The UNESCO village of Vlkolínec

One of my absolute favourite things about travel is immersing myself in a different way of life. I honestly believe that history and travel go hand in hand and getting to see how other cultures lived is so exciting for me. The UNESCO village of Vlkolínec in Slovakia is unlike anything I have ever seen. Because as you first set foot in to this village, you could actually be stepping back in to the 1800’s. Vlkolínec hasn’t changed a bit since that period and it’s never going to. Imagine 55 buildings, preserved, frozen in time as it were. That’s what this place is – a doorway in to the people of the Carpathian Mountains and their heritage.

Vlkolínec, located in Central Slovakia, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993. It’s pretty easy to see why. The entire village is untouched and displays perfect examples of folk architecture. It’s postcard perfect colourful wooden houses provide a perfect contrast to the rising mountainous background. But there aren’t just pretty homes here. There is also a museum (made from two of the houses combined), a school house (now displaying folk art) the existing bell tower and the Church of Visitation of Virgin Mary.The village isn’t just conserved for our entertainment however; out of the 45 houses 18 are currently lived in full time. Water is still collected from the stream running down the mountain. There is a working farm. Vlkolínec is a living, breathing open air museum and it had me spellbound.

The village of Vlkolínec was first documented in 1376 with records indicating that five streets were in place by 1469. The majority of the surviving buildings, however, date from the 1800’s.  Any change of use to any of the buildings in Vlkolínec is only permitted if there are no material changes and these must be approved by the regional monuments board.

 What do I actually need to know to visit the UNESCO village of Vlkolínec?

Now, whilst it is super easy to fall in love with this village; it’s a little trickier to actually get there. Vlkolínec is around a 3 hour drive away from Slovakia’s capital Bratislava. Of course if you have a car then it is completely doable and the UNESCO site has a car park right in front of the village entrance. There are buses travelling to and from Vlkolínec just twice a day from the nearby town of Ružomberok but this is the only method of public transport available to the village.

With Vlkolínec being a UNESCO site there is a small admission fee – this was €2 for adults and €1 for children at the time of publishing this post. The village is open all year round and you can visit between the hours of 9am and 6pm. I would recommend about two hours to see and enjoy everything that Vlkolínec has to offer.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the photographs of this magical place, if you have then please consider sharing or pinning. And as always, thanks so much for being here and stick around for more European adventures.

Beth Anne xoxo