{"id":392627,"date":"2025-06-10T15:30:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T13:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/?page_id=392627"},"modified":"2025-06-10T15:31:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T13:31:53","slug":"points-of-interest","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/en\/about-vlkolinec\/points-of-interest\/","title":{"rendered":"Points of interest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vlkol\u00ednec is a living village<\/span><\/strong>, home to both permanent inhabitants and seasonal residents (owners of wooden cottages who stay here during the holidays).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sidorovo<\/span><\/strong>, the prominent peak rising above Vlkol\u00ednec, forms part of the Ve\u013ek\u00e1 Fatra range. Locals call it \u017diar, while historical maps (up to 1950) refer to it as H\u00edrav\u00e1. The mountain bears traces of a prehistoric hillfort dating back 2,500 years. Amateur archaeological research conducted by Ivan Houdek in 1931\u201332 confirmed the presence of Hallstatt and Early Lusatian cultures, evidenced by ceramic fragments. Every Easter Sunday, the Vlkol\u00ednec Civic Association organises a star-shaped hiking ascent of Sidorovo.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Natural monuments<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 several geological formations in the area have been protected since 1952:\u00a0<\/span>Krkav\u00e1 skala<\/span><\/strong>, on the eastern slope of Sidorovo, is a limestone cliff 22 metres high and covering 0.26 hectares. A small stand of red pine grows at its summit.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Vl\u010dia skala<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is a travertine formation shaped like a terrace that plunges steeply into the Trlensk\u00e1 Valley. A building once used as a Jesuit retreat from the monastery in Ru\u017eomberok stands atop the terrace.\u00a0<\/span>Doggersk\u00e9 skaly<\/span><\/strong>,\u00a0also in the Trlensk\u00e1 Valley, is a set of rocks covering 0.17 hectares and forming a karst landscape that exposes a Jurassic radiolarite sequence from the Dogger age in the Ve\u013ek\u00e1 Fatra range.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Flora<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 the area supports several valuable plant communities: moist habitats in the Trlensk\u00e1 Valley and below Borovn\u00edk are home to species such as the western marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza majalis Rchb), bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata L.), bird\u2019s-eye primrose (Primula farinosa L.), and hare\u2019s-tail cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum L.). Limestone cliffs are colonised by the auricula (Primula auricula L.). Forest edges host grassy and herbaceous communities with species such as alpine clematis (Clematis alpina), lady\u2019s slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus L.), and common columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris L.). The potential natural vegetation consists of spruce\u2013pine and beech forests.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>fauna<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is characteristic of Central European mountain regions and includes the brown bear (Ursus arctos), grey wolf (Canis lupus), and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The first recorded<\/strong> (surviving) mention<\/span>\u00a0of the village of Vlkol\u00ednec dates from 1461, under the name Wylkovinecz. The village was, and still is, part of the town of Ru\u017eomberok, which was granted town privileges in 1318. However, as early as 9 July 1376, King Louis I (Louis the Great) ordered the reeves and inhabitants of all villages within the town\u2019s domain \u2013 its \u201cstreets\u201d, as they were called: \u010cernov\u00e1, Biely Potok, Vlkol\u00ednec, and Villa Ludrov\u00e1 \u2013 to pay taxes (<\/span>collecta<\/i><\/span>) to Ru\u017eomberok and to turn to the town authorities if they had any disputes. This decree marked the beginning of their subordination.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The population consisted of <\/span><\/strong>peasants and cottagers<\/strong><\/span>: peasants were landowners with a homestead, house, and plot, while cottagers were landless tenants occupying a house in the village.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The 1771 <\/span>rebellion of the four streets<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 or rather, the dispute between the \u201cstreets\u201d and the town \u2013 had deep roots. For centuries, \u010cernov\u00e1, Biely Potok, Ludrov\u00e1, and Vlkol\u00ednec were outer settlements that belonged to Ru\u017eomberok. Records from 1598 even show that each village elected two senators to the town council. Yet tensions simmered over shared rights to the surrounding territory \u2013 logging in the forests, fishing, and livestock grazing on pastures and meadows. The town, wanting to restrict the \u201cstreet dwellers\u201d from using this communal land, resorted to livestock confiscations, fines, and even corporal punishment. It treated the inhabitants of the four streets not as equal citizens, but as serfs. The town even forced them to contribute part of a monetary tax (<\/span>census<\/i><\/span>) that Ru\u017eomberok itself owed to the lords of Likava. In 1771, this long-standing conflict came to a head. The \u201cstreets\u201d attempted to break away from Ru\u017eomberok through legal means, but failed \u2013 and resistance broke out. The revolt was