Open air museums Južné Slovensko

Skalné obydlia Brhlovce are an exposed branch of the Tekovské múzeum v Leviciach. They are located in the village of the same name, Brhlovce, in the Nitriansky kraj, which is a protected reserve of folk architecture. It is a unique Slovak example of a distinctive form of folk architecture, which allegedly originally served as protection against the looting raids of the Turks, and later as homes for the poor.

The exhibition, which was opened to the public in 1992, consists of homestead number 142 in the "Šurda" lane. Part of the homestead where the exhibition is located includes a brick house from the end of the 19th century, a brick house dated 1932 on the facade, and two-story spaces carved into the rock. The ground floor consists of a summer kitchen, a pantry, and a display of period stonemason products and tools. The upper floor consists of a small chamber and a viewing terrace. The impression is completed by period furniture with which the interior is furnished.

The very carving of the dwellings into the tuff is considered unique because they possess a special property. That is, they stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Utilizing this thermal advantage during the construction of the dwellings demonstrates the cleverness, resourcefulness, and skill of the settlers of that time and their overall way of life.

Thanks to the exhibition of rock dwellings, Tekovské múzeum v Leviciach became the first Slovak institution in 1994 to receive the prestigious Europa Nostra international award. A surprising fact is that some of the rock dwellings are still inhabited or used as wine cellars or utility spaces to this day.

If you want to verify this for yourself, there is only one guaranteed way. Come and see it with your own eyes. Since the entire region also offers many other interesting attractions, the best thing to do is to plan a multi-day trip. You can easily book accommodation from which all trip options will be closest on the pages accommodation Nitriansky kraj and accommodation Levice.

Včelársky skanzen (also known as a museum or apiary clearing), situated in a beautiful English park in the village of Kráľová pri Senci, ranks among the largest beekeeping open-air museums in Central Europe. It is a significant collection of valuable information about the life and functioning of bees. You can even see with your own eyes an original thousand-year-old bee used in a film by Juraj Jakubiska.

This small bee kingdom, as the locals fondly call it, was founded in 1930. At that time, it originally served as a vocational school for future beekeepers. In 1932, the apiary clearing was handed over to the Regional Headquarters of Beekeeping Associations in Slovakia, and gradually, from 1961 onwards, the construction of the beekeeping open-air museum began. Its gates were opened to the public in 1975. Today, this unique beekeeping museum offers you displays of truly unique hive collections. It gathers unique materials about the development of beekeeping, how we as humanity can use it in various areas of our lives, and last but not least, about honey production.

During the tour, Včelárska paseka will also give you an answer to why a human could not survive without bees. You will learn that bees have been on Earth for more than 150 million years, and of course, the secret of their precious products. Whether it is liquid gold, as honey is popularly called, propolis, royal jelly, pollen, or last but not least, wax.

The museum features more than 300 exhibits, each of which can tell its own story. Some of the exhibited hives were even used as early as the 17th century. Located here is a large apiary building where honey extractors, comb foundation presses, and various tools and supplies of beekeepers mapping the development of beekeeping in Slovakia are exhibited.

You will leave Včelárska paseka truly enriched. With new information, experiences, inner gratitude toward the little bees and their tireless work, and last but not least, perhaps also with purchased genuine bee products. If you also want to participate in one of the events held here, we recommend booking accommodation in Senec and its surroundings so that you can also visit other attractions that the surroundings of the open-air museum and Senec offer.