Revúca District: Nature, History and Trails

Explore Revúca District through a range of topics, from caves and limestone cliffs to hiking and cycling trails, Romanesque art and regional specialities. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, first consider whether nature, historic sites or culture will shape your travel plans.

Caves, gorges and distinctive landscapes

Bobačka Cave is the most extensive cave system in the national park. It comprises more than five kilometres of underground passages, richly adorned with sinter formations. For a very different landscape, visit the Hrdzavá Valley, which is open to the public. There you will find waterfalls or cascades, and a gorge lined with steep limestone cliffs that is nearly 600 metres deep.

At Studňa, the Ľadová jama shaft cave retains ice at its bottom even in summer, thanks to its climatic conditions. There is a viewing platform above the entrance. The Cigánka Nature Reserve brings together the historic site associated with the castle and habitats for rare plants and animals. Underground nature, rocky landscapes and protected habitats are therefore distinct aspects of the region.

Hiking trails, cycling routes and wildlife watching

Muránska planina offers opportunities for hiking and ski touring. Its network of hiking trails is open year-round and extends for more than 310 kilometres in total. There are also more than 150 kilometres of marked cycling trails. If you are interested in exploring on horseback, the Huculská magistrála was created for visitors who want to experience the surrounding landscape from the back of a Hucul horse. It runs through the mountains and valleys of the Slovak Ore Mountains and Muránska planina.

The Náučný chodník Muránsky hrad educational trail offers more specific details: it is 6.5 kilometres long, of moderate difficulty, takes about two hours and 30 minutes, and has an elevation gain of 530 metres. These details help you distinguish the route’s length, difficulty, approximate duration and elevation gain when planning your day. Different access conditions apply at the Studňa educational site: it is accessible only on foot, or on cross-country skis when snow conditions are favourable in winter. No cycling trail leads there.

At Sysľovisko Biele vody near Muráň, visitors can observe a colony of ground squirrels up close from spring to autumn. You can also feed the ground squirrels by hand there. This spring-to-autumn viewing period differs from the year-round access to the Muránska planina hiking trail network.

Another option is the four-kilometre Gemerská zelená cesta ecological educational route. It follows the embankments and engineering structures of the unfinished Gemer railway, between Revúca’s town square and the former spa area. The route is suitable for pedestrians, cyclists, families with children and Nordic walkers. Unlike the Muránsky hrad educational trail, its helpful points of reference are not elevation gain and walking time, but its connection to railway history and the user groups specifically mentioned.

Castle ruins, a rotunda and museums

The first written mention of Muránsky hrad castle dates to 1271, when it was referred to as “castum Mwran”. Its ruins stand on the Cigánka rock, within the national nature reserve of the same name. The historic site and the reserve’s habitats represent distinct yet complementary aspects of the same place.

Šivetice is home to the Rotunda of Saint Margaret of Antioch. With an interior diameter of eleven metres, it is the largest Romanesque rotunda of its kind in Slovakia and Central Europe. Its late Romanesque frescoes depict the life and martyrdom of Saint Margaret and are considered the oldest hagiographic narrative in Slovak visual art. The church in Rákoš also preserves a striking mural: discovered in 1993, the depiction of the Holy Trinity shows God as a seated figure with three faces and four eyes.

In Revúca, the Museum of the First Slovak Gymnasium is housed in a building designated a national cultural monument. The building served as the Slovak Evangelical Gymnasium from 1862 to 1874. The Jelšava City Museum presents the history of the town, along with information about mining, bell founding and Gubárstvo. The mining exhibition in Rákošská Baňa is open by prior arrangement. For a perspective on cultural landmarks beyond individual buildings, the Gotická cesta offers a thematic cultural tourist route: it is considered the first of its kind in Slovakia and, together with a section in Spiš, forms a 276-kilometre circuit.

Regional specialities

Muránske buchty are also part of local history. They have been baked in Muráň since the 1970s and, after a break, production resumed. A trademark was registered for them in January 2018. Alongside the region’s landscapes and architectural history, they offer a distinctive culinary point of interest for planning a trip.

Discover more destinations

Lubeník, Magnezitovce, Mokrá Lúka, Muránska Dlhá Lúka, Muránska Lehota, Muránska Zdychava, Polina, Muránska Huta, Gemerská Ves, Hucín, Chyžné, Jelšava, Kameňany, Leváre, Levkuška, Rybník, Skerešovo, Tornaľa, Višňové, Žiar, Revúcka Lehota, Revúca, Muráň, Prihradzany, Rašice, Ratková, Ratkovské Bystré

For the broader travel overview: Banská Bystrica.