instigated by Ondrej Kri\u010dka, a cooper from Ru\u017eomberok, who rallied discontented residents. He was soon joined by other leaders: Adam P\u00fa\u010dek from Biely Potok, Martin Hl\u00e1sny from Ludrov\u00e1, and Michal Laurin\u010dek from Vlkol\u00ednec. In 1775, at the request of the town, imperial troops occupied the \u201cstreets\u201d. The men fled to the hills, the fields lay uncultivated, and women and children were left to face the cruelty of the mercenaries, who remained in place until 1777. Under such harsh conditions, the villagers were forced to capitulate (only Vlkol\u00ednec, in 1777, formally reaffirmed its loyalty to the town). Three leaders of the uprising were sentenced to hard labour in Szeged, and, after serving their terms, remained under permanent surveillance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span><\/strong>folk architecture of Vlkol\u00ednec<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0is typical of highland regions. The main building material was timber from the surrounding forests; stone was used only for cellars and storage rooms. The sloping terrain was levelled with high stone foundations, whose plinths form a colourful contrast with the timber walls. Uneven walls were smoothed with clay, which was then whitewashed and painted twice a year, once in spring and again in autumn. Interior walls were also levelled with clay and, once dry, were painted. Floors in the entry hall and storeroom were typically made of compacted earth, while the main room had a wooden floor.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Log houses:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>the essential construction method for wooden buildings here is block construction \u2013 laying hewn logs horizontally, one atop another, without a vertical frame. At the corners where walls meet, the beams were interlinked using mortise joints. Moss was placed between the logs during assembly to insulate against wind (draughts) and cold and to retain warmth from the hearth or stove. Once the structure was complete, the gaps were sealed with clay, which served both a practical and aesthetic function. Log houses in Vlkol\u00ednec typically had three rooms: the main room, the entry hall, and the storeroom.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>main room (<\/span>izba<\/i><\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0was the largest space in the house and the centre of family life. It accommodated extended families \u2013 often several households or two generations \u2013 and served as a space not only for sleeping, cooking, and eating, but also for all household tasks. In winter, even young animals were sheltered here. Some homes had a pit dug into the floor for storing potatoes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>entry hall (<\/span>pitvor<\/i><\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0was the central room of the house. Over time, its rear section evolved into a kitchen with a hearth and stove. Smoke escaped through a hole in the ceiling (<\/span>dymn\u00edk<\/i><\/span>) into the attic, which also served as a smoking chamber for meat and wooden shingles hung in special racks. The bread oven, located in the main room, was also heated from this hearth. (In the early 20th century, smoke began to be drawn through a chimney from a brick oven.)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>storeroom (<\/span>komora<\/i><\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0was a dark room with a single window, used to store food and grain in troughs or chests. A barrel of sauerkraut stood here, along with farming tools and wooden utensils. It also served as an occasional sleeping area.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Barns (<\/span>humn\u00e1<\/i><\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0were wooden farm buildings used for work and storage. They typically stood behind the main house, enclosing the courtyard.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>stable (<\/span>ma\u0161ta\u013e<\/i><\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0either stood separately or was attached to the barn. Along with pigsties and sheep pens (<\/span>z\u00e1\u010diny<\/i><\/span>), it housed domestic livestock.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Wooden shingles<\/span><\/strong>, made by splitting softwood, were a traditional roofing material with a typical lifespan of around thirty years. The manual production process began by selecting a tree with a straight trunk, which was then sawn into evenly sized billets using a two-man saw. These were cut to the required length and split with an axe to the desired thickness. The resulting boards were shaped further using a drawknife on a shaving horse. Grooves were then carved into the thicker edge of each shingle using a special knife known as a <\/span>pa\u017e\u00e1k<\/i><\/span>, allowing the individual pieces to interlock. The shingled roofs of houses in Vlkol\u00ednec are gabled, finished with a stepped ridge spanning approximately five rows of shingles. At the top of each gable sits a semicircle and a wooden peg (some of these semicircles are adorned with carved decorations or inscriptions, such as a date, a cross, or the builder\u2019s name).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A <\/span>stream<\/span>\u00a0once formed the original axis of the settlement, with a roadway running along either side. Its water was channelled through wooden troughs around 40 cm in diameter, allowing the women of Vlkol\u00ednec to do laundry and water their livestock. Today, however, the stream no longer flows through the entire village. In the central section, between house numbers 8 and 9, it has been diverted from the road and now runs through gardens out of the village.