Vlachovo: Huta Karol, Cultural Heritage and Hiking Trails

Culture

Vlachovo is home to Huta Karol, a blast furnace for producing iron from iron ore and a technical monument of European importance dating from 1870. Emanuel Andráši founded Huta Karol and named it after his father, Karol Andráši. The blast furnace in Vlachovo is one of the outdoor exhibitions of the Slovenské technické múzeum Košice.

The Evangelical church in Vlachovo was originally a single-nave late Gothic building constructed around the end of the 15th century. It was extensively rebuilt in 1871, and its altar dates from 1880. The Kaštieľ Andrášiovcov is a single-storey Baroque building from the second half of the 18th century that was rebuilt in the Classicist style in the first half of the 19th century. Following restoration in 2004 and 2005, it has served as the Vlachovo cultural centre.

The ceremonial entrance to the Grófska ľadovňa was inspired by the Egyptian architecture of mastabas and pyramids; the building was erected by the Andrášiovci at the beginning of the 19th century. The Grófska ľadovňa is a room carved into the rock that probably served to store hunted game.

Nature

The Andrášiovské rybníky in Vlachovo comprise ponds prepared for sport fishing. The Slaná River flows immediately beside the ponds and offers trout and grayling fishing waters.

A new spawning pond for the protected common frog was created at Močiar pod Michlovom in 2003. Public excursions to Močiar pod Michlovom were planned for March and April as a nature education measure במסגרת nature conservation.

Hiking and Trails

A yellow-marked hiking trail runs through Vlachovo. The municipality of Vlachovo recommends a yellow-marked hiking route from Vlachovo towards Stromíš and Babiná. The route from Vlachovo to Malý Radzim and back is 18.8 km long and has an elevation gain of 1,201 metres. This means that different types of trail options are available side by side: a marked trail through the village, a route towards the named mountains and a tour with a specified length and elevation gain.

The themed Iron Road II route runs from Drnava via Krásnohorské Podhradie, Rožňava, Betliar, Nižná Slaná and Vlachovo to Dobšiná. Vlachovo therefore also lies on a signposted themed connection whose route links several places and sites in the region.

Events

Výstup na Stromíš is a traditional event of the municipality of Vlachovo. It commemorates the Vlachovo-born residents Štefan Klement and Ján Elexa, who fell in the battles of the Second World War.

The Festival ľudového spevu a tanca and the Remeselnícky jarmok in Vlachovo reached their 31st and 19th editions, respectively, in 2025. The programmes of both events each included a climb to the church tower with a photo exhibition. The Folklórny súbor Stromíš preserves songs and traditions from Vlachovo and the region.

Further destinations: Jovice, Brzotín, Dlhá Ves, Dedinky, Betliar, Čierna Lehota, Drnava, Rejdová

For the overarching travel overview: Rožňava.