SVK: Donovaly - An Ideal Place For Spending Active Leisure Time I.

In mountaneous col, along the border of Low Tatra Mountains, Staré Hory Hills and Great Fatra Mountain Range, a community of Donovaly is hidden. It is located in the middle of the road from Banská Bystrica to Ružomberok.

Short history

In past, several communities were founded there, known in the environs with own production of wooden coal. Later, the colonies were united, being known under common name of Donovaly. The first message of the community comes of 1702. Although the village is surrounded with mountains, it is not unusual that most of local inhabitants worked in state forests in past. Apart of this, great part of old holders was engaged also in Horehron iron works.

Donovaly at present

Nowadays, Donovaly belongs to communities with exclusively relax function. Within past couple of years, many weekend houses, mountain boarding houses, apartement houses or top-class hotels, (such as Galileo or Residence Hotel), were built there. These hotels are situated directly in community centre. Apart of this, you can find there many boarding units, starting from self-service restaurant via nice wooden cottages up to hotel restaurants of top quality level, filling requests of all clients. Except accommodation and boarding possibilities, local resort centres offer also wide scale of relax procedures. The visitors can use bathing in swimming pool, have a relax in sauna or in whirlpool equipments, or to take new power by means of pleasant massage activities. Despite the fact that Donovaly is known, first of all, thanks to Park Snow Centre (which belongs to the biggest and best equipped ski centres in Slovakia), we wish to pay our attention to a season, when the surrounding hills are not covered with snow.

Conditions in Spring and in Autumn

If you prefer and love active way of relax, so, Donovaly could be your right destination for spending of your holidays. In the environs, big number of marked tourist trails are situated. You can choose it, according to your own form. Walking ahead, you can fully enjoy marvellous outlooks, and, if you arrive just in time, you can taste on spot forest strawberries, raspberries or excellent blue-berries. Apart of this, we cannot forget cyclists! You can pass through many cycling routes, with its totally length of 230 kilometres. Some of them undergone complete reconstruction recently  and the other are marked again in actual way. The shortest cycling route is 1,7 kilometres long, the longest  takes 35,3 kilometres. It seems to be that it is not too much but, you have to take into consideration that the routes are passing through mountaneous terrain! A route, connecting Ružomberok with Banská Bystrica, is suitable not pnly for mountain bikes, but also for road bicycles.

Beautiful nature, full of tourist and cycling routes, is not only the unique target, characteristic for Donovaly. Our next article makes your acquaintance with another attractions, which are waiting for you there.

Text/photo: O. Kubáčková

Translation: ing. Jan Jonáš