SLOVAKIA - 10 THINGS TO SEE
Slovakia is a small central European country with an area of 49,000 km2 (the size of Switzerland or Denmark), and has 5,412,008 (30.6.2013) inhabitants. It is a member of the European Union since 2004 and has the Euro as the official currency since 2009. The Italian and European Community nationals can travel to the Slovak Republic with an identity card or valid passport. Slovakia is part of the Schengen Area, so there are no border controls. Although Slovakia is a small country there are lots of interesting things to see. We selected 10 places that are worth knowing and visiting. Places are not listed by importance:
1. Bratislava
Bratislava became the capital of Slovakia from 1st January 1993 following the split of Czechoslovakia. It is located in a strategic location, situated 13 km from the Hungarian border, 4 km from the Austrian border and just 60 km from Vienna. The city lies on both banks of the Danube and on the southern slopes of the Little Carpathians.
The center of Bratislava is small, neat and compact, with many interesting places to discover. Access to the Old Town is pedestrians only though the narrow alleys and the wonderful squares of the city. You can admire monuments, historic buildings and other recently restored mansions. There are many churches, museums, souvenir shops and curious popular bronze statues in the Old Town (Stare Mesto). In many restaurants, cozy cafes and bars you can taste typical Slovak dishes, fine wines and excellent Slovak beers.
Bratislava is also known as a city of culture. There are organized various cultural events such as the festival of jazz music, festival BHS Music, Film festival, the Bratislava Coronation Ceremony, New Year celebrations, Christmas markets and many more.
More information on Bratislava
Photo: Miroslav Petrasko
2. Bojnice Castle
The Bojnice Castle is one of the oldest and most important castles in Slovakia. It is located 183 km from Bratislava. The first written news of the castle dates back to 1113. Originally the fortress was made of wood and replaced an old Slavic village. Over the years, during the thirteenth century, it was rebuilt in stone. Since 1494 the Bojnice castle belonged to the family Zaplosky, who finished building the fortification of the castle with defensive towers, well preserved until today. Towards the end of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the family Thurzo restored the castle as a Renaissance residence.
In 1852, the last owner duke Jan Palfy rebuilt the castle, inspired by the French castles in the Loire Valley. The large neo-Gothic reconstruction was carried out in 1889-1910 and changed the original appearance of the castle until it became a castle that seems out of a fairy tale. Every year in May they hold the International Festival of Spirits and ghosts. Every first Sunday of the month the entrance to the castle is free. Nearby the castle you can also visit the Bojnice Zoo, The Prehistorical museum and the Bojnice Spa.
More information about Bojnice Castle
Photo: www.bojnice.eu
3. Ochtinska Aragonite Cave
The cave is located in the beautiful landscape of the Slovak Metalliferous Mountains (Slovenske Rudohorie) between Jelsava and Stitnik. It is the only aragonite cave in Slovakia but also in Europe, and one of the three caves of this type available to the public worldwide. The other two are located in Mexico and Argentina. It was discovered by chance in 1954 by workers of Mineral Prospecting in eastern Slovakia, who were carrying out geological exploration of a gallery. In 1972 it was open to the public. The cave is 300 m long, of which 230 m are accessible. The temperature inside is between 7.2 and 7.8 ° C and relative humidity reaches 92-97%.The aragonite cave is not the classic cave made of stalactites or stalagmites, but consists of similar formations in twigs and small shrubs of milky white color, which are precisely the aragonite. There are three types of aragonite formations: kidney shaped (age about 138 thousand years old), needle-like (13 thousand years old) and spiral. The Milky Way Hall is considered the most beautiful part of the cave with the characteristics oval formations. It was so named after the large and long crack on the ceiling filled with white aragonite formations that glow in the light of the lamps like the stars in the Milky Way. The cave is open from 01.04 to 31.10. Closed on Mondays. Time of the visit: 30 minutes.
Photo: peto pavlov
4. National Park of the Slovak Paradise
Slovak Paradise - one of the most beautiful areas in Slovakia. It is located in the east of Slovakia in the Spis region. The territory of the Slovak Paradise is rich in natural beauty. It covers about 20,000 hectares and consists of limestones and dolomites. In the national park there are narrow canyons, waterfalls, beautiful caves, gorges, trails that are accessible with iron and wooden staircases. It took over thousand years for the river Hornad to create the canyon called Prielom Hornadu.The most famous cave of the Slovak Paradise is the Ice Cave of Dobsina (Dobsinska Ladova jaskyna) which is listed as a UNESCO natural heritage. The tourist trails lead visitors to the national park to admire the beautiful view of the rock formations. The most beautiful sights are the Tomasovsky view (Tomasovsky vyhlad) and the Needle (Ihla). In addition to natural beauty, the National Park of Slovak Paradise is rich in flora and fauna.
