Horná Mariková: Open-Air Museum, Mountains and Cycling Trails

Horná Mariková reveals its special features particularly clearly in its local settlements, along its hiking trails and in the preserved traces of regional architectural heritage. In the local settlement of Modlatín, there is an open-air museum with an exhibition on traditional living in the Mariková Valley. The exhibition is housed in a wooden house consisting of three sections. After registering with the responsible municipal office employee in Horná Mariková, visitors can access the Modlatín open-air museum free of charge. By prior arrangement, a guided tour with an ethnologist from the Regional Museum in Považská Bystrica is also possible.

Culture and Architectural History

Also in Modlatín stands the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Saint John of Nepomuk. Its original fabric dates from 1765. In 1925–1926, the church was extended by a new part of the nave and a side annex. Ráztoka is also home to a wooden church, the only wooden church in the district. It was built in 1948–1949.

Original log houses have been preserved in the settlements of Horná Mariková and are gradually being converted into holiday cottages and holiday homes. The folklore ensemble Žrnovanka is one of the town’s well-known cultural representatives. The Marikovské folklórne slávnosti have been held in Horná Mariková since 1991.

Hiking and Views

Orgoňova Kyčera is home to an observation tower with a viewing platform seven metres above the ground. From the observation tower, visitors can see, among other places, Manínska tiesňava, Súľovské skaly, Žilina and the Low Tatras. Orgoňova Kyčera can be reached from the centre of Horná Mariková: via a route directly from the renovated “Rezort Mravec” hotel or via the Modlatín Valley and the Máčkovci settlement.

Orgoňova Kyčera lies on a blue-marked hiking trail that leads from the main ridge of the Javorníky Mountains via the Malý Javorník elevation towards Považská Bystrica. The Javorníky–Družba educational trail, focusing on natural history and local history, also runs through the cadastral territory of the municipality of Horná Mariková.

Cycling Trails

Cycle route 8316 from Horná Mariková to Máčkovci is 1.8 kilometres long, easy and designed for recreational mountain biking. It runs along asphalt and surfaced paths. It begins in Horná Mariková near the retirement home, at a junction with the blue cycle route 2307.

The Horná Mariková–Bahno route is also 1.8 kilometres long and designated as an easy asphalt recreational cycle route. It begins at a junction with the blue cycle route 2307 in Horná Mariková.

Water and Winter

The Rybník Horná Mariková pond is stocked with trout, carp and grass carp and is available for fishing. The Marikovský potok, also called Marikovka, flows through Horná Mariková.

The SKI Ráztoka ski resort has three lifts with lengths of 1,000, 720 and 250 metres. Ski mountaineering is possible on the Čertov–Horná Mariková–Portáš route.

Other Places

You can access other places directly: Ďurďové, Udiča, Sádočné, Kostolec, Stupné, Brvnište, Považská Bystrica, Plevník-Drienové.

To the higher-level travel overview: Považská Bystrica District.