On Sunday, April 7, a group of twelve students and six teachers from ZUŠ Vysoké Mýto set out on a journey to the High Tatras. This marked the beginning of another Erasmus+ mobility, the goal of which was to visit the Music School in Tatranská Lomnica. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the collaboration between our school and Tatranská Lomnica.
The travel plan was: Choceň - Olomouc - Poprad Tatry - Pod Lesom. So, after 8:00 AM, we gathered at the Choceň train station in the following composition: David Lukáš (head of the group), Veronika Lisičanová (cash keeper), Monika Jakoubková, Kateřina Truhlářová (trip animators), 8 students from the visual arts department, and 4 students from the music department. Our colleague Jakub Jedlinský, along with his accordion, was supposed to safeguard our places on the train from Pardubice, and the last member of the group, Zdeněk Hejzlar (dance teacher), was waiting for us in Česká Třebová.
The adventure started unexpectedly even before we boarded the train to Olomouc, in fact…
A series of train delays meant that after three hours of travel to Olomouc, we ended up back in Choceň. However, by that time, we were already on our yellow train to Poprad, so the 135 minutes of delay didn’t seem so bad.
Colleague Hejzlar showed great courage and made his way to Olomouc on his own. The station unexpectedly became his refuge for the entire morning. With head held high, he explored the city, finding a spot where waiting for our train wouldn’t feel so lonely. The few extra hours passed quickly, and our dance master, slightly tired from all the adventures, finally joined us and the group was complete.
From then on, no further delays affected our journey to Poprad. Although we arrived two hours later than planned, we stepped off the train in Poprad with joy and were able to begin admiring the majestic Tatras. At the station, we were greeted with a smile by Ivana Gregová, the deputy head of the Tatranská Lomnica Music School. After a brief welcome, she led us to the “električka” (a small local train) to the picturesque village of Pod Lesom, where we would be staying for the week in cozy apartments. There, we were warmly welcomed by the school’s director, Silvia Bombarová Zoričáková, and artist Lucia Roth.
After settling into our accommodation, we headed to a local cabin for traditional Slovak halušky (little dumplings with smoked meat). It was already clear to us that the long-standing friendship between our two schools was being revived.
On Monday morning, after a rich breakfast in the premises of the Lomnica branch of the school, which was kindly prepared for us by the school’s dedicated teachers and helpful parents, we officially kicked off our busy week. This took place in Tatranská Lomnica, which is home to several satellite branches spread across surrounding towns and villages.
The friendly welcome by the school’s director, music performances by students, and gift exchanges were a testament to the friendship we were working to renew after fifty years. A brief tour of the picturesque town followed, and then we had lunch. In the afternoon, we split into two groups. The visual artists traveled to the Pod Lesom branch with teacher Hejzlar for their first art and dance activities, while the smaller group of musicians, led by Jakub Jedlinský, stayed in Lomnica. There, Mr. Jedlinský led a music improvisation workshop, and our students, together with their Slovak peers, began preparing for a joint performance for the Thursday concert. In the evening, we reunited for dinner with some Slovak friends at a wonderful pizzeria near Starý Smokovec.
Throughout the week, we traveled between locations using the local picturesque narrow-gauge train, known as the “električka,” which acts like a tram connecting the scattered villages of the High Tatras.
On Tuesday, we visited another branch of the Lomnica school, this time in the charming village of Ždiar, about 30 km from our base village. A 40-minute bus ride rewarded us with beautiful views. After a short walk, we arrived at the local gallery, where we admired exquisite glass works by local artist Ján Zoričák. After lunch, we were warmly welcomed at the Ždiar Elementary School, where ZUŠ is also located.
An unusual experience was a visit to the Ždiar House Museum, where we learned about the history of the local "Goral" people. A surprise highlight of the day was a mock wedding of two of our students, who wore traditional Goral costumes. The “wedding ceremony” was conducted by group leader David Lukáš, who, dressed as a Goral priest, performed the ceremony in a splendid Slovak dialect that even the locals found impressive. The happy couple, Bára and Ondra, were married in a lovely ceremony, much to the amusement of everyone present.
