the main ridge, while to the north a blue-marked hiking trail descends toward Luková and other hotels of the Jasná ski resort in the municipality of Demänovská Dolina.

• 2016

  Further reconstruction (2016–2019) enlarges the dining room and redesigns the interior.

• 2006

  Reconstruction (2006–2007) gives the hut its attic storey.

• 2003

  A wooden terrace is built.

• 1996

  After privatisation and a change of ownership, the building is operated as a mountain hut.

• 1980

  The building houses a snack bar of the state enterprise Interhotely Ružomberok.

• 1970

  The building serves as overnight quarters for students building ridge trails in the Low Tatras.

• 1957

  Continuous cable-car connection on both sides of Chopok is completed, making the area a popular tourist destination.

• 1949

  Construction of the core shelter for cableway workers begins (1949–1950).

High-altitude, year-round mountain hospitality and meeting point on the Low Tatras main ridge, marketed as the third-highest hut in Slovakia with dramatic weather and panoramic views.

• Mountain hut accommodation (20 beds, prior registration)

• Restaurant with about 100 seats

• Snack bar and dining room open to all visitors

• Breakfast and dinner for guests

• Branded functional caps and headbands

1. 1Kamenná chata official websitekamennachata.sk
2. 2Kamenná chata pod Chopkom – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Kamenná chata pod Chopkom – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org