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At the heart of Vlkol\u00ednec stands a <\/span>well<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>constructed from logs and equipped with a pulley mechanism. This once served as the village\u2019s sole source of drinking water, though the settlement now has a mains supply.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>belfry<\/span><\/strong>, built in 1770, has log walls clad externally with shingles and is topped with a shingled roof and a cross. The two-storey tower once marked the time for daily prayers and functioned as a kind of village clock. Traditionally rung by one of the women appointed as bell-ringer, the bell sounded three times a day \u2013 in the early morning, at lunchtime, and in the evening \u2013 and also tolled to mark a death. The belfry marked the boundary between the upper and lower parts of Vlkol\u00ednec, dividing the villagers into Ni\u017e\u0148ania (\u201clower folk\u201d) and Vy\u0161\u0148ania (\u201cupper folk\u201d).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>church<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0stands at the eastern edge of the village. Originally built as a roadside chapel next to the cemetery, it is a single-nave Baroque structure in a Classical style with a presbytery and a tower incorporated into its front fa\u00e7ade. It is dedicated to the Visitation of the Virgin Mary to Saint Elizabeth, an occasion associated with the blessing of flowers symbolising fertility. A pilgrimage is held each year in Vlkol\u00ednec on this date, 2 July. Another pilgrimage takes place on 5 August for the Feast of Our Lady of the Snows, commemorating a \u201cmiraculous\u201d summer snowfall and the end of a plague.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Vlkol\u00ednec had a <\/span>folk school<\/strong><\/span>, located in a wooden cottage at the centre of the village. As the number of children grew during the Austro-Hungarian period, the town of Ru\u017eomberok built a brick school with one classroom, providing six years of compulsory education with a single teacher. Following the establishment of the First Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, a new law on schools introduced eight years of compulsory schooling. One teacher from that period, Jozef M\u00e1jek, was killed in Spain in 1936 as a 25-year-old member of the International Brigades. Today, the former school building houses the Gallery of Folk Art. Children from Vlkol\u00ednec now attend primary schools in the town.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hay huts<\/span> \u2013 known as <\/span>\u0161t\u00e1le<\/i><\/span><\/strong> \u2013 were used to store hay or provide shelter for livestock in summer and winter. They were scattered across the surrounding land, with at least one hay hut in every meadow near Vlkol\u00ednec (around fifty stood in the meadows near Malinn\u00e9). In winter, hay was brought home to feed the animals, transported on sledges called <\/span>kr\u0148a\u010dky<\/i><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Farming in Vlkol\u00ednec<\/span><\/strong> was carried out on terraced fields. The villagers primarily grew cereals (locally called <\/span>zbo\u017eie<\/i><\/span>), most commonly barley, which was used for flour, groats, and poultry feed. Barley straw, often mixed with weeds, was chopped into chaff to feed livestock and sheep in winter. Rye (<\/span>ra\u017e<\/i><\/span>) was cultivated for its straw, which filled <\/span>stro\u017eliaky<\/i><\/span> \u2013 mattresses. Oats were prized for their resilience. Grain was threshed by hand in the barnyard using flails, then winnowed with a sieve to remove fragments of straw and husk. The grain was then tossed with a wooden shovel to separate it from the chaff and sifted again using a special sieve with holes just large enough for the grain to pass through. Potatoes (known locally as <\/span>\u0161v\u00e1bka<\/i><\/span>) and fermented cabbage were staple foods in Vlkol\u00ednec.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Peas<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0were grown in pea fields. Once ripe, they were harvested, dried, and threshed with flails. The empty pods were fed to livestock. Peas were a traditional folk food, often made into mash. In times of scarcity, they were milled into flour and mixed into bread dough. Due to their abundance, peas were believed to possess magical properties and were seen as a symbol of prosperity. Cooked peas formed part of the traditional Christmas meal in Vlkol\u00ednec.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Beans<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0are a popular legume today. In Vlkol\u00ednec, bean stew is cooked by the Vlkol\u00ednec Civic Association at cultural events.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Flax and hemp<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 practical textile plants \u2013 were cultivated for centuries by the women of Vlkol\u00ednec, who processed them at home to weave linen and hemp cloth. Once pulled from the earth, the stalks were dried, then soaked in retting pits. After drying again, they were crushed with a pestle, beaten on a threshing board, and combed on a hackle. The resulting fibres were prepared into tow for spinning. The seeds of flax and hemp were ground in a mortar to produce oil, which was used to flavour mashed potatoes during Lent.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Potatoes<\/strong> and cabbage<\/span> formed the basis of the local diet.