Castles, Cribs and Cottages
Bojnice Castle and Cicmany, Slovakia
That was a hairy ride! Her Ladyship was having kittens as we drove, caravan in tow, up an extremely steep hill with numerous hair pin bends. ‘There’s no way there can be a campsite site up here!’ she yelped, her knuckles as white as my feathers as she clung on to the dashboard for dear life. His Lordship was right, however. There was a campsite on the top of the hill. But the last laugh was on him. The pitches were almost as steep as the hill itself and he had a pig of a job getting the caravan level. ‘Right, we’re not budging from here for a week, come hell or high water’ he panted once he’d finally finished.
There were no objections to that. There is plenty to see and do from here in Bojnice in Central Slovakia. Or, rather, from the top of a very steep hill overlooking Bojnice.
I loved the traditional wooden houses in Podbiel, but the ones in the village of Cicmany, less than 40km from our campsite, really take the biscuit. In fact, they look just like gingerbread houses. Good enough to eat!
The story goes that, back in the 18th century, the womenfolk here used to paint the corners of the houses with lime in order to protect the wood from the weather. They then started to decorate the entire walls with geometric patterns, based on the designs used in traditional embroidery. The result is this unique village which has become a reservation of folk architecture. The patterns include crosses, hearts, stars, spirals, pinwheels and birds. The spirals remind me of ancient Celtic patterns from thousands of years ago. It is funny how the same patterns come round and round again. Just like the spirals themselves.
We spotted a couple of women touching up the designs on this house. I suggested to the Oldies that I could act as a model for the bird pattern, but was unceremoniously stuffed back into the rucksack by Her Ladyship. Bang goes my fledgling modelling career!
Two of the houses make up the local museum and the Oldies were fascinated by the traditional clothing, household utensils and farm implements on display there. I was rather surprised to hear that these cosy cottages housed families of up to eight people. Per room! Now that would be a little too cosy for my liking. Though I suppose, at an altitude of 655m, it must get pretty chilly here in the winter.
Sure enough, I spotted a ski slope, Javorinka Cicmany, just beyond the village. I’m glad we are visiting in summer. Seamus the Skigull has hung up his skis. For good.
Only about 15km from Cicmany, we found another treasure. In the village of Rajecka Lesna, the so-called ‘Slovak Bethlehem’ is one of the most amazing pieces of woodcarving I have ever seen. Master carver Jozef Pekara took over 15 years to complete this masterpiece depicting various aspects of Slovak life. The 8.5 metre-long ‘moving crib’ includes highlights from Slovak history and culture, including architecture, agriculture, trades and traditional crafts. The only ‘Christmassy’ part is the nativity scene itself. I had to smile, though, at the adults standing there, totally enraptured by the dozens of moving figures. The expressions on their faces certainly conjured up all the magic of childhood Christmas memories.
Bojnice itself is a quaint country town, but what really draws the crowds here are the spa, the zoo, the fantastic swimming pool complex and what’s billed as the most beautiful castle in Slovakia.
With the zoo and swimming complex thronged with young families, the Oldies chose the more peaceful option of taking a stroll around the beautiful grounds of the spa. Par for the course, they promptly got lost. Admittedly the spa park is huge and it didn’t help that the entire complex appears to be undergoing major building and renovation works at the moment. It will be lovely when it’s finished!
Bojnice castle is deservedly the star attraction. With its origins going back to medieval times, the castle has undergone many changes over the centuries, the latest being a major reconstruction in the Romantic style. This was carried out by the last private owner, Count Janos Ferenc Palffy, who died two years before his project was completed in 1910. I‘m no expert on architecture, but ‘Romantic style’ really means what it says. You couldn’t get more romantic than this; this is a real fairy-tale castle. No wonder it has featured in a number of fantasy films. It even comes complete with a moat and some spooky caves located under one of the courtyards.
The caves were rather too spooky for my liking, I have to say, and I felt a lot happier in the upper quarters. The Count did an amazing job here, with no expense spared by the looks of it. The interior is simply stunning. The exquisite collection of furniture and fittings, tapestries, drawings, paintings and sculptures is beautifully displayed in opulent surroundings. It was no surprise to learn that the castle is now part of the Slovak National Museum and receives hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Good grief! His Lordship now tells me that that Bojnice castle is also the venue for the International Festival of Ghosts and Spirits which takes place at the end of April/beginning of May each year, attracting ghosts, ghouls, witches, and vampires from all over Europe.
Right. That’s one festival you won’t catch me attending. Neither in body nor in spirit!
