Slovakia Heritage - Tour of Slovak Folk Heritage

Itinerary

In this high-tech modern age, we can hardly imagine how our ancestors used to live without cell phones, modern vehicles, and the Internet. We can only assume that they lived a practical life in harmony with nature. But was this way of life as ideal as we think now?
On this tour, when visiting open-air museums of folk architecture and traditional villages still inhabited, we will have the opportunity to find the answer to this question.

Come and see that once it was possible to live without electricity, computers and other conveniences of our modern life.

1. Day 1 Arrival in Bratislava, Slovakia.

   - Arrival in Bratislava city
   - Accommodation
   - Free time

2. Day 2 Visit to Cicmany village with folk architecture, open-air Museum of the Slovak Village. Transfer to Martin town.

   - Breakfast
   - Cicmany village
   - Museum of the Slovak village in Martin
   - Accommodation in Martin
   
   The unique and characteristic element of log houses in Cicmany are their exteriors ornamented in a geometrical pattern. The authors of ornaments were traditionally women who originally adorned only the corners of the dwellings, first with mud and later with lime.
   The best-preserved ones include Raden's house (Rademov dom) and the neighboring Gregor's house (Gregorov dom), which shelters the ethnographic exhibition. Visitors can learn something more about the history and folklore of this region there.
   
   Museum of the Slovak Village is the largest ethnographic open-air exposition in Slovakia. The museum is in Jahodnicke haje in the southeastern part of the town of Martin. Slovak National Museum in Martin built the areal in the 1960s. It provides a picture of traditional folk architecture, housing, and the way of life of people who lived in northwestern Slovakia in the latter half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

3. Day 3 Visit to Museum of the Orava village in Zuberec, Wooden church in Lestiny village (UNESCO), and Orava castle.

   - Breakfast
   - Museum of the Orava village
   - Wooden church in Lestiny
   - Orava Castle
   - Return to Martin
   
   Museum of the Slovak Village is the largest ethnographic open-air exposition in Slovakia. The museum is in Jahodnicke haje in the southeastern part of the town of Martin. Slovak National Museum in Martin built the areal in the 1960s. It provides a picture of traditional folk architecture, housing, and the way of life of people who lived in northwestern Slovakia in the latter half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.
   
   The wooden articled Evangelical church in Lestiny has lavishly painted interior decoration dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Visitors are especially captivated by the main altar from the beginning of the 18th century, church pews with coats of arms, and Renaissance baptistery from the 17th century.
   
   Orava castle lies on a high rock above the Orava river near Oravsky Podzamok village. In 1370 it became the seat of the Orava county and the Castle estate, administrating almost the whole region of Orava.

4. Day 4 Visit to Vlkolinec village (UNESCO), Spania Dolina old mining village and wooden church in Hronsek village (UNESCO). Transfer to Banska Stiavnica town.

   - Breakfast
   - Monument Reserve of Folk Architecture in Vlkolinec
   - Spania Dolina, a former mining village
   - Wooden church in Hronsek
   - Transfer to Banska Stiavnica
   - Accommodation in Banska Stiavnica
   
   Vlkolinec village - Monument Reserve of Folk Architecture is the extraordinary and remarkable oasis of folk architecture and on the UNESCO list since 1993.
   The first written record of the community is from 1376. Originally it was the settlement of loggers, shepherds, and farmers. Its unique compound of original folk buildings remains untouched by modern construction.
   ICOMOS (International Council for Monuments and Settlements) classified it as the best-reserved settlement of this time within the Carpathian Arch.
   
   The Monument Reserve of Popular Architecture in Spania Dolina consists of a unique set of miner houses built of wood and stones. The former mining village is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in Slovakia. The majority of preserved houses are from the 19th century.
   
   Wooden articled church in Hronsek is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2008. The wooden church and wooden belfry originate from 1726. The capacity of the church is 1,100 chairs. In early November 2000, Prince Charles from British Royal Family visited the church.

5. Day 5 Banska Stiavnica town sightseeing, UNESCO. Transfer to Bratislava.

   - Breakfast
   - Banska Stiavnica sightseeing
   - Transfer to Bratislava
   - Accommodation in Bratislava
   
   Banska Stiavnica is a former mining town and lies amid the forests of the Stiavnicke mountains. Banska Stiavnica is one of the most beautiful and historically one of the most beautiful towns in Slovakia. The town is on the list of the World Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.
   Banska Stavnica progressively became the dominant mining center in the Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th century. Banska Stiavnica monument town reserve comprises as many as 360 structures. Together they present a unique set of high cultural and historical value, placed into the pleasant environment of the Stiavnicke mountains.

6. Day 6 Farewell.

   - Breakfast
   - End of the tour

Overview