Stará Bystrica

Stará Bystrica rebuilt its square in the 2000s and put an astronomical clock in it, finished in 2009: the mechanism is set in a wooden structure shaped as a stylised Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, patron of Slovakia, with the dial in her body; six statues of Slovak historical figures stand on the outside, and every hour seven figures of saints linked with Slovakia appear. It is the only astronomical clock in Slovakia and is described as the largest wooden statue in the country.

History

The village is first recorded in 1417. Its astronomical clock, by the sculptor Viliam Loviška, was completed in 2009 as part of the rebuilding of the square, with an astrolabe designed for the village's own position by the Prague firm SPEL (Wikipedia, Stará Bystrica; Slovak Wikipedia, Stará Bystrica).

The main sights

• The astronomical clock - the only one in Slovakia, finished in 2009.
• The Madonna form - the mechanism set in a carved figure of Our Lady of Sorrows.
• The procession - seven carved saints appearing on the hour.
• The square - the rebuilt village centre the clock stands in.

When to go

April to October is the most comfortable. The figures process at set hours, so timing the visit matters. The village is quiet year round.

Practical notes

It is a modern construction, not a historic clock, which surprises some visitors. The village has little else and the visit takes half an hour. The procession happens only at set times.

Nearby

Vychylovka is east, and Cadca is west.

Key facts