Holiday apartment in Nová Bystrica: open-air museum and forest railway

Nová Bystrica combines living cultural history with experiences in nature and regional trails in the Nová Bystrica–Vychylovka area. At its centre is the Múzeum Kysuckej dediny, complemented by the historic forest railway, the Riečnica Church, the Nová Bystrica Reservoir and the Okruh Hrebeňom Kysúc circular trail.

Culture

The Múzeum Kysuckej dediny in Nová Bystrica–Vychylovka is a permanent open-air exhibition. It documents and presents the former life and culture of the people of Kysuce. The museum grounds contain residential and farm buildings as well as technical and sacred structures that were relocated from several villages in Kysuce.

A special combination of technology and visitor experience is provided by the museum’s narrow-gauge forest railway with reversing loops. It carries visitors along a 3.6-kilometre route through the museum grounds. Between the open-air museum station and Beskid Saddle, you can also travel by historic train or rail bike. The forest railway with reversing loops is classified as a national cultural monument.

History

In the area of the Nová Bystrica Reservoir stands the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the former municipality of Riečnica. The single-nave Neo-Romanesque church was built in 1905. After the relocation of Riečnica, the church is the only tangible evidence of the former village’s existence.

The Riečnica Church was declared a cultural monument in 1996. Group visits can be organised there only exceptionally and by prior arrangement.

Nature

At the dam of the Vodná nádrž Nová Bystrica – Vychylovka Reservoir, there is a path offering views of part of the reservoir. Another specific way to explore the landscape is provided by the school nature trail Školský náučný chodník Prírodné spoločenstvá doliny Chmúra. Information boards there describe the typical ecosystems of water, soil, meadow and coniferous forest.

The Vychylovské prahy natural formation lies on the Vychylovka stream in Nová Bystrica. It displays the typical stepped course of a mountain stream through layers of claystone and sandstone. The rocky section extends for approximately 150 metres, is visible from the road and is suitable as a stop on the way to the Múzeum Kysuckej dediny Vychylovka.

Things to do

The Okruh Hrebeňom Kysúc circular trail begins at a car park in Nová Bystrica and leads towards Stará Bystrica via the Kysucká magistrála. A traditional inn serving traditional dishes is located along this circular trail. The staff wear Kysuce folk costumes.

Thus, different attractions stand alongside one another within Nová Bystrica: the buildings and cultural interpretation of the open-air museum, the 3.6-kilometre forest railway, the historic Riečnica Church, views of the reservoir, the ecosystems described on the nature trail and the rock formation on the Vychylovka stream.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Nová Bystrica, you can combine your preferred type and location of stay with your own interests. Cultural history, views of the water, information about nature, the railway and the circular trail are all different themes to consider when planning your trip.

Other places

Other location pages: Tschadsa, Klubina, Zborov Nad Bystricou, Korňa, Svrčinovec, Oscadnica, Stara Bystrica.

To the higher-level travel overview: Čadca.