Spišské Vlachy between church art and Galmus

Spišské Vlachy combines a historic centre, remarkable church art and nature-related attractions around Galmus. The historic centre of Spišské Vlachy was declared a monument zone in 1992. This provides a clearly defined cultural framework for exploring the town, complemented by several buildings and traditional crafts passed down through generations.

Culture

Spišské Vlachy has a House of Crafts dedicated to promoting traditional folk crafts. Another important building is the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist. It contains a comprehensively restored, richly decorated ensemble of late-Baroque altarpiece retables with Rococo elements from the early second half of the 18th century, created by Dionýz Riesmayer. After the Basilica of St. James in Levoča, this parish church is the second-largest church in the Spiš region.

The Evangelical Church in Spišské Vlachy is a typical example of a Toleration Church in the Baroque Classicist style. Its younger tower dates from the period of Classicism. Inside, the church preserves Baroque-Classicist furnishings, including pews, an altar and an organ. Construction of the Evangelical Church began in 1787.

The former town hall, also known as the Small Church, preserves a Late Gothic winged altarpiece. The Small Church also contains a painted wooden ceiling and a gallery in the chancel. Another tradition that has been passed down is the traditional summer horse show “Rodeo na Spiši”, which includes Western riding competitions.

Nature

The Galmuská tisina National Nature Reserve has existed since 1982 and covers 55.96 hectares of natural woodland. The Za huru recreation centre lies at the foot of the Galmus plateau. In and around Spišské Vlachy, Natura 2000 sites are mentioned along the floodplain of the Svätojánsky potok, along the Jánsky potok and in the Galmus area.

These natural features range from the reserve’s natural woodland to the mentioned areas along the two streams and in the Galmus area. The place names and landscape names remain closely connected: Galmuská tisina designates the nature reserve, while Galmus appears as a plateau and at the same time as the area of a mentioned Natura 2000 site.

Trails

A local marked hiking trail connects Spišské Vlachy, Zahura and Biela Skala. For cycling, Spišská cyklomagistrála No. 27 is relevant: it runs between Kežmarok and Spišské Vlachy and is 66 km long. Both routes name specific places and are therefore clearly distinct in their form and course.

The town’s transport history is also connected with a specific route. The historic railway line between Spišské Vlachy and Spišské Podhradie was 9.5 km long. The first train arrived in Spišské Podhradie on 14 October 1894. Thus, alongside the marked hiking trail and the 66-kilometre cycling route, a dated historic railway connection is also part of the town’s profile.

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More destinations

Find more destinations at: Rudnany, Mlynky, Spisska Nova Ves, Slovinky, Arnutovce, Krompachy, Spisske Tomasovce, Hnilcik.

For the higher-level travel overview: Okres Spišská Nová Ves.