Photo: www.npslovenskyraj.sk
5. Wooden churches
The wooden churches are the jewels of Slovak folk and sacred architecture. Their construction and the interior is the rarity in the center Europe. According to historical writings in Slovakia there were 300 wooden churches. However there are only around 50 preserved churches in Greek-catholic and Orthodox rite. There are only 5 wooden protestant churches left.The wooden churches were built only with wooden material, without any use of nails.That symbolized Christ's crucifixion. The principle of construction of the wooden churches (all built with log buildings of wood superimposed) was the division in three parts: the part of entrance (babinec), the central nave and the part of altar. The most precious objects inside the churches of this kind are the icons decorated with paintings representing the eastern rite and fixed inside the iconostasis, that divide the nave of the church from the part of altar.
Photo: Miroslav Petrasko
6. Spis Castle
It is the largest medieval castle in central Europe. It is located at the east Slovakia in the Spis region. It was built in the twelfth century on the ruins of an old Slavic village. In the first part of the thirteenth century, the castle was protected by a stone fortification, whereby it has withstood the attack of the Tatars in 1241. The Spis castle had belonged to many owners. In 1464 it was owned by the Zapolsky family, in the early part of the sixteenth century by the Thurzo family and the last owner from 1636 was the Csaky family until 1945.After a fire in 1780 the castle was badly damaged. The castle was not restored, and gradually became deserted. The impressive restoration work started in 1970. In the restored part of the castle is the exposition of the history of the Spis castle and dungeon with torture instruments.
Since 1993 the Spis castle and it`s surroundings (Spisska Kapitula, Spisske Podhradie, the church in Zehra) was entered in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage document. The castle is closed from December until February. Open: May to September every day from 9:00 to 18:00, from April to October from 9.00 to 16.00, from 10.00 to 15.00 in November. Every first Sunday of the month the entrance to the castle is free.
More information about Spis Castle
Photo: Peter Dobrovsky
7. Banska Stiavnica
It is located 172 km from Bratislava in a vast wooded area produced by the sinking of a volcano. Its history is very charming. With its gold and silver mines, it was one of the most important cities during the medieval time in Europe. It was also called the silver town. The palaces and castles in Vienna and Budapest were built thanks to its underground treasures. A legend says, a shepherd discovered two lizards glittering with gold and silver. He followed them to their lair and found large gold nuggets.Besides its ancient mining history, Banska Bystrica is also known for its magical atmosphere. The city attracts artists and romantics thanks to its beautifully preserved architecture, for its churches and wealthy bourgeois buildings in the center and the modest homes of the miners built on the slopes of hills. The town has remained intact over time. No coincidence that the 10.12. 1993 Banska Bystrica and its surroundings, were entered in the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
The characteristic symbols of the city are:
The plague column with a statue of the Holy Trinity, the Old Castle (former anti-Turkish fortress), the New Castle in the Renaissance style. Other places of interest include: the late Gothic church of St. Catherine - also called the Slovak church, built between 1443-1491; the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary; the parish church, which was originally a Romanesque basilica with three naves, built around 1230; Evangelical church of 1794-96, richly decorated, with a very precious organ inside.
The attraction is the Mining open-air museum, which includes machinery, laboratories and a wooden church for miners. There is the possibility to enter the old mining rooms and to visit the historical Bartolomej gallery.
Another symbol of the city is the Calvary. It is a unique monument, which belongs to one of the most beautiful Baroque Calvary in Europe. It is a complex of three churches, chapels and nineteen sculptures of the Virgin Mary. It is located on the top of Mount Scharffenberg (Ostry vrch) and can be reached by climbing up along the slope, which is lined with trees. The journey takes about 45 minutes from the city center.
Photo: Region Banska Stiavnica
8. Cicmany
This quaint village is located 655 m above sea level in the mountains of Strazov between Rajecke Teplice and Bojnice. It is about 45 minutes away from the town Zilina. The first written record of the village dates back to 1272. It is probably one of the most beautiful, preserved villages throughout Slovakia. It is the Slovak village par excellence: a set of typical houses scattered on the banks of the river Rajcanka.What makes Cicmany special is however, its original tradition of painting houses. Each cottage is set in a simple, abstract decorative mantle of white snowflakes, flowers, hearts, arrows and zigzag lines. The ornaments on houses were inspired by motifs of hand embroidery. The decoration on the trees were made with lime paint, because people thought it would protect them from natural disasters. Walking through its streets you can breathe a fairytale atmosphere, the decorated houses resemble the much famous gingerbread house of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel.
