Open air museums Brusno

Residents of the Brezno district are constantly striving to attract more and more visitors from all over Slovakia to their region. Especially during beautiful sunny days, you can treat yourself to a tour of the Hutnícky skanzen na Skalke open-air metallurgical museum in Valaská. Here you will learn more about the work and lives of people dedicated to processing various types of metals and alloys.

The educational site in the village of Valaská is sought after not only by school children, but also by visitors who love returning here for the interesting attractions of Horehronie. In addition to an enjoyable ride in a wagon on the forest railway or a walk through a natural environment with engaging attractions in the Lesnícky skanzen Vydrovo open-air forestry museum, set aside about an hour of your time for a tour of the open-air metallurgical museum. You can park your car in the parking lot in front of the entrance to the area.

As part of the tour, you will be transported back in time and space into the history of mining and metallurgy in the Pohronie region. You can view many exhibits here, including a chapel or mine adits with a heap and a railway transshipment yard. They will also introduce you to the process of rafting timber for ironworks and burning it in charcoal piles, where it transformed into charcoal. There is no shortage of a 1st-century Celtic iron workshop and a blacksmith's forge either. You can look at the world from a different perspective from the observation tower, which features educational panels of the Horehronie ironworks complex. You will also find two iron production factories here—one from the Renaissance period with a reduction melting furnace and a forging hammer, and the second a steam-powered one dating back to the 19th-century Industrial Revolution. A pillar blast furnace was used for smelting ore. Material was transported by a cargo cableway for ore transportation. In the audiovisual hall, you can watch a demonstration film that will immerse you even further into this environment.

Covering an area of 1 hectare, in addition to an engaging commentary, you can enjoy a break on wooden benches. The open-air museum is located under the open sky, so it is a good idea to check the current weather forecast in advance so that rain does not ruin your tour of this interesting place. The museum is mainly open during the summer season. All you need to do is plan a trip and discover the beauty of the region. After all, where else would you have the opportunity to see such functional exhibits?

A vacation in Nízke Tatry does not have to be just about lounging around. You can also head out to other engaging attractions in the area. You can experience the power of nature during a tour of Bystrianska jaskyňa cave, where you will find beautiful halls with stalactite decorations, as well as high and narrow passages. You can escape the hands of the legendary Horehronie vampire in Prdimuchova upírska izba. Sun-drenched days can also be spent near the water. The best way to cool down is in the pool of the Letné kúpalisko Podbrezová outdoor swimming pool. Have you heard that they say the most beautiful view of the world is when looking from horseback? You can test this claim at Ajax farma.

If you are not from this region and want to stay longer, do not despair. You can already choose from a rich offer of accommodation facilities on our portal, where you can spend a pleasant time. It is best to book accommodation near Hutnícky skanzen na Skalke in Valaská. Beautiful cabins are located on the edge of the village, but comfortable apartments Valaská situated in the center may also appeal to you. We will gladly help you choose accommodation.

The forest open-air museum, which is managed by Lesy Slovenskej republiky, š. p. (Forests of the Slovak Republic, state enterprise), is located in Vydrovská dolina, approximately 1 km from Čierny Balog, right in the heart of Slovakia in the Veporské vrchy. Its creation is a response to many questions from the public regarding our greatest natural wealth. It represents forestry across our entire country. Covering an area of up to 140 ha, the museum area is part of the surrounding forests, which live their everyday life, including routine forestry work.

The origin of Skanzen Vydrovo dates back to 2002, when the foundation stone was solemnly laid. Since then, the open-air museum has come a long way, culminating in a perfect demonstration of life in symbiosis with nature. The Trail of Forest Time is more than 4 km long, along which you will find approximately 80 stops with interesting exhibits. At individual stations, you will discover the life-giving capacities of the forest. The space is subtly enhanced by natural artwork created by an international group of artists called Ekoart.

This living nature museum is connected to the village by the Nature Trail of the Village of Čierny Balog, which you can use for your return journey. However, a very popular mode of transport is also a ride on the Čierny Hron Railway, which transports visitors directly to the Vydrovo – Skanzen stop from either Hronec or Čierny Balog.

As part of the open-air museum, you will visit several exhibitions. The Old Forester's Room is a reconstruction of a workspace, presenting a forester's office from the first half of the 20th century. Forests and Lifeis a slightly "provocative" exhibition that highlights the issue of the relationship between humans and nature. It points very directly to the destructive impact of today's consumer lifestyle, which is very harsh on the forest and can lead to its collapse. Forest in the Mirror of Science shows visitors the importance of the forest to humans, in the past and present, focusing on the current condition of decaying spruce forests. It tries to find the potential causes of this decline while offering solutions for the health condition of our forests. The final exhibition bears the symbolic title A Tree is the Earth's Prayer to the Heavens… and consists of wooden sculptures from private collections located in the Forest Chapel.

Children will also find plenty to enjoy here, whether it is an educational trail with a viewing platform or an enclosure with live animals. Behind the wild boar enclosure is a sensory path, which is a very popular attraction. It consists of grass, sand, wood chips, stone, and water, with a clear recommendation: walk barefoot! The nerves in our limbs are interconnected, and the sensations we receive into our bodies precisely through walking barefoot over different types of surfaces provide a sense of balance. This further has a beneficial effect on all parts of our body.

The official website of the open-air museum offers a downloadable overview map of the grounds, where various tour routes are marked according to difficulty and duration. However, the development of the open-air museum is still not finished; it constantly wants to bring something new to its visitors. It aims to captivate not only with its beautiful exhibition, but also through the Tree Days event held annually. As part of the accompanying program, you will plant a tree together, compete, and the open-air museum will introduce crafts closely linked to forestry through demonstrations.

It is a good idea to think ahead about which route you will take through the open-air museum, as a detailed tour of the entire grounds takes almost a whole day. It is definitely worth it, as it is the forest and its atmosphere that will recharge you with the best possible energy, which is so necessary for each of us. We recommend booking accommodation on our accommodation Čierny Balog or accommodation Brezno pages and coming to relax in pure nature, full of authentic sounds, scents, and experiences. Let the forest tell you its own story.