The foothill settlement of roubenek registered on the UNESCO list
About 5 km southwest of the town of Ružomberok, there is a heritage reserve of folk architecture in a valley on the northeastern spur of Velké Fatra – the mountain settlement of Vlkolínec. This original foothill settlement of shepherds, woodcutters and charcoal burners is the best preserved and most complete ensemble of original folk buildings in Slovakia and was therefore registered on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List on December 11, 1993. In the summer, a number of cultural events take place in the settlement.
Original foothill settlement
In Vlkolínec, the original architecture and structure of a typical mountain settlement has been preserved. Located in an isolated mountain valley, a paved road and electricity were introduced here only in the middle of the last century. Thanks to this, it avoided a rapid construction boom in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the settlement preserved its original character
Settlement structure
The village lies on a rather steep slope along a mountain stream. It has a concentrated street layout with long yards and gardens. There are a total of 55 wooden houses here, and currently seven families live permanently in the settlement, living in six houses. The other houses are recreational facilities.
Wooden houses
The wooden houses stand on a steep slope and are therefore built on high stone foundations. They are log structures built from partially or completely hewn beams. Gable roofs are shingled with a broken roof. The wooden gables of the house have small openings (chimneys) used for smoke evacuation. The joints between the beams are filled with wooden prisms of triangular cross-section, moss and clay. The walls were whitewashed with lime, on which paint was applied.
Wooden bell tower
The dominant feature of the settlement is the wooden two-story belfry from 1777. This log building with a shingle roof is one of the oldest preserved buildings in the settlement.
Farm house
This three-room semi-detached house is a typical local building. It consisted of an entrance, where there was also a kitchen, living rooms and chambers. In Rolnické dům there is currently an exhibition of the original housing, we cannot see the original equipment of the households.
Kitchen
Immediately behind the entrance was the kitchen in the corridor with an open hearth in the back. The smoke left through an opening in the ceiling, the so-called chimney.
Living room
In this room, the normal life of the family and sleeping took place.
Chamber
The chamber was used to store food and work tools.
Granary
Opposite the Rolnické dom is a former stone granary.
Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary
In the easternmost part of the village there is a neoclassical one-nave church with a tower. It was rebuilt in its present form in 1875.
Cemetery
Interesting stone and cast iron crosses are preserved in the simple cemetery next to the church.
Well
The public rumpál well dates from 1860, when it was the only source of drinking water for all residents. It is a wooden building covered with shingles, standing on a stone base.