Ústie nad Priehradou: Culture and Nature at the Orava Reservoir

Ústie nad Priehradou is located in the immediate vicinity of the Orava Reservoir. The village thus combines a strong connection to the water with a history shaped by the creation of the reservoir and the changes that affected the former Ústie.

Nature

The shore of the Orava Reservoir belongs to the Lány area of Ústie. New Ústie was built on the shore of the Orava Reservoir. The connection to the water is also evident in the blue-marked Oravsko-Liptovská cycle route: the 62.5-kilometre route begins in Námestovo, follows the Orava Reservoir and ends in Ústie nad Priehradou. It is designated for experienced cyclists.

From Trstená, experienced cyclists can take a detour to Ústie, swim in the Orava Reservoir there and then continue directly to Tvrdošín. Another way to experience the reservoir is a 1.5-hour sightseeing cruise on the Orava Reservoir, with a break on Slanica Island of Art. By arrangement, refreshments, folk music or other attractions can be offered on cruises for selected groups such as school, corporate and senior groups.

History

Today’s landscape is closely connected with the completion of the Orava Reservoir in 1953. At that time, five villages, including Ústie, were relocated and flooded. The original church in Ústie was also dedicated to Saint Elizabeth; it was demolished. On 26 November 1993, the Chapel of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary was consecrated. That same year, the former school, built in 1954, began to be converted into premises for worship services.

Other sacred sites preserve traces of different periods. The Chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua in the cemetery of Ústie nad Priehradou was built between 1898 and 1904 by the Kohútovci family. After the Orava Reservoir began operating in 1953, it was used until 1995 for services and liturgies for the residents of Ústie. The cemetery chapel served as a place of worship. The Column of Saint John of Nepomuk, a monument of art history, also stands on the road to the cemetery of Ústie nad Priehradou.

Experiences

Water, the cycle route and local history are closely connected themes in Ústie nad Priehradou, without telling the same story. The cycle route offers a clearly designated sporting distance of 62.5 kilometres, while the detour from Trstená combines swimming in the reservoir with continuing directly to Tvrdošín. The sightseeing cruise has a clearly defined duration of 1.5 hours and includes a break on Slanica Island of Art.

At the end of the road along the cemetery of Ústie, people use a rocky natural beach on hot summer days. The immediate proximity to the reservoir, the Lány shoreline and the historic sites around the cemetery and former church are therefore also part of the varied character of this Slovak destination.

For the higher-level travel overview: Trstená.