The first direct written mention of Vlkolínec dates from 1461, with an earlier indirect reference going back to 1376. In the 1461 record, Vlkolínec is listed as one of the “streets” of the town of Ružomberok. Its name comes from the Slovak word vlk (wolf), a nod to the abundance of wolves that once roamed the surrounding forests.
However, the history of settlement in this area reaches back further. Towering directly above Vlkolínec is Sidorovo, a peak known locally as Žiar. In the earlier Iron Age, during the Hallstatt period, a hillfort stood at its summit. Enclosed by an earthen rampart, the fort occupied an elliptical area measuring approximately 150 by 70 metres. On its southern edge, the rampart connected to the sheer rock faces of the massif. The structure was oriented north to south and featured terraced grounds. Perched high in the mountains at an elevation of 1,092 metres above sea level (just below the 1,099-metre summit of Sidorovo), the fort enjoyed a clear strategic advantage: its inaccessibility made it exceptionally difficult for enemies to capture. It was not permanently inhabited, but served as a refuge in times of threat. Two intact vessels and fragments of pottery have been found from this period. In later centuries, a Slavic hillfort also stood here, with further ceramic finds dating from the Great Moravian and post-Great Moravian periods.
A 1340 charter defining the territory of Ružomberok included the area of present-day Vlkolínec within the town’s domain. The village of Vlkolínec itself began to take shape in the second half of the 14th century, most likely founded by settlers from the nearby Biely Potok.
By 1625, the village comprised four homesteads of peasants and five dwellings of cottagers (želiari), the poorest stratum of the serf population. At the time, local inhabitants earned their livelihood through agriculture, herding sheep and cattle, keeping bees, producing cheese, bryndza, and other dairy products, logging, making charcoal, and producing wooden shingles.
In the 18th century, a dispute flared up between the so-called “streets” and the town of Ružomberok, with Vlkolínec playing an active role. The inhabitants of these outlying settlements sought recognition of their rights from the town authorities. Since the 15th century, Vlkolínec had been regarded as one of Ružomberok’s “streets”, along with Villaludrová, Biely Potok, and Černová. These settlements were obliged to pay taxes to the town (Vlkolínec’s share amounted to 52 ducats) and their reeves were subordinate to the mayor of Ružomberok. The town did not treat them as citizens, but as its serfs. The dispute dragged on for nearly the entire century. In 1771, the “streets” sought independence from Ružomberok, but their efforts failed. All their inhabitants were required to provide 21 days of labour for the estate each year. Complaints about mistreatment reached even the emperor himself. In 1775, the county of Liptov was forced to send in soldiers to quell an uprising. The ringleaders were imprisoned and flogged. The conflict carried over into the 19th century, culminating in a series of long court cases that eventually led to partial legal parity between the “streets” and the town. Over time, these settlements also secured representation on the municipal council.
In 1770, a wooden belfry was erected in the centre of Vlkolínec. Today, it stands as one of the most important examples of folk architecture in the village.
In 1825, a population census recorded 334 inhabitants in Vlkolínec.
A 13-metre-deep wooden draw-well, built in 1860, still survives. In 1875, the Church of the Visitation was constructed on the eastern edge of the village, near the local cemetery. Towards the end of the 19th century, a brick schoolhouse was built nearby.
In 1882, Vlkolínec was officially incorporated as a municipal district of Ružomberok.
Vlkolínec’s residents were affected by the First World War, which claimed the lives of fifteen local men who had been conscripted.
By 1944, the village had eighty-two houses. It was at this time that the tragedies of war struck the community once more. In October 1944, during the Slovak National Uprising, several homes at the upper end of the village were destroyed by mortar fire. The attack took place amid fierce fighting for the nearby peak of Ostrô. Fortunately, most of the villagers had already been evacuated to Liptovská Lúžna and did not return until the uprising had come to an end. However, a German commando unit murdered five people in the village.
Electricity did not reach Vlkolínec until 1956.
The village lies in a distinctly remote location, a fact that has helped to preserve not only the external appearance of its dwellings but, in many cases, their interior layout as well. Nowhere else in Central Europe has such a cohesive and comparable collection of original houses survived. This is what makes Vlkolínec truly unique.
For this reason, on 26 January 1977, the Government of the Slovak Socialist Republic, under Resolution No 21, declared Vlkolínec a folk architecture heritage site. That decision was aimed at protecting the cultural value of this remarkable locality.
On 11 December 1993, at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Cartagena, Colombia, Vlkolínec was inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. This recognition confirmed its exceptional status on a global scale.
