Dlhé Pole: Wirework and Javorníky

Wirework as a Defining Heritage

Dlhé Pole makes the history of wirework accessible in an unusually vivid way. The Jozef Holánik-Bakeľ Wirework Museum is housed in a more than one-hundred-year-old wooden cottage where Jozef Holánik-Bakeľ lived and worked. The façade of the house is decorated with copies of medals he received at numerous industrial exhibitions at home and abroad. Photographs document his successful career as a craftsman. The house was entered into the Slovak Register of Immovable National Monuments in 2000 and became an independent wirework museum in 2018.

For your visit, the museum offers more than a view of a historic building: With an expert explanation, you can see a typical wireworker’s room, wirework products and the workshop, as well as experience a demonstration of the craft. Dlhé Pole is one of the oldest places where residents made their living from wirework, and at the same time one of the largest centres of this craft. An exhibition on wirework and its folklore, held in Dlhé Pole in July and August 1940, prompted the founding of a joint wirework and town museum.

Museum and Local History

A second perspective on the local cultural history is provided by the Pamätná izba drotárstva. It presents the history and ethnography of Dlhé Pole through folk architecture, traditional costumes, traditional crafts and important social events. In the main room, the history of wirework’s development extends from its beginnings to wirework manufactories. The exhibition is located on the first floor of the kindergarten building at Dlhé Pole 203; visits can also be arranged outside opening hours.

The religious buildings also complete the picture of the village. The parish of Dlhé Pole is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. The Church of St. Martin the Bishop bears the date 1735. It is an eclectic single-nave church from the second half of the 19th century with a projecting tower. Its furnishings include a main altar from the second half of the 19th century, a painting of Saint Martin by Jozef Hanula created in 1926, and Classicist statues of the Madonna and the Immaculate Virgin from the early 19th century. The church is in good condition and serves its religious purpose.

Hiking to Views and Landscapes

If you would like to combine the cultural focus with a hike, a marked ascent from Dlhé Pole via Pod Prípory and Nad Vrcherkou leads to the Kamenité observation tower complex. The ascent takes up to one hour and includes 304 metres of elevation gain. The Mikovčákova rozhľadňa is located on the main ridge of the Javorníky Mountains, directly on a hiking trail between Dlhá nad Kysucou and Dlhé Pole. It was opened to the public in 2005 and is considered the first official observation tower for tourism in the Kysuce region.

In good conditions, the view from the observation tower extends to the Kysucké Beskydy, Kysucká vrchovina, Malá Fatra and the Tatra Mountains. The tour to Kamenité is suitable for hikers and cyclists, as well as for cross-country skiers in winter. Another outdoor option is the location of the Maxi lavička, with benches and a fire pit. It offers views and the opportunity to barbecue.

Educational Trail through Dlhé Pole

The Drotárska cesta is an educational tourist trail in Dlhé Pole and leads from Dlhé Pole to Veľké Rovné. As part of its renovation, a wooden information board, a signpost, a bicycle stand and an information board about the Pamätná izba drotárstva were installed along the route. This route thus brings together the village’s craft history and orientation in the landscape.

For further orientation, you can also find Fačkov, Kamenná Poruba, Lietavská Lúčka, Jasenové, Lietavská Svinná-Babkov, Bitarová, Rajecke Teplice and Rajec.

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Žilina.