Drnava: Educational Trail, Mining History and Karst Views

The Poklady Drnavy educational trail is 4.8 kilometres long and includes seven stops with information panels in Slovak and Hungarian. It is described as an easy family outing suitable for families with small children and school groups. The educational trail begins at the Drnava Ironworks site and combines nature observations with traces of the local mining industry and its architectural history.

Nature and Landscape

Along the route, the trail passes a pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) that is more than 300 years old. In the forest section, there is a view of almost the whole of Drnava. The Drnava Oak is also one of the village’s notable natural features: it was a finalist in the Slovak Tree of the Year 2020 competition. The municipal chronicle mentions the old Drnava Oak as early as 1670.

A longer hiking route leads from Drnava via Tekvičník, Pipitka, Čipkov vrch, Lipovec and Čertov hrad back to Drnava. During the hike via Pipitka, the karst plateaus and, in the distance, the ridge of the High Tatras can be seen. On the route near Čertov hrad, two large rocky peaks appear between the trees, approximately 50 metres apart.

Cultural and Industrial History

The Dionýz adit is designated as a national technical monument. Its portal is the authentically preserved visible above-ground part of the Dionýz adit in the Drnava mining district. In front of the adit are a shelter, a small pond, benches and a fire pit. The educational trail also descends to the single-storey Baroque-Classical Andrássy manor house. The building was originally constructed in the late 18th century in the Baroque-Classical style.

The final stop on the educational trail is the Catholic Church of St Nicholas, dating from 1779; the route also leads to the Chapel of the Virgin Mary. The Drnava ironworks building is a two-storey structure in the Neoclassical style. Its façades are articulated by 26 blind-arch arcades supported by pilasters. In the Drnava ironworks, components for the famous Chain Bridge in Budapest were cast in the 1840s. Some gravestones made by the Drnava Ironworks are still preserved in the local cemetery. At the summit of Drieňovec, the hillfort area covered a fortified site of more than 20 hectares.

Cycling and Hiking Routes

Cycling route 2701 begins in Drnava and leads from there towards Lipovník; it is designated as a moderately difficult MTB route. In Drnava, visitors can rent an e-bike to explore the Poklady Drnavy educational trail and the remains of the old railway. The Zádielska cycling route passes through Drnava and is 54.5 kilometres long.

More Destinations

More location pages for planning your own trip: Betliar, Jovice, Vlachovo, Čierna Lehota, Rožňava, Dedinky, Rejdová, Krásnohorské Podhradie.

For the higher-level travel overview: Rožňava.