Ždiar

Ždiar sits in a saddle below the Belianske Tatras on the road to Poland, and it is a Goral village: the highlander culture that spans this border, with its own dialect, dress and building. The old houses are log built, the timber weathered to a soft red, with blue-painted seams and painted plant ornaments on the window frames and boards, and in 1977 four groups of them were declared folk architecture reservations, though modern buildings now prevail in the village. A Goral house is open as a museum with its interior as it was.

History

The village is first recorded in 1409, under the name Stragan; its people lived by farming, grazing and charcoal burning, and from the end of the 19th century also by tourism. It is historically a Goral village, and in 1977 four groups of its folk buildings were declared folk architecture reservations (Wikipedia, Ždiar; Slovak Wikipedia, Ždiar).

What to look for

• The painted houses - log walls with blue seams and painted plant ornaments.
• The Goral house museum - an interior kept as the family had it.
• The Belianske Tatras - the limestone range rising directly above the village.
• The Goral culture - dialect, dress and music spanning the Polish border.

When to go

June to September is the walking season and December to March brings skiing at the small local area. The village is busiest in both. Spring and autumn are quiet.

Good to know

New building along the road has diluted the village considerably and the painted houses are scattered among modern pensions. The museum is small and keeps limited hours. Traffic on the Poland road is heavy.

Nearby

Bachledka is nearby, and Osturna is north.

Key facts