The story of Vlkolínec

The name of this hamlet probably comes from the Slovak word vlk, meaning wolf. Vlkolínec was first mentioned in writing in 1376, and was likely founded as a settlement of woodcutters and charcoal burners. After 1882 it became part of the town of Ružomberok.

Since 1993 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as an untouched example of the folk countryside architecture of the Northern Carpathians. Walk among more than 45 log houses, each of two or three rooms, mostly painted white with lime, set on high stone foundations to level the steep slope, with shingle roofs and small holes in the gables to let smoke out. Look for the wooden belfry from 1770 and the Baroque chapel.

Houses No. 16 and 17 are now a folk museum with the tools of daily life and work. After the Second World War there were plans to move the residents to Ružomberok, but they never happened, so people still live here today.