In 1977 the complex of folk architecture in Cicmany was declared a protected area, consisting of 136 wooden houses. In Cicmany you can visit the Raden`s house (Radenov dom) and the house number 42. Both houses are home to an exhibition of the regional museum of Povazie (Považské muzeum). The museum is open Tuesday-Friday from 9.00 to 16, Saturday-Sunday from 8.00 to 17.00 (closed from 12 .. to 12.30). In winter there is the possibility of skiing in the surroundings of Cicmany.
Photo: Jano Duriga
9. Tatra Mountains
Tatra Mountains are also simply called ”Tatry” in Slovak. The Tatras are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains. In the Tatra Mountains is The Tatra National Park (TANAP, Tatranský národný park). It is the oldest national park in Slovakia, founded in 1949 and has 74,111 hectares. It consists of 3 parts: Zapadne (Western Tatras), Belianske Tatry and Vysoke Tatry (High Tatras).The chains of the High Tatras are the only mountain ranges in Slovakia with the same geological characteristics of the Alps and at the same time are the smallest mountains in Europe. The highest of the Tatra mountains is the Mount Gerlach, 2655 m high. The High Tatras, thanks to their position are climatic spas for respiratory diseases and also a center of tourism and winter sports.
The hot springs located at the highest point are the climatic spas of Strbske Pleso (1355 m), which are also the starting point for hiking in the mountains. In 1793 it was founded the tourist center as well as the important health resort Stary Smokovec (1010 m). Other centers of the Tatras are Tatranska Lomnica (850 m), Tatranska Polianka (1000 m), Vysne Hagy (1100 m), Zdiar (895), etc. The Tatra National Park is home to many alpine lakes. Among the best known are Strbske Pleso (pleso in Slovak means "Alpine lake"), Skalnate pleso, Velke Hyncovo pleso. The most frequented places in the mountains after the lakes are the waterfalls, such as: the Skok waterfall, waterfalls of Studeny Potok, the Kmet waterfall and the Czech waterfall.
In the High Tatras there are several well-marked hiking trails that take tourists to the valleys (the Mengusova valley, Velka and Mala Studena dolina) or mountain (mountains Gerlach, Krivan, Rysy and the Lomnicky Peak, 2632 m high, whith the cable car). Other destinations in the High Tatras are the Belianska cave, 7 km from the picturesque village of Zdiar, or the nearby caves of Demanova.
The national park is rich in flora and fauna. You can see many deer, roe deer, wild boars, bears, chamois, marmots. All animals are protected by law. The High Tatras, together with the Polish side of the Tatras, were declared by UNESCO in 1993, the Biological Reserve of the Tatras.
Photo: Peter Dobrovsky
10. Ice Cave Dobsina
In The Slovak Paradise national park in the Spis-Gemer region is the ice cave Dobsina (Dobsinska Ladova jaskyna). It is one of the largest ice caves in the world. Since 2000, it is included in the world heritage of UNESCO. The largest part of the cave was discovered in 1870 and from the beginning attracted much attention. Thanks to the city of Dobsina, it was opened to the public as early as 1871, just a year after its discovery. In 1887 it was one of the first in Europe to have electric enlightened.Until 1946 it was possible for the public to ice skate there for the whole year. In the 50s a well known Czechoslovakian champion in ice skating, Karol Divin, used to train here. The ice cave is 1232 m long and its altitude is 112 m. For the public are accessible only 515 m with 43 m height difference. The air temperature in the ice room called the Great Hall range from -3.8 to + 0.5 ° C, relative humidity is 75-88%. In the Great Hall is the biggest ice, 26.5 m long. The individual icy parts of the cave have names based on what they remember: the Small hall, the Great Hall, the Hall of Rufiny and House destroyed. Among non-icy parts include the Hall of stalactites, the White room, Dry house, Hell, etc.
Its entrance, also called the Ice Hole, is situated below the mountain Duča (1,141 m) on the northern side of the plateau Hanesová at the altitude of 971 m. The salient point is in the village Dobšinská ľadová jaskyňa and tourists have to overcome the altitude difference of 130 m via switchbacks to climb to it. The length of the sightseeing trail is 515 m. The guided tour of the cave takes about 30 minutes. Warm clothing and suitable footwear is highly recomended. Opening: 15.5 - 30.9. Closed: Monday.
Due to its beauty and nature value it was inscribed into the List of UNESCO World Natural Heritage in 2000.
Photo: Terra Incognita
