Nižná Boca: Hotel, Zlatnica Educational Trail and Mining History

Nižná Boca is located in the Low Tatras National Park. At the same time, the municipal territory of Nižná Boca is part of the cadastral areas of the Nízke Tatry Natura 2000 site.

Hiking

The Zlatnica Educational Trail runs between Nižná Boca and Vyšná Boca. It is 8 km long, has 11 information boards and takes about 3 hours. The trail focuses on the mining history and culture of the surrounding area. It is accessible year-round and can be explored on foot or by bicycle.

Its route passes through the localities of Pod Oleškovou, V Kiari, V Kúte, Geplovô, Ochimstál and Pri mlyne. Another marked route is the hike to Rovná hoľa. It starts in Nižná Boca, is 15.8 km long and takes about 4.5 hours. It includes an ascent with an elevation gain of 872 m, follows a yellow-marked trail from Nižná Boca and reaches a spring in the saddle of the Črchľa valley. The hike offers views in all directions, especially of the Western Tatras and the High Tatras.

Culture

Part of Nižná Boca has been designated a protected heritage zone of folk architecture. The oldest surviving house in Nižná Boca dates from 1710, bears house number 130 and is locally known as “Od Jakobusky.” In addition, miners’ log houses from the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved in Nižná Boca, featuring passageways and shingle-covered hipped roofs.

The church of Nižná Boca is included in the Slovak list of national cultural monuments designated in 2017. The miners’ house No. 62 in Nižná Boca is also listed, in the section on decisions concerning the designation of national cultural monuments in the 2013 annual report of the Slovak heritage authority.

The Evangelical church in Nižná Boca was built in 1844; its Neo-Romanesque tower was added in 1939. Inside, it has a three-sided wooden gallery and a flat plank ceiling decorated with a painted mining emblem and depictions of miners. The Evangelical church is considered well preserved and continues to be used for its intended purpose.

A typical feature of the Bocka Valley was a unique system of meadow barns. This meadow-management system is considered a rarity throughout the territory of present-day Slovakia. In the Bocas, around 100 adits and spoil heaps, along with numerous prospecting trenches, pits, collapses and mining roads, bear witness to the former extent and importance of mining.

Transport

First-class Road No. 72 runs through Nižná Boca. Near Kráľova Lehota, it connects with Road 1. 18, which leads to Liptovský Hrádok and Liptovský Mikuláš in the west and, via Važec and Štrba, to Poprad in the east. The nearest railway stations serving Nižná Boca are said to be Liptovský Mikuláš for fast and express trains and Liptovský Hrádok for local and regional trains. Bus connections to Nižná Boca are available from both towns and their railway stations.

Other places: Liptovský Ondrej, Liptovský Trnovec, Malé Borové, Gotovany, Liptovské Matiašovce, Demänovská Dolina, Hybe, Veľké Borové

For the higher-level travel overview: Liptovský Mikuláš District.