ORAVA REGION

Dear Vladimir, at the beginning of 1996 we the employees of the Orava Museum in Oravsky Podzamok are wishing you success in your difficult but on the other hand beautiful work, through which you are showing the world the values and beauty of our, but also your homeland. Finally the form and the contents of Slovak Heritage Live speak for itself.

If you allow, we are interested to provide some information about Orava region to the readers of your newsletter, Slovak Heritage Live. Orava is lately one of the most visited areas of Slovakia by not only local, but also foreign travelers. You know Orava yourself. That is why we like to introduce Orava with her natural beauty together with her material and spiritual heritage of her inhabitants.

Orava is historic territory in the Northern part of Slovakia. It’s named by river that runs through the territory. Its geographic position is set for the most part by natural border of mountains and rivers. Orava creates geographical circle. Orava is enclosed at North by Oravske Beskydy, on the West by Kysucka Vrchovina and Mala Fatra, on East by Zapadne Tatry (Rohace) and South Chocske vrchy. Between all these mountain formations the territory is wrinkled by tributaries of the river Orava. Today's territory or Orava is 1661.18 Square Km. Basically it is the same as Oravska Zupa, long time ago. The oldest traces of Orava’s inhabitants date back to the Late Stone Age and beginning of the Bronze era.

Visitors will be taken by the beauty of the Orava's castle, proud witness of past, from 13th century and it is National Historic Monument. The highest and also the oldest part of the castle is situated on the summit of the rock 112 meters above the river Orava.

Valuable treasures of folk architecture of Orava are preserved in the Museum of Orava's Village-Skanzen in Zuberec-Berestova. Close by the open-air museum is amphitheater where every year in August is festival called Podrohacsky Folk Festival. Here one can see performance of children and adult's folk groups not only from whole Orava region, but also from other parts of Slovakia and abroad.

Orava’s region is preserving also spiritual cultural heritage of its ancestors, that is most felt in family and anniversary traditions.

By: Elena Benusova
Na Sihoti 1162/29
026 01 Dolny Kubin
Slovakia

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Published in the Slovak Heritage Live newsletter Volume 4, No. 1, Spring 1996
Copyright © Vladimir Linder 1996 
3804 Yale Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5C 1P6
The above article and photographs may not be copied, reproduced, republished, or redistributed by any means including electronic, without the express written permission of Vladimir Linder. All rights reserved.