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Fruit trees<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0in Vlkol\u00ednec included especially hardy varieties of plums and pears (known locally as <\/span>hnili\u010dky<\/i><\/span>), which were dried in a bread oven to make fruit crisps.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sheep<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0were kept in large numbers. At the beginning of the 20th century, the village had two sheep farms housing a total of 500 sheep. Their wool was processed into cloth, which was sold at the market fair in Ru\u017eomberok.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The men of Vlkol\u00ednec earned their living as <\/span>woodcutters<\/span><\/strong>. In summer, they felled trees in the surrounding forests. In winter, they hauled these logs down into the town on sledges (<\/span>kr\u0148a\u010dky<\/i><\/span>).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the past, the people of Vlkol\u00ednec were known as <\/span>skilled carpenters<\/span><\/strong>. They built timber houses in villages across lower Liptov, split shingles, and practised woodcarving. Traditional Slovak carving was originally associated with practical shepherds\u2019 utensils (pails, ladles, and moulds for cheese, including <\/span>o\u0161tiepok<\/i><\/span> \u2013 a traditional smoked sheep-milk cheese), as well as household items such as kitchen tools, wooden dishes, spoons, spatulas, pestles and butter churns. Today, folk carvers create decorative objects, artistic reliefs, and sculptures, which are exhibited to the public each August at \u201cSunday in Vlkol\u00ednec\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vlkol\u00ednec is a living village, home to both permanent inhabitants and seasonal residents (owners of wooden cottages who stay here during the holidays). Sidorovo, the prominent peak rising above Vlkol\u00ednec,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":392629,"parent":392619,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-392627","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"featured_media_image":{"width":1200,"height":801,"file":"2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1.jpg","filesize":265823,"sizes":{"medium":{"file":"Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-300x200.jpg","width":300,"height":200,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":17794,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-300x200.jpg"},"large":{"file":"Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-1024x684.jpg","width":1024,"height":684,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":173474,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-1024x684.jpg"},"thumbnail":{"file":"Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":7032,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-150x150.jpg"},"medium_large":{"file":"Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-768x513.jpg","width":768,"height":513,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":101579,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-768x513.jpg"},"wpsimplegallery_admin_thumb":{"file":"Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-109x109.jpg","width":109,"height":109,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":4041,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-109x109.jpg"},"wpsimplegallery_thumb":{"file":"Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-100x100.jpg","width":100,"height":100,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":3626,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-100x100.jpg"},"catalogue":{"file":"Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-400x250.jpg","width":400,"height":250,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":28166,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-400x250.jpg"},"mid-rectangle":{"file":"Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-600x400.jpg","width":600,"height":400,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":62484,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-600x400.jpg"},"grandtour-gallery-grid":{"file":"Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-700x466.jpg","width":700,"height":466,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":85811,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-700x466.jpg"},"grandtour-gallery-list":{"file":"Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-500x500.jpg","width":500,"height":500,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":63429,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-500x500.jpg"},"grandtour-blog":{"file":"Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-960x636.jpg","width":960,"height":636,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":151840,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1-960x636.jpg"}},"url":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Vlkolinec_190402_Vlkolinec_07-1200x801-1.jpg"},"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/392627"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=392627"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/392627\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":392630,"href":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/392627\/revisions\/392630"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/392619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/392629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vlkolinec.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=392627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}