Holiday apartment in Hostišovce – nature trails and Protestant architectural heritage

The cadastral area of Hostišovce is part of the Drienčanský kras protected area (SKUEV2366), which covers 1,281.92 hectares and is subject to protection level 2. The history of the village therefore begins not only in the built-up area, but also in a varied landscape where traces of nature and culture lie closely side by side.

Nature and trails

The area around Hostišovce is predominantly hilly and partly forested. It lies between the valleys of the Western Turiec and the Blh; to the east, it extends into the relic landscape of a plateau and consists of andesites. The Drienčanský kras stretches between Drienčany, Hrušovo, Striežovce, Španie Pole, Hostišovce and Budikovany. The Drienčanský kras educational trail is also part of the local landscape: it is 7,540 metres long and leads through easy terrain.

More than ten interconnected cycling routes with a total length of 98 kilometres are available in the vicinity of Hostišovce. A small information point is provided by the new wooden pavilion next to the Hostišovce municipal office, which is equipped with seating. The information boards at the pavilion introduce Hostišovce, regional cultural monuments and places of interest connected by the local cycling routes.

History and traditions

Hostišovce was first mentioned in 1333 under the name Gesztus. In 1528, Hostišovce was destroyed by the Turks. Surviving examples include masonry houses from the 19th century, characterised by a covered gallery projecting along the house and supported by a row of columns. A single dwelling in Hostišovce 001-02 has a Gánok covered gallery beneath the roof overhang, supported by a row of columns.

Craft activities are also associated with Hostišovce. There was a local tradition of wax processing, in which wax was pressed from honeycombs. In addition, there was domestic woodworking, focused particularly on spindles and ploughs. These products were also sold by itinerant traders in more distant areas. As late as the mid-20th century, the inhabitants of Hostišovce wove canvas and patterned fabrics.

The historical fruit-growing tradition of Hostišovce also included distilling plum and cherry brandy from surplus fruit. According to the village history, the interior equipment acquired from an entrepreneur from Hnúšťa is still in operation today.

Protestant architectural heritage

The Protestant bell tower of Hostišovce is a masonry structure from the beginning of the 19th century. It is designed as a Neoclassical tower and is characteristic of the Gemer region. The Protestant church of Hostišovce was built in 1793 as a Toleration church without a tower.

Its furnishings include a richly ornamented wooden Protestant gallery on three sides of the nave, with late Baroque ornamentation from the mid-18th century, an organ with Rococo ornamentation dating from 1760 to 1780, and a late Baroque altar from the second half of the 18th century. The altar has a central painting and side sculptures of the apostles Peter and Paul within a columned architectural framework.

Further examples of the local building tradition include the folk dwelling Hostišovce 44, a stone-and-brick building from 1771, and the stone folk dwelling in „Roľnícky dvor Hostišovce 38“. This single-storey building from 1875 has a cellar, a three-part layout and a rectangular floor plan.

Other places

Hostice, Drňa, Gemerský Jablonec, Rimavská Baňa, Žíp, Vieska Nad Blhom, Sútor, Radnovce

To the main travel overview: Rimavská Sobota District.