Dlhé Pole between the wirebinding tradition and the Javorníky Mountains

A particularly tangible way to approach Dlhé Pole is through wirebinding. Its history is presented here in a more than one-hundred-year-old wooden cottage, complemented by sacred architecture and routes to viewpoints. For planning a day trip, these stops can be distinguished by culture, views and distance.

Culture and history

The Jozef Holánik-Bakeľ Wirebinding Museum is housed in a more than one-hundred-year-old wooden cottage where Jozef Holánik-Bakeľ lived and worked. The façade of the house is decorated with copies of medals he received at numerous industrial exhibitions at home and abroad, as well as with photographs documenting his successful career as a craftsman. The house was entered into the Slovak Register of Immovable National Monuments in 2000 and became an independent wirebinding museum in 2018.

The Drotárstvo Memorial Room presents the history and ethnography of Dlhé Pole through folk architecture, traditional costumes, traditional crafts and important social events. Its main room covers wirebinding from its beginnings to wirebinding manufactories. An exhibition on wirebinding and its folklore, held in Dlhé Pole in July and August 1940, inspired the establishment of a joint wirebinding and town museum. Dlhé Pole is one of the oldest places where residents made their living from wirebinding, and at the same time one of the largest wirebinding centres.

With expert commentary, visitors can see a typical wirebinders' room, wirebinding products and the workshop, as well as experience a demonstration of the craft. The Drotárstvo Memorial Room is located on the first floor of the kindergarten building at Dlhé Pole 203; visits can also be arranged outside opening hours.

The Dlhé Pole parish is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. The Church of St. Martin the Bishop in Dlhé Pole bears the date 1735 and is an eclectic single-nave church building from the second half of the 19th century with a projecting tower. It is in good condition and serves its religious purpose. Its furnishings include a main altar from the second half of the 19th century with a painting of Saint Martin by Jozef Hanula, created in 1926, as well as Classicist statues of the Madonna and the Immaculate Conception from the early 19th century.

Nature and views

The Mikovčákova observation tower on Kamenité stands on the main ridge of the Javorníky Mountains, directly on a hiking trail between Dlhá nad Kysucou and Dlhé Pole. It is considered the first official observation tower for tourism in the Kysuce region. In good conditions, the observation tower offers views of the Kysucké Beskydy, Kysucká vrchovina, the Little Fatra and the Tatras.

The marked ascent from Dlhé Pole via Pod Prípory and Nad Vrcherkou to the observation tower complex on Kamenité takes up to one hour and involves an elevation gain of 304 metres. The Mikovčákova observation tower was opened to the public in 2005. The trip to Kamenité is suitable for hikers and cyclists, as well as for cross-country skiers in winter. These time and elevation figures help compare the trip with a purely cultural stop when planning your own day.

The location of the Maxi lavička offers views and the opportunity to barbecue; benches and a fire pit are available there.

Routes

As part of the renewal of the Drotárska cesta, a wooden information board, a signpost, a bicycle rack and an information board about the Drotárstvo Memorial Room were installed along the route. The Drotárska cesta leads from Dlhé Pole to Veľké Rovné and is an educational tourist trail in Dlhé Pole.

Other places: Strecno, Kamenná Poruba, Rajecká Lesná, Teplička Nad Váhom, Lietavská Svinná-Babkov, Terchová, Bitarová, Fačkov

To the overarching travel overview: Žilina District.