Hotels in Šumiac: Kráľova hoľa and Culture

Šumiac is the starting point of a blue-marked hiking trail to Kráľova hoľa, which is also a ski touring area approved by the NAPANT administration. From Vyšné sedlo, a trail leads through open, cave-like mountain terrain with views of the surrounding landscape all the way to its summit. Šumiac also offers winter routes, cycling trails and well-preserved traditions.

Hiking and Winter

In winter, Chamkova stodola can be visited via a groomed cross-country skiing trail through snow-covered meadows. The cross-country skiing route from Šumiac to Predné sedlo below Kráľova hoľa is 6.2 kilometres long and is groomed. A completed section of a forest road connects Šumiac with this point and is more than 6.3 kilometres long.

Cycling Trails and Sporting Activities

Two circular routes with distinctly different levels of difficulty start in Šumiac for cycling. The “Cyklookruh Šumiac – Vaľkovňa – Zlatno” cycling loop is an easy 20-kilometre route with an elevation gain of 210 metres. The “Šumiacky okruh cez Besník” cycling loop, on the other hand, is designed as a difficult 36-kilometre route with an elevation gain of 1,130 metres. In addition, “E-biky pod Kráľovou hoľou” offers sporting activities in Šumiac in summer and winter.

Culture

The Múzeum zvoncov a spiežovcov is Mikuláš Gigac’s private collection at Bučinka 23 in Šumiac. The Šumiacka izba is an exhibition of Šumiac’s traditional culture next to the primary school in the village square. Its first section presents a room and a kitchen with a traditional “špohret”, furnished based on the former homes of Šumiac. A telephone reservation is required to visit the Šumiacka izba.

Bell making was a domestic craft associated with sheep and cattle farming that developed particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries. Chamkova stodola is also connected with this tradition: it is a remnant of the traditional dual economy practised by the ancestors of Šumiac.

The Greek Catholic Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Šumiac is a Baroque-Classical church. It was built in 1775 on the site of an earlier wooden structure dating from 1643 and renovated between 1898 and 1901. Its furnishings include a three-storey iconostasis from 1909.

Events and Folklore

The two folklore ensembles FS Šumiačan and Šumiačaník have existed in Šumiac for more than 50 years. Since 1992, the celebrations of the sovereignty of the Slovak Republic have also been held there, ending with the lighting of a bonfire at Úboč.

During the winter months, the event “Vianoce pod Kráľovou hoľou” or “Kračun pod Kráľovou hoľou” takes place in the Greek Catholic Church in Šumiac. The former ensemble performs Christmas and church songs there in Old Church Slavonic and Slovak. Choirs and ensembles from all over Slovakia also participate every year.

Local Products and Sauna

Šumiac has traditional mountain shepherds’ huts where tourists can buy homemade products and observe the traditional processing of sheep’s milk. The local economy includes the production of bryndza, žinčica and sheep’s cheese.

Lesná sauna Šumiac offers a traditional dry sauna and natural cooling in a nearby mountain stream. It is intended for small groups or a romantic stay for two.

Further destinations can be accessed directly: Ráztoka, Michalová, Pohorelá, Cierny Balog, Predajná, Braväcovo, Brezno, Vaľkovňa.

To the higher-level travel overview: Brezno District.