Betliar: Manor House, Park and Trails to Skalisko

Betliar Manor House originated from a fortified Gothic manor house that originally served as an outpost of Krásna Hôrka Castle. Surrounding the manor house is an approximately 57-hectare English park, which is listed in the Register of Historic Gardens of the World.

Culture

After the Second World War, the original furnishings of Betliar Manor House remained intact; a museum was subsequently established there with an exhibition on the domestic culture of the nobility in the 18th and 19th centuries. The central library preserves more than 14,000 volumes from the 15th to the 19th century in six languages. The Egyptology exhibition in the manor house includes the mummy of a priest, the mummy of a child, and burial finds such as amulets and fragments from periods ranging from the 7th century BC to the 1st century AD. The renewed Egyptology exhibition explores the Andrássy family as collectors and travellers, Ancient Egypt, and the rediscovery of Egyptian art in the so-called “Egypt revival” in three thematic sections. The exhibition of exotic trophies presents specimens from Africa and Asia and is housed in the manor house’s winter garden.

The churches are also among Betliar’s historic buildings. The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Elizabeth the Widow dates from the first half of the 14th century and features remarkable vaults and interesting interior furnishings. The Protestant church was built in 1786 and features late Baroque vaults and a column altar dating from 1838. Hubertova jazda is a major cultural event held in Betliar almost every year and dedicated to the patron saint of hunters and horse riders.

Nature and Park

The Betliar game reserve was established in 1967 in the municipality’s cadastral area, now covers 1,696 hectares and serves primarily, within the cadastral area of Betliar, for breeding fallow deer, mouflon and red deer. Visitors can observe freely grazing herds of game in the forest meadows. In the park, an artificial water system channels water from the Betliar stream into three lakes, three fountains and the so-called Great Waterfall. Betliar Manor House’s English park also contains a Masonic pavilion, a Chinese pavilion, a Japanese bridge, the Hermes Fountain and a water-lily pond.

Hiking

The yellow-marked hiking trail No. 8749 runs through Betliar, starts at the former Betliar railway station, leads over the Volovec saddle and connects to hiking trail No. 2827. The yellow-marked route from Betliar to Skalisko is approximately 8 kilometres long and takes about 3.5 hours on foot. In good weather, the ascent to Skalisko offers hikers views of the panorama of the High Tatras and other well-known peaks of the Slovak Ore Mountains.

The educational trail “Sights of the Municipality of Betliar” has 18 stops and is an easy route. It leads to the houses of notable personalities, a park in the village centre, a monument to the fallen in the local cemetery, the Protestant parsonage and the fire station.

Getting Around

Road I/67 runs through the cadastral area of Betliar between Rožňava and Dobšiná and forms part of an important tourist transit route connecting Poland, Poprad, Vernár, Dobšiná, Rožňava, Kráľ and Hungary. Bus services run along Road I/67; stops are located in the southern part of Betliar’s village centre and at the junction with the road to Nižná Maša. From the bus stop in Betliar, the grounds of Betliar Manor House can be reached on foot in 15 to 20 minutes by heading northeast along the Krivý Potok.

More destinations: Rožňava, Krásnohorská Dlhá Lúka, Rejdová, Stratená, Čierna Lehota, Jovice, Vlachovo, Dlhá Ves.

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