Liptov

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    Thanks to its excellent natural conditions, historical cultural monuments and preserved folk architecture it is one of the most beautiful and by tourist most visited regions in Slovakia. It is situated in the south-eastern part of the administrative area of the city of Žilina (northern part of Slovakia), surrounded by the most important Slovak mountains - Vysoké Tatry (High Tatras) in the east, Západné Tatry (West Tatras) and Chočské vrchy (Chočské Hills) in the north, Nízke Tatry (Low Tatras) in the south and Veľká Fatra (Great Fatra) in the west. All these unique mountains with breathtaking valleys offer very suitable facilities for hiking, mountain biking, but first of all for winter sports. Ski centers offer outstanding conditions for down-hill as well as cross-country skiing. The ski centers in Demänovská dolina (Demänovská Valley), Malinné, Jasná, Chopok, Bocká dolina (Bocká Valley) and Jánska dolina (Jánska Valley) belong to the most visited. For those who are looking for alpine skiing we can recommend the valley - Žiarska and Demänovská. Besides of skiing and tourism, this region offers also other less traditional sports such as paragliding, rafting, horse riding, speleoservice, joy flights, rock-climbing, cycling, hunting or fishing. The longest Slovak river Váh (403 km) flows through the region. In its central part there is a water reservoir Liptovská Mara with important centers of summer recreation and water sports. It comprises the districts of Liptovský Mikuláš and Ružomberok.
    Geographically, the Liptov region is an ideal area specific with its peculiar folk architecture and folklore (Vlkolínec, Východná, Važec, Hybe, Liptovské Sliače, Liptovská Osada and others). In the region, there you can find a large number of springs of mineral water. Their healing influence is utilized in the spa resorts Lúčky, Korytnica and Ľubochňa. A spring of mineral water is utilized also by the thermal swimming pools in Tatralandia, Liptovský Ján and in Bešeňová. Other numerous springs of mineral water are utilized as a drinking mineral water. In the Múzeum liptovskej dediny (Museum of Original Liptov Village) in Pribylina visitors can discover not only original local Liptov folklore, folk handcrafts, but also with breeding of hucul horses, which is a curiosity of this museum. Reservation of folk architecture in the village of Vlkolínec is another rarity, which has been registered in the list of the World natural and cultural heritage UNESCO.
    In the central part of the Liptov region, eastwards from the water reservoir Liptovská Mara, there is a city of Liptovský Mikuláš, administrative centre of the Liptov region with the population of about 31 thousand people. The city is well-known by a historical event where on 13/03/1713 a folk hero Juraj Jánošik was executed (he was one of the most popular national heroes in Slovakia). Many personalities of Slovak cultural and political life were born in this region. Out of the cultural historical monuments, the most significant are: Kostol sv. Mikuláša (Church of St. Nicolas) from the year 1280 with preserved gothic vaults; Seligovský dom (Seligovský House) where Juraj Jánošik was sentenced to death (today it is a museum of J. Kráľ), city hall (enlarged and rebuilt in the pseudo-baroque style); baroque building of the Slovak museum of nature and speleology; craftsman houses; manor houses and many other monuments. On the river Váh, a water slalom area with a canoeing pool was built (Slovak national representatives prepare here for international championships). In the city there you can find sport stadiums, swimming pools, dockyard, winter stadium etc. The city of Liptovský Mikuláš is a suitable starting point for the hikes to Nízke Tatry (Low Tatras) (especially to the Demänovská dolina (Demänovská Valley)) and to Západné Tatry (West Tatras) (where you can easily get to the main tourist trail called “tatranska magistrala”). For the water sports fans and those who love fishing, probably the water reservoir Liptovská Mara (27 km2 large, 43 m deep) would be the most attractive. The most precious monuments from the villages which were flooded by the water dam were moved to the expositions of the open Liptovské múzeum in Pribylina and to the village of Svätý Kríž (articular church from Paludza - which is the greatest cross-wooden church in Europe).

    In the western part of the Liptov region, close to the confluence of the rivers Revúca and Váh, there is a city Ružomberok with the population of about 30.4 thousand people. It was a place of work of Andrej Hlinka (an important personality of the Slovak national history) and a birthplace of Ľudovít Fulla (a famous Slovak painter). Out of all cultural-historical monuments we can mention: an originally gothic manor-house (complex of several buildings which were rebuilt in the 18-th century), a late-baroque monastery from the year 1730, an originally gothic church with precious interior, craftsman houses from the 18-th century situated in the Revolučná street. In the city and its surroundings there you can find several memorials dedicated to the Slovak National Uprising (1944). You can combine the city visit with the exhibition of the Liptovské Museum and the Gallery of Ľ. Fulla with lots of Liptov region oriented paintings. You also have an opportunity to visit a ruin of the castle Likava, situated on the way from Ružomberok to Orava. To those who prefer wither sports we recommend to visit the recreational resort Malino Brdo, which is easily accessible by a cable car. Ružomberok is an excellent starting point for the hikes to the mountains of Veľká Fatra (Great Fatra), Chočské vrchy (Chočské Hills) and Nízke Tatry (Low Tatras).
    One of the most important and most visited spots in the Liptov region is Kvačianska and Prosiecka valley in the Chočské Hills. Kvačianska valley is a deep ravine created in limestones and dolomites. Its height overreaches 100 m. A creek Kvačianka with lots of small waterfalls flows through the valley. Preserved old technical folk buildings can still be found here (an old wooden millhouse called Dolný Brunčiakovský mlyn). In the west from the Kvačianska valley there is 450-500 m deep canyon-shaped Prosiecka valley. It is 4 km long, but only a few meters wide. The creek Prosiečanka disappears in the ground, so the valley is without water.
    In the south from the city of Liptovský Mikuláš there is a National park Nízke Tatry (Low Tatras) (NAPANT) and the largest protected landscape area in Slovakia - Demänovská dolina (Demänovská Valley). This valley became world famous by its rich and huge karst formations and the ski slopes of European standard. The system of caves in the Demänovská Valley is about 21 km long and consists of 30 caves, out of which the following 3 are open to public: Demänovská jaskyňa slobody (Demänovská Cave of Freedom), Demänovská ľadová jaskyňa (Demänovská Ice Cave) and Demänovská jaskyňa mieru (Demänovská Cave of Peace). In the upper part of the valley, there is one of the most known tourist and ski centers in Slovakia - Jasná.
    Those who prefer alpine hiking can try to hike up to the ridge of Západné Tatry (West Tatras) with the altitude of 2000 m (Baníkov, Tri kopy, Plačlivé, Ostrý Roháč, Bystrá, Jakubina, Baranec) - recommended only for trained people.

This is my web-site dedicated to the Liptov region.
I cordially invite you to visit this beautiful part of Slovakia.
Welcome
Rudolf Kukura

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