Holiday apartment in Oravská Polhora: Culture and trails to Babia hora

Oravská Polhora combines cultural traditions, protected nature and trails to Babia hora. The defining features of the village include bagpipe music, literary exhibitions, the Slaná voda peat bog and various ways to experience the surrounding area on foot, by bike or in winter.

Culture

Hájovňa pod Babou horou houses a literary exhibition of the Oravské múzeum about Hájnikova žena by Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav. There is also a literary exhibition about Milo Urban. The Európske centrum gajdošskej kultúry in Oravská Polhora provides another cultural focus. The centre houses a museum dedicated to bagpipe music and its history, displaying various types of bagpipes and other related artefacts. At the same time, it provides space for cultural events, workshops, concerts and exhibitions that are not limited to bagpipe music and culture.

The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus contains a 5.2-metre-high statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The regional reach of the bagpipe tradition is reflected in Modralová, also known as Gajdošská strunga. The place connects three regions with living bagpipe traditions: Orava, Silesia and Lesser Poland. The international GAJDOVAČKA festival in Oravská Polhora featured concerts, workshops, lectures, a gala programme and a festive Mass with bagpipe music from various European countries.

Nature

The iodine-bromine spring Slaná voda is freely accessible to visitors. It is located in a pavilion on the site of the former spa. The peat bog also bears the name Slaná voda and can be explored via an educational trail. It is the best-preserved and most accessible of the three protected peat bogs in Oravská Polhora for tourists. A wooden footbridge leads through the peat bog, where visitors can observe round-leaved sundew, orchids and dragonflies.

Things to do

Several trails allow visitors to experience the landscape in different ways. A seven-hour circular hike to Babia hora starts and ends at Slaná voda. The circular route uses Slaná voda as an access point with a bus stop and car park. The Slaná voda–Babia hora educational trail also starts there: it begins in Oravská Polhora near the Slaná voda hut and includes 13 stations.

A cycling route leads to Modralová. A moderately difficult hike to Modralová, on the other hand, starts in the Píla district. This means that the destination can be reached both by bike and on a hike with a designated moderate difficulty level. In winter, SKI Oravská Polhora adds to the range of activities. The family-friendly ski area is located in the centre of the village, has five lifts and offers around two kilometres of downhill runs in total. Ski mountaineering and cross-country skiing are available there as activities. Services also include ski equipment rental, a ski school, ski servicing, ski mountaineering equipment rental and e-bike rental.

When comparing holiday apartments in Oravská Polhora, check the exact location, type of accommodation, occupancy, included services, price components, and booking and cancellation conditions on the respective listing pages. Compare these points with your own plans before booking. Specific conditions and availability relate to the individual offer and should be checked there.

Other places

Other destinations that you can access from this page: Oravské Veselé, Mútne, Oravská Lesná, Sihelne, Námestovo, Zákamenné, Bobrov, Rabčice.

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Námestovo.