Situated between Ruzomberok and Banska Bystrica Vlkolinec is one of the best examples of traditional rustical architecture of its kind in the region. Some houses are used as cottages (weekend houses), some are still settled by aborigines. There are many open air museums in Slovakia. But even if some villages preserved their architecture, this is the most compact unit. Listed on UNESCO world heritage list there are 45 homes which are mostly inhabited. The settlement is composed of typical hand hewn timber houses. On narrow parcels of land, there are buildings that merge with gardens to form the well preserved system of terraced fields you see all around the settlement. Buildings are arranged in rows; each beginning with a dwelling house, followed by the cowshed and stables and a barn at the end of the yard. The present population of Vlkolinec reaches 20. In the village there is also a museum - Farmer´s house featuring the original dwelling, and the information centre.

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Church of the Visit of the Virgin Mary of 1875
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The wooden Bell Tower of 1770 built with wooden logs
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The colors of houses walls includes mostly blue, white and yellow
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Wonderful! It looks so idyllic! It reminds me on my grandma's village in central Bosnia.

Nice Wicky! Is this an Eco-Village or just a well kept Slovak village?

Guys, the village is original, sure with some restored parts, but the houses stayed are as they had been for the some time before. The only pity is, that some of them has tinny roofs, but a minority of them. There are other mountain villages with preserved rustical architecture, but many of them includes bricked, or walled houses, built mostly from 1920s.

Here are some examples of Cicmany:

http://atlas-cs.logis.cz/obrazky/C/cicmany.jpg
http://www.tanjaswelt.com/seiten/spezial/Slowakei/cicmany/haus.jpghttp://www.tanjaswelt.com/seiten/spezial/Slowakei/cicmany/haus3.jpg

Beautiful....very Slavic-looking:)

Well, I would say, it looks like mountain village in Slovakia. Not a friend of panslavism, pangermanism, or panromanism. :)

Pretty. There are similiar houses in Poland, in particular in Lanckorona:

http://www.lanckorona.pl/?a=photogalery_display_image&photo=dXBsb2FkZWRfZ2FsZXJ5LzEwNTMzNTI4NTdfNDI3NjU4MDAuanBn
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Yes. Wooden houses are and were typical for the mountain regions. The type of the village depends on the settlements. The older the village, the houses are built nearer to each other.

Man, that's great- gotta see it. Not so far from my place luckily :)

Guys, the village is original, sure with some restored parts, but the houses stayed are as they had been for the some time before. The only pity is, that some of them has tinny roofs, but a minority of them. There are other mountain villages with preserved rustical architecture, but many of them includes bricked, or walled houses, built mostly from 1920.

No restorations, just repaint but that wooden roof should be renewed every 2-3 years or so because otherwise it could molder.
There are not that many villages with preserved rustical architecture like this. Most of them were rebuilt into more solid structures during the communist era cos it wasn´t that expensive. But I wish they stayed like this coz it fits there much more than some concrete or something similar...

Yes. Wooden houses are and were typical for the mountain regions. The type of the village depends on the settlements. The older the village, the houses are built nearer to each other.

Yes, it is more sensible and to built wooden structure in area like that rather than using some other materials which were also not easier to get in such place.

By the way you can´t really see that stunning view from that village or from that peak above the village, so here you go:

http://www.vlkolinec.sk/f/102/022.jpg
http://www.vlkolinec.sk/f/102/035.jpg

And I do not think that cars are allow to park there any more...