Slovakia - UNESCO Gingerbread Houses in Čičmany

After a sunny and beautiful holiday day in Olomouc, the time has come: we have arrived in our destination country for this autumn. Slovakia. Or pronounced correctly: Slovak Republic.

Our first destination is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But we don't see much of it, after all, we arrive late in the evening. And because it is pitch dark from half past seven, we can neither admire the mountainous approach through dark forests nor the little town.

We find a quiet parking space at the end of the village, right next to a babbling river, and Gerd once again has to download some parking app to pay the obligatory €5 for 24 hours. That seems to be a kind of standard price here in Slovakia. We get to know new country specifics with every border crossing.

In the morning we realise that we are not only at the end of town, but also at the bus station. Two people waiting in a wooden hut, a small VW bus arrives at 8 a.m. sharp. One person gets on, one has only picked up the mail bag and walks back to the village. The "bus" drives on. That was all.

After a leisurely breakfast, we head out into the World Heritage Site.

This little gem is known for its unique painted wooden houses. Čičmany is located in the north of Slovakia and is a village with deep roots in history. It was first mentioned in documents in the 13th century and has preserved its traditional architecture and culture ever since. The village is a living museum of the rich Slovak folk culture.

The most striking features in Čičmany are undoubtedly the painted wooden houses. These buildings are decorated with traditional geometric patterns that stand out in white against the dark wooden walls. This unique form has its origins in folk art and originally served as protection from the weather. Today they are a symbol of the village's cultural identity and attract tourists from all over the world.

"The story goes that the men of the village painted the patterns on the walls and the women then embroidered them in yellow and red on the white fabric of the traditional costume. But with the old mothers, the traditional costumes with the traditional ornaments also disappeared from everyday life."

Source: Travel guide Slovakia Michael Müller Verlag

We read that in the small village 136 houses are beautifully painted, but there are only about 122 inhabitants. And the average age is 80 years. Interesting village structure.

We don't buy anything in the souvenir shop, we bypass the local museum today. But we don't miss the "Penzión Javorina" with its restaurant. After all, Slovakian cuisine is tempting. But we soon realise: Healthy and light is something else. And the starters would be enough for us in terms of quantity. But they can be tasty, yes, tasty!

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Merci for "travelling with us

We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.

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