Beyond the mountains, beyond the valleys, beneath an extinct volcano, time has stopped, indeed almost solidified like erupted lava. You too can stop (here). Under Poľana, perhaps only the rocks are lifeless, favorite places of climbers, but everything else, and especially what is traditional, pulses with life here to the fullest. This is evidenced by the unchanging distinctive way of life. Hard as a cross, yet beautiful when it stands carved and painted on your path. The shepherding culture, people in typical folk costumes, and instruments such as the fujara or the shepherd’s axe originating from this region have become an inseparable part of Slovakia’s world-famous image.

Discover the inimitable landscape beneath the volcano, full of life, beautiful nature, castles, châteaux, and other architectural gems. An inseparable part of Podpoľanie is also its unmistakable folklore and traditions.

The charm of Podpoľanie does not end with the Hriňová hamlets. As you head toward the summit of this extinct volcano along the southern slope, you will discover a place where the waters of the Bystrý stream buckle over rock steps and fall from a height of 23 meters. On the volcanic rocks, whose moisture shifts them into a darker tone, the water breaks into thinner vertical rivulets, from which tiny droplets and mist bounce off. Long ago, a lava flow broke here and, by sinking into the depths, created this natural monument. The mighty waterfall, also called Bystré or, in the local dialect, Bystrô, rewards even repeated visits by revealing a different one of its forms each time. Ladders installed parallel to it will direct you further on your way to the summit of Poľana.

If you want to improve at finding a firm point on the way up and overcome yourself, Kaľamárka, a short distance from Detva, is an ideal practice climbing terrain. It is also excellent for bouldering, that is, climbing without a rope. An event called KalamarKAP is regularly organized on the dark andesite crags. However, the place also attracts non-climbers to wander in its enchanting atmosphere. The strategically well-located rock plateau of Kaľamárka is also an important archaeological site inhabited as early as the Bronze Age. You can learn more about it on the educational trail, and you can also connect with ancient ancestors by discovering a water cistern carved into the rock on the top of Zadná Kaľamárka.

The idea for the Podpoľanie Museum was born in the minds of enthusiasts, and its heart consists above all of ethnological exhibits made directly in Podpoľanie households. The aim of the exhibitions is to offer visitors an insight into the centuries-unchanged life of the people of Podpoľanie, in which shepherding and bryndza cheese-making play an important role. It is worth exploring the history of Detva and the Vígľaš estate and admiring the diverse objects of folk culture, especially textiles and clothing, not only on rainy days. If you have no idea what an oplecko is, at the Podpoľanie Museum you will find out thanks to more than 200 exhibits, and you will also find, for example, a scaled-down replica of a shepherd’s hut, embroidered sheepskin coats, bridal headpieces, wooden dippers, whips, shepherd’s axes, spinning wheels, and products made using blue-print fabric. As part of workshops, you can also try traditional crafts typical of this region.

When Hriňová scatters into more solitary settlements set in beautiful nature, everything inside a person falls silent and calms down. The terraced little fields, which identify this region as precisely as DNA, have drawn patterns across the landscape full of hard work, but also of the meaning that such a traditional way of life brings. By many homesteads, simple chapels stand on elevations, built so that the hamlet dwellers would be closer to God, and a person has the same feeling today when enjoying the divine views from these pious places. Crossroads are adorned with original carved wooden crosses, and some specific customs preserved to this day, such as the burning of “míle” at Pentecost, can be found only in this region.

Javorinka is a grassy hill from which rocks of volcanic origin peek out. During World War II, after the front had passed through, many soldiers found their eternal rest here in mass graves. In the shepherds’ huts and mountain cabins, to the lullaby of bells, shepherds spent the night, and even a brigand from the Hriňová hamlets; today one of them has been converted into a shelter ready to provide refuge to hikers and seekers of the best shots. This shepherding area, and especially the Kešovka lookout rock, promises visitors the most beautiful panoramic views of the Hriňová hamlets and is also excellent for bird’s-eye views while paragliding.