Blog.Amazing-Slovakia.com

One of Slovakia’s most developed, turistic regions is called Liptov. It lies around the town of Liptovský Mikuláš and lake Liptovská Mara. Liptov includes parts of the national reserves Low and High Tatras. One can find many good campings here, pensions, an aquapark for the whole family, funiculars, bicycle paths, and everywhere you will notice the so-called Salaš (sheep-pen) where they serve specialities made from sheep or goat.

In Liptov are also many well indicated hiking paths. You will easily find hiking-maps in most bookstores and at the turist information. One of the most beautiful hiking paths leads through two valleys, Prosiecka and Kvačianska dolina. The tour which starts and ends in the village Prosiek is not too difficult; it is 17 km. long, lasts max. 7 hours en there is a difference in hight of 350 meters. First one follows the blue route, then the red one, and from the village Kvačany, the yellow route.

The path runs through narrow valleys enclosed by rough mountains, through deep forests, past ravines and waterfalls, and sometime one needs to climb ladders. There are wild animals here you won’t see (though they might see you), like bears, wolves and lynx. But most particular on this route in the valley Kvačianska dolina, are the water-mills from the beginning of the 19th century which were once used as saw-mills. After their destruction in the Second World War and expropriation during communism, they have now been wonderfully renovated by volunteers. Even the water-wheel is functioning again, so it is as if the water-mill regained at least symbolically its original function.

The water-mills make a nice rest during your walk. Here you may sit at the brook with its water rushing wildly. Sometimes there are quite some people doing the same, but that doesn’t really matter, as they all have in common respect for the splendid nature and for the mills, which have become national-technical monuments. And the young people working there gladly provide you with information about the mills. Their effort and devotion proves that there is still much to hope for in this world.

Rimavská Sobota is in the south of Central-Slovakia, not very far from the border with Hungary. This region is called Gemer, a marvellous nature area which is hardly visited by tourists. Here are 3 national reserves: Muránska planina (Plateau of Muran), Slovenský raj (Slovak Paradise) and Slovenský kras (Slovak Karst mountains).

There are many majestic buildings standing in the province town of Rimavská Sobota (24.000 inhabitants). They were mostly built at the beginning of the 20th century, when the town became the most important centre of food industry with the largest cannery of the country. Nowadays in the summer the town attracts many young people who come to visit popular cultural festivals as a theater and music festival in June and a festival of amateur arts and artists in August.

Furthermore there is an observatory, a gallery of modern art and an impressive cemetery for those fallen in the First World War. And there is one of Slovakia’s oldest museums, the Gemer-Malohont Museum, with a surprisingly rich collection, illustrating in detail the region from the Bronze Age until today. Quite peculiar is an unimpaired Egyptian mummy of a woman and her sarcophagus, brought to the museum at the beginning of the 20th century by a traveller of the regio who visited Egypt at the time. The name of the woman is Tasheritnetia and she is from the 22nd till 26th dynasty between the years 945 and 525 before Christ. There is also a vase in which the intestines of the deceased were put.

Also very particular in this museum is the only permament exposition in Slovakia of the history of the Roma.  By learning more of each other’s origin and culture, one creates mutual understanding and tolerance. The initiative started a few years ago and the exposition is rapidly growing. A very noble objective.

Rimavská Sobota is not being mentioned too much in tourist guides, still it is one of Slovakia’s most exclusive towns, and really worth a visit.