Podhorie: Discover the Landscape, Mining History and Culture

At the foot of the Štiavnické pohorie, Podhorie lies within the Štiavnické vrchy Protected Landscape Area. The village combines a protected landscape with traces of mining, historic buildings, publicly accessible exhibitions and trails with information boards. This gives Podhorie several different points of access: you can choose nature and landscape topics, explore the local history or discover cultural sites in the municipality.

Žakýlsky hrad and the mining traces

A prominent landmark is Žakýlsky hrad, also known as Pustý hrad. It lies on Brezový vrch at an elevation of 812 m above sea level, about 1.5 km north of Podhorie. Entrances to two mining adits are visible at Žakýlsky hrad. The adits are 5 and 19 m long, respectively.

The protected landscape sites in the municipality include the Žakýlske pleso natural monument in the Banská Štiavnica District. It is also located within the Štiavnické vrchy Protected Landscape Area. Anyone who wants to explore the landscape rather than focus on a single site will find a thematic addition in the Žakýlske pleso educational trail: nine information boards cover the landscape, culture and history of Podhorie.

Church, stone houses and exhibitions

The parish church of Návštevy Panny Márie u Alžbety in Podhorie was built in 1718. Its nave is a simple Baroque structure with a semicircular ending and pointed-arch windows in the Gothic style. Several original stone houses with cellars from the 19th century have also been preserved in the village. Together with the church, they provide tangible architectural evidence of the local history.

The F. R. Osvald Memorial Room is located in the local parish house; its exhibition is open to the public. The folk museum in Podhorie is located in the Žakýl district. Part of the exhibition documents the hard life of farmers in the past century through furniture, tools and equipment. The folk museum exhibition is open to the public. Also open to the public are the memorial plaque to J. Horák, the stone tombstones of the Osvald family and the Chapel of Sv. J. Nepomuckého.

Culture in the amphitheatre

The puppet exhibition in the Podhorie amphitheatre building comprises more than 30 puppets made of wood, textiles and jute. The natural amphitheatre serves as a venue for cultural events. The Podhorčan folklore group was founded in 1972. At the Folklórne slávnosti Podhorie, folklore groups, folk music ensembles, instrumentalists, singing groups, solo singers, as well as dancing children and adults, gave performances. These cultural references complement the quieter testimonies found in the church, museum and villagescape with a communal form of event.

Educational trails and practical orientation

The Instructive Path to the Richňavské Lakes is located in Podhorie and comprises 16 stations with information boards. Its content covers natural, mining and historical topics. If you want to combine several topics in one route, this trail offers a broader thematic structure than the Žakýlske pleso educational trail, with its nine boards on the landscape, culture and history of Podhorie.

The municipality of Podhorie organizes the Výstup na Žakýlsky hrad hiking event every year in March. It takes place on a Sunday around St. George’s Day. A circular route starts and ends at the bus stop. For orientation in the village centre, parking spaces are available next to the bus stop, the municipal office or the post office. This identifies specific starting points and orientation landmarks in the village without implying any particular length of stay or route.

More destinations in the same overview

Other destinations include Svätý Anton (Svätý Anton), Banský Studenec (Banský Studenec), Štiavnické Bane (Štiavnické Bane), Dekýš (Dekýš), Banska Bela (Banska Bela), Vysoká (Vysoká), Kozelník (Kozelník) and Banska Stiavnica (Banska Stiavnica).

For the higher-level travel overview: Banská Štiavnica District.