Holiday apartment in Nižná – Ostražica, culture and winter sports

Nižná lies on an alluvial terrace of the Orava River and has hilly to mountainous terrain. The municipality includes the eastern slopes of the Oravská Magura and the Skorušinské vrchy. The limestone rock landscape near Nižná is dominated by Ostražica, which rises to 767.7 metres.

Landscape and history

Ostražica is home to a fortified Hallstatt-period hilltop settlement that was an important centre from the end of the Late Bronze Age. Archaeological finds indicate approximately 500 to 600 years of apparently continuous prehistoric and early historic settlement on the hill. Landscape and the past lie side by side here: Ostražica is both part of the limestone rock landscape and the setting for this long history of settlement.

Culture and technology

In the cadastral area of Nižná, you can see preserved perimeter walls, the remains of the building with the bellows, and a pile of iron ore at Františkova Huta. The technical monument complex of Františkova Huta was built in 1836. The preserved complex includes the remains of the hammer mill, inlet and outlet channels, a bellows chamber, a factory hall and a blast furnace. There is also a car park on a meadow beside the main road at Františkova Huta.

Cultural life in Nižná also has different facets. Folklore enthusiasts in Nižná can attend the Nižnianske krpčeky folklore competition. The Ostražica Cinema has an auditorium with 308 seats.

Events and traditions

At the end of August, demonstrations of smelting iron ore using an ancient technique take place at Františkova Huta as part of the popular Dní železiarstva. The Pltnícke dni are an attraction for tourists in Nižná. The recurring Pltnícky deň includes the traditional beating on the raft and has reached its 30th edition.

Cycling and hiking

The Cykloklub Nižná organises the Okolo Tatier cycling race together with the municipality of Nižná and the Žilina self-governing region. Each year, the club organises approximately 30 cycling activities in the Orava region. The Cykloklub also organises hikes in the Western Tatras with the Roháče, in the High Tatras, and in the Lesser and Greater Fatra.

In the Okolo Tatier race, the peloton set off at 8 a.m. through the streets of Nižná and travelled via the surrounding villages towards the Suchá Hora border crossing. The Okolo Tatier route ended in Nižná.

Winter sports

The Ski Centrum Uhliská near Nižná nad Oravou in the Skorušinské vrchy mountains has four ski lifts and slopes ranging from beginner to intermediate difficulty. Ski Centrum Uhliská has a ski and snowboard rental service, a ski school, a snowboard school and a restaurant.

More local pages

More local pages: Suchá Hora, Habovka, Zuberec, Tvrdosin, Oravsky Biely Potok, Podbiel, Vitanova, Trstená.

To the higher-level travel overview: Tvrdošín.