Vyšný Medzev in the Slovak Ore Mountains – Find a Holiday Apartment

Vyšný Medzev lies on the southeastern slopes of the Slovak Ore Mountains. The village combines a distinctive valley landscape with well-preserved traces of its mining and settlement history.

Nature

The southern section of the Vyšný Medzev valley has the character of a deep gorge. The forested area of Vyšný Medzev features a distinctly sculpted, wooded mountain landscape with water-rich streams in the individual valleys.

Culture

The first written mention of the two settlement areas of Medzev, Vyšný Medzev and Nižný Medzev, dates from 1427. Mining and metalworking were traditional occupations in Vyšný Medzev. Under Emperor Leopold I, Vyšný Medzev was granted the status of a free royal privileged mining town.

The Vyšný Medzev conservation area preserves a highly intact natural and settlement structure, with rows of burgher houses in the centre and more loosely arranged rows of buildings in the rural surroundings. The town hall was built in the early Baroque style in the 17th century and extended and remodelled in the 18th century.

The Roman Catholic Baroque Church of St Mary Magdalene in Vyšný Medzev dates from 1773. Its altar was originally located in Jasov Monastery. Antlov hámor has also been preserved as a technical monument; it consists of a single-room rectangular building from the second half of the 19th century.

Lucia Baňa is a former mining settlement and belongs to the municipality of Vyšný Medzev. It is home to an Art Nouveau wooden bowling alley dating from the early 20th century.

Hiking

A yellow-marked hiking trail leads through Vyšný Medzev and continues via Gelnická cesta and Staré Košiare to Trohanka–Tri studne. A red-marked ridge route in the Volovské vrchy runs along the northern ridge of the Vyšný Medzev forested area and leads eastwards to Kojšovská hoľa. Westwards, it leads via Zbojnícka skala to the Kloptaň viewpoint summit and onwards to Jedľovec.

The trail through the Humelská Valley is 8 kilometres long. It begins in the village square of Vyšný Medzev at an information board with a description of the local history and a map of the route. At Múr, the trail includes a viewpoint. Between two reservoirs, it leads to a reconstruction of a medieval smelting furnace.

The trail through the Humelská Valley is considered easy and is also suitable for less fit or older hikers. It also leads to a medieval mine, whose stone tunnel, hewn out by hand, can be viewed through a barred entrance.

Surroundings

The Turistická útulňa Jána Kruteka is located at an altitude of 842 metres in the Kloptáň area and can be reached from Vyšný Medzev. It is open and available for use free of charge all year round. The Hudba na konci sveta festival takes place annually in the vicinity of Medzev.

More local pages

You can find more local pages for Zlatá Idka, Medzev, Štós, Malá Ida, Kechnec, Košická Belá, Moldava Nad Bodvou and Budimír.

For the higher-level travel overview: Košice-Okolie District.