On Wednesday, our Slovak friends had prepared a physical test for us. From Starý Smokovec, we hiked up to Hreběnok, where we visited an ice sculpture exhibition. We then continued to the stunning Studenovské Waterfalls and hiked up to the Rainer cottage at an elevation of 1,301 meters. The whole time, we took in the magical beauty of the nature an we were breathing in the fresh mountain air.
After our return, we visited the Dance Department in the Pod Lesom building, where our dance master Zdeněk compared the local teaching style, student skills, and teacher quality. The musicians, led by Jakub Jedlinský, continued rehearsing for their performance.
Thursday was dedicated to a grand evening concert and the opening of the student art exhibition. The visual artists worked on their pieces all day, capturing the beauty of the Tatra mountains in various techniques, while the musicians rehearsed their program. The highlight of the evening was a concert featuring students from both schools, with a special performance by an orchestra made up of students from both ZUŠ Tatranská Lomnica and ZUŠ Vysoké Mýto. Throughout the concert, the students' artworks were displayed in the hall. Some of the pieces will even adorn the walls of local restaurants and cafés.
On Friday, we had to say goodbye to two of our colleagues, Kuba and flutist Anička, who had to leave a day earlier due to other artistic commitments. With their departure, the remaining part of the group sought to lift their spirits by enjoying the beautiful nature. Štrbské Pleso did not disappoint and helped us overcome the sadness of saying goodbye to our friends. On the way back from Štrbské Pleso, we made a stop at Tatranská Polianka, at the Polianka gallery. There, we were greeted by a beautiful interactive exhibition about the Earth, a gallery of moving images utilizing multimedia tools, and an exhibit in a temporary planetarium about cosmic satellites.
The last shared dinner, an emotional farewell with new friends, and the final night in the Tatras. In the morning, we took the "električka" at eight o'clock and headed home, this time without any delays.
The entire week of Erasmus+ mobility was an exceptional experience. Throughout the week, there wasn’t a single flash of lightning over the Tatras. On the contrary, we were blessed with summer weather that even the locals couldn't remember experiencing before. Our new Slovak friends filled our hearts with warmth and sunshine. The entire teaching staff at the Tatranská Lomnica art school, led by their incredible director Silvia, provided us with extraordinary service. Our students had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the local culture. I dare say that all of the amazing young people—Zina Braiková, Jolana Chládková, Andrea Pavlíčková, Michaela Kmenová, Adéla Horáková, Anna Salášková, Patricie Vítková, Barbora Bejblíková, Jiří Salášek, Jakub Maršík, David Trnka, and Ondřej Nešpor—left with a wealth of wonderful experiences, impressions, and most importantly, knowledge. Knowledge that is the core of the Erasmus+ program: learning about another culture, meeting new friends, comparing skills with peers abroad, and discovering new directions in one’s own work. Understanding the foreign and fostering tolerance for other cultures. In our case, it also reminded us of the closeness and friendship between Czechs and Slovaks.
I would like to conclude by thanking the students mentioned above, who represented our school excellently throughout the trip. Not only did they demonstrate their exceptional artistic talents, but also their sense of responsibility and team spirit. A big thank you also goes to my colleagues Monika, Katka, Veronika, Jakub, and Zdeněk for their outstanding teaching work, which often went above and beyond standard duties, for their wonderful approach to the Erasmus+ mobility, and most importantly, for their company, which gave the entire mobility a touch of a truly exceptional time spent under the shadow of the Tatra Mountains. This entire mobility would not have been possible without the demanding and excellent preparation by Filip Janouch, the creator of the idea for this event, who unfortunately couldn’t join us and whom I had to replace at the last minute. Last but not least, a big thank you to Mrs. Director Iva Vrátilová for her work, for the opportunity to be part of the Erasmus+ project, and for the trust with which she courageously sent us to represent our ZUŠ and our town.
