Čičmany is a small mountain village in northwestern Slovakia,It is located about 38 km southwest of Žilina, in the Strážovské vrchy Mountains, in the Rajčianka Spring.
Čičmany is an old village, mentioned as Cziczman as early as 1272 It developed systematically, in 1784 it had 126 houses and 1,275 inhabitants, who were mainly breeding sheep and producing bryndza. During the season, some of them traveled to the Danube Lowlands for field work. In winter, the men worked in the woods. Various crafts were involved, incl. The famous local slippers were commonly produced in cottages, and later distributed at markets and fairs in the vast area, as far as Žilina.
Today ,Čičmany is best known for its well-preserved folk architecture, wooden houses with white decorations. In 1977 the lower part of the village was placed under monument protection and is one of ten reserves of folk architecture in Slovakia.
The town hosts an ethnographic exhibition and you can visit the castle and the parish church of the Invention of the Holy Cross.The village is a ski center, it has several T-bar lifts.
Access : Coordinates:48.95, 18.516667 / Located 36 km west of Zsolna, the village is the last settlement in the Rajcsanka Valley.
Highlights :
- The village is primarily famous for its black-painted white-decorated wooden houses and colorful folk costumes. The masterpieces of folk architecture were declared protected at the end of the 1970s.
- The village is also interesting for its local folk costume and embroidery with geometric ornamentation. There is an ethnographic exhibition, a mansion and a church.
- Top sights in Čičmany : Roman Catholic Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in Baroque style from 1669 / 18th century chapel / open-air museum of folk architecture , operating since 1977.
Go next : Žilina , a regional and district town in northern Slovakia. It lies at the confluence of the Váh, Kysuca and Rajčanka rivers.
