Terchová

The music of Terchová is played by a small string band, one or two lead fiddlers, an accompanying player and a bass player on a small two-stringed bass, with the players singing in multipart harmony as they play, at a pitch and speed particular to this valley. UNESCO inscribed it on the Representative List in 2013. Terchová is also the birthplace of Juraj Jánošík, the outlaw of Slovak folklore, marked by a large statue above the village and a summer festival.

History

The village was founded in 1580 as a Vlach settlement and turned to farming as new settlers arrived in the 17th century; in the 19th century droughts and plagues led many to emigrate to the US, Canada and Argentina. In 2013 UNESCO inscribed the music of Terchová on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Wikipedia, Terchová).

Highlights

• The string band music - a small band singing in harmony as it plays.
• The Janosik statue - a large aluminium figure on the hill above the village.
• The summer festival - the Janosik Days, when the bands play across the village.
• The Vratna valley - the Mala Fatra mountains rising directly behind.

When to go

The Janosik Days festival in late July or early August is when the music is most present. Bands also play at village events year round. May to October is the walking season for the valley.

Before you go

Outside the festival hearing the music means arranging it or finding a band playing at an event; it is not on a timetable. The village is crowded in summer with Mala Fatra walkers. The Janosik statue divides opinion.

Nearby

Janosikove diery are up the valley, and Zilina is west.

Key facts