Holiday apartment in Dlhé Pole – Wirework and observation tower

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. Even today, the municipality is home to museums, a church steeped in tradition and paths leading to viewpoints where visitors can explore history, the landscape and the region’s craft culture.

Culture

A central attraction is the Jozef Holánik-Bakeľ Wirework Museum. It 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 added to the Slovak Register of Immovable National Monuments in 2000 and became an independent wirework museum in 2018. With expert explanations, visitors can see a typical wireworker’s room, wirework products and the workshop, as well as experience a demonstration of the craft.

The history of the craft in Dlhé Pole goes back even further: An exhibition on wirework and its folklore, held in Dlhé Pole in July and August 1940, inspired the establishment of a joint wirework and town museum. The Pamätná izba drotárstva presents the history and ethnography of Dlhé Pole through folk buildings, traditional costumes, traditional crafts and important social events. Its main room covers wirework from its beginnings through to wirework manufactories. The memorial room is located on the first floor of the kindergarten building at Dlhé Pole 203; visits can also be arranged outside opening hours.

The ecclesiastical architecture and furnishings include St. Martin’s Church in Dlhé Pole, which is dated 1735. The Dlhé Pole parish is dedicated to St. Martin of Tours. St. Martin the Bishop’s Church is an eclectic single-nave church building from the second half of the 19th century with a projecting tower. It is in good condition and serves its religious purpose. Inside, the church has a main altar from the second half of the 19th century with a painting of St. Martin by Jozef Hanula, created in 1926, as well as Classicist statues of the Madonna and the Immaculata from the early 19th century.

Nature and trails

The path to the Mikovčákova rozhľadňa on Kamenité leads through Dlhé Pole. The observation tower is located on the main ridge of the Javorníky Mountains, directly on a hiking trail between Dlhá nad Kysucou and Dlhé Pole. It is considered the first official observation tower for tourism in the Kysuce region and was opened to the public in 2005. In good conditions, the tower offers views of the Kysucké Beskydy, Kysucká vrchovina, Malá Fatra and the Tatras.

The marked ascent from Dlhé Pole via Pod Prípory and Nad Vrcherkou to the observation tower complex on Kamenité takes up to one hour and involves 304 metres of elevation gain. The route to Kamenité is suitable for hikers and cyclists, as well as for cross-country skiers in winter. Another viewpoint is the location of the Maxi lavička. Benches and a fire pit are located there; the site also offers views and the opportunity to barbecue.

Educational trail

The Drotárska cesta is an educational tourist trail in Dlhé Pole and leads from Dlhé Pole to Veľké Rovné. As part of the renewal of the Drotárska cesta, a wooden information board, a signpost, a bicycle stand and an information board about the Pamätná izba drotárstva were installed along the route.

Further destinations

Further destinations: Strecno, Jasenové, Fačkov, Sillein, Rajecká Lesná, Kunerad, Višňové, Lietavská Svinná-Babkov.

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Žilina.