The second year of the Slovak environmental competition known as Tatra Knights was joined by more than 5,000 pupils. Schools could register their projects in the following categories: art work, audio-visual work (video) and implementation projects on the topic “Protecting plants and animals in Slovakia”. In the terrain, the winners of implementation projects were helped by teachers, volunteers and employees of the TMR company, which is the main partner of the project.
On 21/9/2018, the education trail named “Activity”, which ranked second in the Tatra Knights competition, was built next to the Private Secondary Grammar School of Železiarne Podbrezová. Before the 70-metre-long trail could be placed, soil excavation and reclamation had to be performed. Along the trail, there are benches with flowers and special trees, information boards with details about individual altitudinal zones where the trees grow, a Pelmanism game and a blank map. “The educational trail is very special. When I come here twenty years later and see this bench which I personally have made, I will be proud of myself and know that I have given something to this school, just as the school has given a lot to me,” commented Martin Auxt, one of the school pupils.
The project of 28/9/2018 was meant to create winter shelters for owls protected by law – long-eared owls that nestled at the United Secondary School of Ľ. Podjavorinská in Prešov. It was awarded third in the Tatra Knights competition. Two years ago, the school was affected by a calamity that caused the roof to collapse, which damaged several trees with owl nests. This was one of the reasons why the school pupils decided to help and build new homes for the owls in the school garden. “Our boys had an idea to make nests for them. Although the treetops will not be as high as they used to before, the owls will at least have somewhere to be,” said Zuzana Výbošťoková, a class teacher who was cooperating with the pupils to complete the project. The so called Owl´s corner is formed of 10 boxes and information boards with details about long-eared owls and their lives.
The competition was won by the Evangelical Secondary Grammar School of Tisovec. On 5/10/2018, TMR volunteers and school pupils set out for a ground squirrel location in the area of Pod okrúhlou skalou, where signposts, information boards and a relaxation site with benches were built. The whole educational trail embraced by the nature of Muránska planina (Muráň Plain) is about 8km long. Four stops inform about the life of the European ground squirrel, which lives in the region. “We changed sitting in our offices for a great sunny day in nature and helped smart pupils build their educational trail. We could see a beautiful Slovak region which I will definitely come back to with my family so that I can inspire my kids and show them what fantastic projects are made in our country,” said Michaela Šandová from TMR, who joined the project in Tisovec.
“This has been the second time that we have supported the project of Tatra Knights. We always appreciate young people who want to behave ecologically to nature and encourage their peers to do the same. We hope that their individual projects are not only about one pupil but inspire the whole class, school and also our employees who like coming back to enjoy the positive atmosphere even after the projects are finished,” added František Šoltis from TMR. Tens of TMR employees helped the pupils to put their visions into practice. The winning projects were financially supported by the project partner and in addition to that, the pupils could enjoy cableway trips in the Low and High Tatras.
The Methodological-Pedagogical Centre acts as the expert project supervisor. The project of the Tatra Knights is coordinated by the Essence Communications agency and supported financially by the TMR company, which is the leader in tourism in Central and Eastern Europe and combines its business success with care for the environment that it is active in. After all, responsibility is also about supporting projects and educating children to behave responsibly too. For more information, please visit www.tatrytieri.sk.
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Tatry mountain resorts, a.s. (TMR) is the leader in tourism in Central and Eastern Europe; it owns and operates attractive mountain resorts, amusement parks, restaurant facilities, sports services, shops and hotels. In the Low Tatras TMR owns and operates the resort Jasná Nízke Tatry and hotels Wellness hotel Grand Jasná, Boutique Hotel Tri Studničky, Chalets Jasná De Luxe, Hotel Srdiečko, and Hotel Rotunda. TMR is also the owner of Aquapark Tatralandia, the largest Slovak aquapark with year-round operation, which besides water entertainment includes Tropical Paradise, a special tropical indoor hall with sea water, as well as Fun Park, and accommodation in bungalows and apartments of Holiday Village Tatralandia. In the High Tatras TMR owns and operates the resort Vysoké Tatry with mountain areas of Tatranská Lomnica, Starý Smokovec, and Štrbské Pleso, which TMR co-manages. In the High Tatras TMR also owns hotels Grandhotel Praha Tatranská Lomnica, Grandhotel Starý Smokovec, Hotel FIS Štrbské Pleso and Mountain hotel Hrebienok. TMR also owns a 9.5 % share in Melida, a.s., which leases and operates the resort Špindlerův Mlýn in the Czech Republic. TMR also leases and operates the ski resort Ještěd. In Poland TMR owns a 97% share in the mountain resort Szczyrkowski Ośrodek Narciarski S.A. (SON), a 75% share in a company that owns and operates Silesian Amusement Park (Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko) and a 7.3% share in an amusement-educational project via the Polish company Korona Ziemi Sp. z.o.o. TMR also owns and leases hotels Slovakia, Kosodrevina, Liptov and Ski&Fun Záhradky a Bungalovy to third parties. By the end of 2017, more than EUR 300 mil. had been invested into development and modernisation of TMR’s resorts. TMR shares are traded on three European stock exchanges – in Bratislava, Prague, and Warsaw.