Holiday apartment in Tvrdosin: gallery, nature and cycle paths

The Márie Medvecká Gallery presents a permanent exhibition featuring a selection from the life’s work of the painter and national artist Márie Medvecká. Since 1979, it has been housed in a 19th-century Neoclassical mansion in Tvrdošín. The exhibition displays 180 paintings and 88 drawings. Since 2000, the attic rooms known as the “Ateliér” have been used for temporary presentations of visual art.

Location

Tvrdošín lies in northern Slovakia at the southeastern tip of the Orava Basin, between the Skorušinské Mountains and the Orava Uplands.

Culture and history

The oldest historic church monument complex in Tvrdošín dates back to the first half of the 15th century and was remodelled in the Renaissance style in 1650–1654. The Skalka pilgrimage site originated from a chapel carved into the rock around 1870. Prayers, litanies, Stations of the Cross devotions and a Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows take place in Skalka. The complex also includes a shelter and an access road.

Nature

The nature trail in the Juráňova Valley is located in the protected area of TANAP. The trail through the valley leads into a one-kilometre-long limestone gorge equipped with paths and benches. The gorge of the Juráňova Valley features a distinctive canyon with water-carved depressions and small waterfalls.

The nature trail in Oravice includes Route A, with 22 stations and a length of 14.6 kilometres. Along a route described in Oravice, there are three wooden shelters for resting. The Oravice recreation centre offers opportunities for hiking, cycling and winter sports in its mountain landscape.

Cycle paths and activities

The Tvrdošín section of the Kościelisko–Witów–Oravice–Tvrdošín cycle and tourist trail is 14.7 kilometres long. Tvrdošín is also the final listed location on the 52.5-kilometre “Under the Roháče Mountains” cycle route through the Skorušinské vrchy.

Activities in the town

K-PARK is located in the Medvedzie residential area, between residential buildings 50, 48 and 13. Its facilities include an outdoor table tennis table, a bouldering wall, skateboard elements, bicycle racks and a basketball hoop. The modular Adelaie pump track in Tvrdošín is 159 metres long and is located next to the entrance to the municipal technical services area.

Traditions and fairs

The Folklore Festival beneath Osobitá is a traditional annual event organised by the town of Tvrdošín in Oravice. It supports the preservation of folk traditions; its programme includes traditional children’s games, songs and dances. Michalský jarmok is a traditional fair in Tvrdošín held every year at the end of September. It offers handicrafts, traditional specialities, handmade products and various refreshments.

Other places

Other places: Habovka, Zuberec, Podbiel, Nižná, Oravsky Biely Potok, Suchá Hora, Liesek, Trstená

To the higher-level travel overview: Tvrdošín.