Drienovo: Landscape, History and Church

Drienovo combines a distinctive geological setting with a long history and a Protestant church whose construction and furnishings span different centuries. A described hiking route also places the village within a longer itinerary. You can therefore explore Drienovo according to your interests: through its landscape, historical traces or the route itself.

Landscape and Geology

Drienovo lies in the southwestern part of the Krupinská výšina. This upland consists of tuffitic, mostly coarse-grained andesitic deposits. The ridge drops steeply into the deep Litava Valley; the valley’s steep slopes are mostly covered with oak forest. The ridge, valley and vegetation all shape the description of the local landscape.

The Drieňovo – Gašparov výšok geosite is another point of geological interest. It consists of chaotic breccias from a pyroclastic flow of the Čelovce pyroclastic volcano. This description adds a specific rock formation to the picture of the terrain and forest. If you are interested in geology, Drienovo offers a different perspective from its local history or church architecture.

Local History and Historical Traces

Drienovo is recorded as Drino from 1256 and was renamed Drienovo in 1773. Agriculture and viticulture were among the historical livelihoods. The history of the name and the village’s former livelihoods offer two different insights into its development.

Ján Rotarides worked as a teacher in Drienovo from 1856 to 1896. His grave is in the local cemetery; a 2022 cultural report notes that residents maintain it.

Another historical trace dates to the Slovak National Uprising: at that time, a partisan group led by Major MIRONOV was based in a building in Drienovo. This episode stands alongside the history of the village’s name and Rotarides’ long career as a teacher, both in time and in subject matter.

Protestant Church: Construction and Furnishings

Drienovo’s Protestant church was built in 1906–1907 in the Historicist style, on the site of a church dating from 1773. The two dates refer to different buildings at the same location: the earlier church and the later one. The church’s history of construction thus spans more than a century.

The Protestant church’s inventory includes a Baroque chalice dating from 1722. Its date is well before the construction of 1906–1907, adding an older object to the church’s architectural history. The church is in good condition and serves its religious purpose. The construction date, Historicist style and furnishings each offer a different point of reference for understanding the church’s history.

Drienovo Along a Hiking Route

A hiking route described in a 2021 publication runs from Dudince through Plášťovce, Litava and Senohrad, then via Hlašťovina and Drienovo to Malá Tabla. Along this route, Drienovo lies between Hlašťovina and Malá Tabla. The village is therefore one of several named stops along the way, not the endpoint of the route described.

This offers different ways to choose what to explore: the landscape and geosite provide a geological perspective, while the church, local history and historical traces are distinct topics in their own right. The route description adds another perspective by placing Drienovo within a longer hiking itinerary.

Discover more destinations: Žibritov, Horný Badín, Domaníky, Kozí Vrbovok, Horné Mladonice, Selce, Drážovce, Hontianske Moravce.

For the wider travel overview: Krupina District.