Tisovec: Nature Trail, Rack Railway and City History

Tisovec combines an educational trail intended exclusively for pedestrians with an important natural area, an unusual railway history and several historic sights. If you would like to combine nature experiences and culture in one place during your trip to Slovakia, the city offers a wide range of opportunities to do so.

On Foot Through Hradová and the Nature of Tisovec

The Hradová educational trail leads from the city of Tisovec across the southern slopes to the Hradová ridge. It has nine stations; the first information point is located next to the building of the secondary vocational school in Tisovec. The route is intended exclusively for pedestrians, making it a clearly defined hiking experience in which the trail itself and the information along the route are the main focus.

Hradová is designated as a 127.47-hectare national nature reserve and is part of the Tisovec Karst. The karst is one of the Natura 2000 sites of European importance. For orientation purposes, this describes a natural area in which the geological landscape is not merely a backdrop but a distinct focus of the visit.

Another nature-focused attraction is the Lesný skanzen Tisovec forest open-air museum. It is located along the Voniaca nature trail and is a recreational area where you can get to know the surrounding forests and their inhabitants in Muránska planina National Park. The site includes a covered outdoor area that can be used, for example, as a reading room in nature, as well as interactive features: barefoot and other sensory trails, animal representations, nesting boxes, a children’s playground, a pond with a bridge and a small climbing wall.

Rack Railway and City Museum

The second major area of interest is the railway. The rack railway line runs from Tisovec to Pohronská Polhora. The rack railway museum is located next to Tisovec railway station and presents the history and rescue history of the Tisovec–Zbojská–Pohronská Polhora rack railway line. The exhibits include, among other things, a diorama of a transport office, original rack railway equipment, models of tunnel construction, signalling devices, a locomotive tachometer and railway uniforms.

Access to the museum is arranged around the operating days of the steam trains: it is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., during the steam train’s stay at the station. Outside these days, visits are possible by prior arrangement; the arrangement must be made at least one day in advance. This is particularly relevant if you are not planning to link your visit to a steam train operating day.

The Tisovec City Museum is spread across two locations and offers three permanent exhibitions. An exhibition in the birthplace of Vladimír Clementis includes personal belongings, pipes, awards, identity documents and books. In this way, the museum complements the railway history with a biographical and local-historical perspective.

Historic Buildings and the Gotická cesta

Tisovec’s designated historic sights include the Neoclassical town hall from 1796. A Neoclassical Protestant church dating from 1825 to 1832 is also designated as a historic sight. In the Hámor district, there is also a Roman Catholic church built in the Empire style in 1845. The designated house of Štefan Marko Daxner dates from 1872.

Tisovec is also part of a wider thematic context beyond the city: it lies on the Gotická cesta route, which runs from Spiš to Malohont. A castle consisting of two separate, independent fortifications once stood on Tisovská Hradová. The range of sights therefore extends from sacred and Neoclassical architecture to regional route and castle history.

Other Places in the Travel Area

For further orientation, you can also visit Martinová, Širkovce, Číž, Hostice, Bátka, Lehota Nad Rimavicou, Šimonovce and Rimavská Seč.

For the higher-level travel overview: Rimavská Sobota District.