Holiday apartment in Zlatá Idka: Bell tower, mining and Kojšovská hoľa

In the Rieka district of Zlatá Idka stands a bell tower built in 1823 as a three-storey structure made of rubble stone. The bell tower currently houses a museum of local significance. In the Central Register of Monuments of Slovakia, the bell tower is listed under registration number 4387. Its construction makes the tower legible as an independent historic structure: the three storeys and the rubble-stone material used belong to the traditional description of the same building. The reference to the museum, by contrast, describes its current use; the listing additionally identifies its place in Slovakia’s monument heritage.

Culture

The cultural side of Zlatá Idka is reflected in the bell tower’s architectural form, present-day use and documented listing. The former mine administration building in the Rieka district is also one of the dated structures. It was built in 1767 in the Baroque style. In the first half of the 19th century, it was converted into a roadside inn. This building therefore embodies a historical sequence comprising mine administration, a Baroque construction period and its later use as an inn, with both periods of use belonging to the past.

History

In addition to the buildings, further traces lead into the history of ore mining. The ore-bearing area around Zlatá Idka contains quartz-sulfide veins. Gold, silver and antimony were extracted from these veins in the past. Mining relics along the Ida River include placer-mining facilities, spoil heaps, prospecting workings and remnants of several operational facilities. The traces mentioned thus range from the geological veins in the ore-bearing area to various facilities and interventions along the Ida River. The list also distinguishes between preserved operational remains, spoil heaps and workings in the terrain.

The Breuner adit has a stone portal and an entrance area. It is the only very well-preserved mining structure of its kind in this ore district. Together with the relics along the Ida River, it presents a broad picture of the surviving traces of mining, encompassing both structural remains and interventions in the terrain. The stone portal and entrance area give the adit a clearly defined architectural form within this mining context.

Hiking

A moderately difficult circular route leads from Zlatá Idka to the main ridge of the Volovské vrchy and to the prominent Kojšovská hoľa. The circular route starts and ends at the bus stop and car park in Zlatá Idka. It takes four hours and involves 587 metres of elevation gain. The route runs along forest roads and footpaths and is well marked. The information on the start and finish identifies the tour as a circular route; the duration and elevation gain define its time and physical demands. Forest roads and footpaths additionally describe the different types of route, while the markings are another recorded feature of the trail.

Several specific key facts are therefore available for assessing the tour: the difficulty level, destinations, starting and ending points, duration, elevation gain and trail conditions are each stated. The route connects the starting point of Zlatá Idka with the main ridge of the Volovské vrchy and the prominent Kojšovská hoľa.

Geographical location

Kojšovská hoľa can be reached by SAD buses from Košice via Myslava, Vyšný Klatov and Zlatá Idka. The bus connection supplements the described hiking starting point with a named travel connection from Košice.

If you choose a holiday apartment in Zlatá Idka, you will find historic buildings, mining traces and a designated circular route in the village.

Other places

Other location pages: Turňa Nad Bodvou, Košická Belá, Malá Ida, Vyšný Klátov, Medzev, Nižná Myšľa, Moldava Nad Bodvou, Vyšný Medzev.

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