SK, Marianka – Slovakian Lourdes

The history of Marianka has its origins in prehistory. The evidence for this are archeological findings in former stone pit where a fortress built in early Bronze age. First written evidence dates back to the year 1367, detailed information related to its origin remain mystery. What do we know is that in 1377 King Louis I of Hungary laid the foundation stone of the Virgin Mary church . The king did this after he heard legends of the Virgin Mary statue which used to stand on a wooden column by a miraculous spring. We will talk about her story some other time. Anyway, since then a glorious history of the town started and thanks to this it tourists want to visit it until today. However, spirituality was not the sole thing that made the town famous. In the 17th century slate mining . Slate was what gold was gold mining was somewhere else. Its simple mining and universal usage such as construction or cladding material or as school writing tables made it popular in Hungary as well as in Europe, America and Orient. Until the present we may recognize “leftovers” of this famous era – mines nearby.

A time has come to see some sights. Few lines above we have written of the Birth of Virgin Mary church founded by the king himself. It is a one-navy church with a tower, a statue of the Virgin Mary on the main altar dominates its interior. Then there are five baroque altars, one neo-Gothic and a Renaissance baptistery. Another interesting landmark of the town are Stations of the Cross located in forested area along a river. Its uniqueness lays in 14 stations of Jesus Christ made of 50 life-size wooden statues. Near Stations of the Cross a Lourde Cave was built in 1936. Its walls are covered with hundreds memorial thanksgiving tables. Among other sacral buildings is the Holy Well chapel where the visitors can take some healing water. St Anna chapel or former Pavlin monastery are interesting as well..

There are also sporting possibilities in Marianka like several tourist trails and two marked biketrails which will take you to interesting places in Zahorie or the Small Carpathian Mountains . Regarding some tips, we would like to mention near Pajstun Castle ruins, Maly Slavin (a popular destination for family trips), or near town of Stupava and its castle

Many events are held in Marianka in the course of every year. They range from traditional carnivals to starting St Jonh’s fires to fests. Today the town is experiencing a construction boom caused by its great location and unique atmosphere. Every visitor will find here what he/she likes: beautiful nature, redemption, the history of mining industry and kindness of locals.

Text: Oskár Mažgút
Photo: Oľga Maňáková, Oskár Mažgút