Podhorie – Nature, Trails and Culture

Podhorie lies at the foot of the Štiavnické pohorie and belongs to the Štiavnické vrchy Protected Landscape Area. The Žakýlske pleso natural monument is located within the municipality of Podhorie in the Banská Štiavnica District; it also belongs to the Štiavnické vrchy Protected Landscape Area.

Nature

About 1.5 km north of Podhorie, Žakýlsky hrad, also known as Pustý hrad, stands on Brezový vrch (812 m above sea level). Entrances to two mine adits, measuring 5 and 19 m in length, are visible at Žakýlsky hrad.

Culture

The parish church of Návštevy Panny Márie u Alžbety in Podhorie was built in 1718. Its nave is a simple Baroque structure with a semicircular apse and pointed-arch windows in Gothic form. Several original stone houses with cellars from the 19th century have been preserved in Podhorie.

The natural amphitheater in Podhorie serves as a venue for cultural events. The amphitheater building houses a puppet exhibition with more than 30 puppets made of wood, textiles and jute. The Podhorčan folklore group was founded in 1972. At the Folklórne slávnosti Podhorie, folklore groups, folk music ensembles, instrumentalists, singing groups, solo singers, as well as dancing children and adults gave performances.

The F. R. Osvald Memorial Room is located in the local parish house; its exhibition is open to the public. The Folk Museum in Podhorie is located in the Žakýl district. Part of its exhibition documents the hard life of farmers in the past century through furniture, tools and equipment. The exhibition of the Folk Museum in Podhorie is open to the public.

Also open to the public are the memorial plaque for J. Horák, the stone tombs of the Osvald family and the Chapel of Sv. J. Nepomuckého.

Trails

The municipality of Podhorie organizes the Výstup na Žakýlsky hrad hiking event every year in March, on a Sunday around St. George’s Day. The Instructive Path to the Richňavské Lakes is located in Podhorie and comprises 16 stations with information panels. It covers natural, mining and historical topics.

The Žakýlske pleso educational trail has nine information panels about the landscape, culture and history of Podhorie. The loop trail begins and ends at the bus stop. The different topics, numbers of stations and trail layouts give you several objective points of comparison for planning your day.

The trails therefore differ in their documented structure and thematic focus. On the Instructive Path to the Richňavské Lakes, the information is distributed across 16 stations and combines nature, mining and history. The Žakýlske pleso educational trail uses nine panels and returns to the starting point at the bus stop as a loop trail. This allows the information on the number of stations, topics and trail layout to be considered separately.

Getting around

In the center of Podhorie, you can park in the parking areas next to the bus stop, the municipal office or the post office.

Other Places

Banský Studenec, Dekýš, Svätý Anton, Banska Bela, Štiavnické Bane, Kozelník, Vysoká, Banska Stiavnica

For the higher-level travel overview: Banská Štiavnica District.