Hriňová: Waterfall, Educational Trails and Woodcarving

Hriňová is a destination for you if you would like to combine experiences in nature with regional culture. Its characteristic features include Bystrý potok Waterfall, educational trails through the valley, a calvary with fourteen stations and historical evidence of local woodcarving. The Hriňovská drevenica Štefana Nosáľa and the annual cultural programme also give the town a distinctive character.

Waterfall and Trails through the Landscape

Bystrý potok Waterfall is a national natural monument and is located in the cadastral area of the town of Hriňová. Its drop is 20 metres high. This means that the natural area can be experienced not only through panoramic views, but also through a clearly identified landscape destination.

The educational trail to Bystrô Waterfall in Hriňová is 3.5 km long and equipped with nine information panels. If you would like to learn more about the surroundings along the way, this sequence provides specific points of reference. Another educational trail from Hriňová to Bystrý potok Waterfall leads through Bystré and Vrátka, through the valley along Bystrý potok to the waterfall. This educational trail is suitable for families with children.

In addition, the panoramic views in Hriňová open up vistas of the Hriňovské lazy, the surrounding valleys, fields and mountains. In 2015, an extension of the transition zone of the Poľana Biosphere Reserve to include the so-called hriňovské lazy was proposed. This extension should therefore be classified as a proposal from 2015.

Culture among the Calvary, Church and Woodcarving

The calvary in Hriňová comprises fourteen stations. The twelfth station consists of three crosses above the town centre.

The Church of St Peter and Paul was consecrated on 8 September 1947 by Bishop Dr Andrej Škrábik, thereby completing its construction. Another cultural theme can be found in the wooden crosses, which are mainly located near the Stations of the Cross in Hriňová. They bear witness to the skill of local carvers, are made predominantly of oak and are richly decorated with ornamental, sacred, Old Slavic, botanical and figurative motifs.

The Hriňovská drevenica Štefana Nosáľa is a historic building. The exhibition at the Hriňovská drevenica Štefana Nosáľa focuses primarily on Professor Štefan Nosáľ (1927–2017), who came from Hriňová and was the artistic director of the Lúčnica ensemble. The drevenica was opened to the public on 16 August 2019; visitors should contact the Hriňová Tourist Information Centre before visiting.

Practical Orientation on Site

The Hriňová Tourist Information Centre sells maps and publications about Hriňová and Podpoľanie. For planning your own itinerary focused on the landscape and culture, you can therefore obtain material there covering both of these areas. The Javorinka tourist shelter is open to everyone around the clock and free of charge.

Hriňová’s annual cultural programme includes the Gazdovanie na Hriňovských lazoch event in August. It complements the nature and cultural attractions described throughout the year with a date explicitly anchored in the annual programme.

Further destination options include Stožok, Podkriváň, Dúbravy, Vígľaš, Latky, Horný Tisovník, Kriváň and Klokoč.

For the broader travel overview: Detva District.