Medzilaborce: Hotels amid Churches, History and Nature

Medzilaborce brings Rusyn culture, sacred art and the history of the Carpathian Front to life at tangible sites. The town lies at the confluence of the Laborec and Vydraňka rivers in the Laborecká vrchovina highlands, below the ridge of the Low Beskids. Nature and the landscape are also part of the character of the surrounding area: the Eastern Carpathians Protected Landscape Area is headquartered in Medzilaborce and is the easternmost protected landscape area in Slovakia.

Nature

The natural conditions around the town are suitable for hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing, skiing and other activities. In Kamjana Forest Park, the forest educational trail begins at the cultural and sports complex on Mierova Street. The trail takes approximately three hours and is suitable for individual, family and school educational trips. Along the way, it reaches the 433-metre-high Kameň, with its distinctive rock formation known as Čertov kameň.

Culture

The Miniskanzen in Medzilaborce contains handmade replicas of Rusyn houses from surrounding villages and presents the history of a Rusyn village. It can only be visited accompanied by a staff member. One of the defining sacred sites is the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit. It contains a composition of 350 icons covering an area of approximately 1,600 square metres; together with its unique architecture, it is a landmark of Medzilaborce.

The Greek Catholic Church of Saint Basil the Great is one of the oldest monuments in Medzilaborce. Church services and sacraments are celebrated or administered there in Church Slavonic and Rusyn. The Roman Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary was built in 1903. In front of it is a Lourdes grotto, which was solemnly blessed in 2002. Every June, Medzilaborce also hosts the Festival of Culture and Sport.

History

At the Medzilaborce Cultural Centre, the exhibition “Boje v Karpatoch – Medzilaborce 1914/1915” presents the course of the fighting in north-eastern Slovakia, focusing on Medzilaborce and the wider surrounding area. It displays historical uniforms as well as the equipment and weapons of the armies involved, and covers the fighting on the Carpathian Front that took place in Medzilaborce and its surroundings from autumn 1914 to spring 1915.

Several war cemeteries and World War I memorials are registered within the territory of Medzilaborce. The monument to those killed in the First and Second World Wars in Medzilaborce was unveiled on the fifth anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising. The Holocaust memorial in Medzilaborce was unveiled on 31 July 2008.

Trails

The “Vydraňským chotárom” route leads through Vydraň, now a district of Medzilaborce, to the Slovak-Polish border ridge. It offers views of Medzilaborce, the Laborecká vrchovina highlands, the Vihorlat Mountains and the Slanské vrchy hills.

Further Exploration

The tourist train is intended to be available at the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art and to travel through Medzilaborce and the surrounding area to various monuments. The tourist train is also intended to run from the Medzilaborce mesto railway and bus station on Mierova Street to Kalinov and back.

Also pay attention to the included services, individual price components, and the booking and cancellation conditions. When travelling with several people, it is particularly important that the stated occupancy suits your needs. Carefully compare the specific terms before deciding on an offer.

To the main travel overview: Medzilaborce District.