Oščadnica: Discover winter sports and culture

Oščadnica offers several distinct starting points for planning a trip: winter sports at Snowparadise Veľká Rača, a moderately challenging hike to Veľká Rača, cycling routes, as well as art and cultural heritage. If you’re looking for a hotel for your stay, it’s worth deciding first what you want to focus on during your trip. Winter activities, hiking and cycling routes, and cultural destinations appeal to different interests and offer various ways to shape your stay in Oščadnica.

Winter sports and the Snowparadise areas

Snowparadise Veľká Rača Oščadnica connects the Dedovka, Marguška and Lalíky areas and has 14 km of ski slopes. Activities include skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing and ski touring. The length of the slopes and the list of activities answer different questions: the 14 km refers to the ski slopes, while the disciplines listed give a broader picture of the winter sports on offer. This lets you weigh up whether to focus on downhill activities, cross-country skiing or ski touring.

The Alpine Coaster offers another specific point of reference. It starts next to the mountain cable car station in Dedovka and ends at the same place, reaching speeds of up to 40 km/h. Its starting and finishing points are therefore in the same location; the maximum speed is another feature of the attraction.

Hiking and cycling

The hiking route from Oščadnica-Dedovka goes via Veľká Rača. The summit is the highest in the Kysuce region and is part of a National Nature Reserve. The route is 7.2 km long, has an elevation gain of 594 m and is classified as moderately challenging. The distance, elevation gain and difficulty complement one another: together, they give you a clearer picture of the hike than the distance alone.

Cycling routes also vary in scale. The main cycling route in Kysuce passes through Čadca, Skalité, Oščadnica, Krásno nad Kysucou, Stará Bystrica and Vychylovka. It is 60 km long in total and is described as moderately difficult. Local cycling route 2429, by contrast, connects the centre of Oščadnica with the manor house (Kaštieľ). While the longer route includes several places, the local route links two points in Oščadnica.

Art, cultural heritage and history

The manor house (Kaštieľ) in Oščadnica, together with the adjacent forest park, was declared a National Cultural Monument of the Slovak Republic in 1973. The Kysucká galéria is a regional gallery focusing on modern art and currently manages more than 3,000 works of art. The first mention of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary dates back to 1804. These years mark different historical reference points: 1973 was when the manor house was declared a cultural monument, while 1804 was the first mention of the church.

Pilgrimage and educational trail

The Kysuce pilgrimage to the Calvary in Oščadnica is a tradition that has existed for several decades. It takes place on the Sunday after the Feast of the Assumption of Mary on 15 August. The date is therefore tied to the Sunday after the fixed feast day; if you’re planning your trip around the pilgrimage, check the exact date for the year in question.

The educational trail “Po stopách zbojníkov v pohraničí” (In the Footsteps of Robbers in the Borderlands) explores the subject of robbers and bandits through themed stops. In Oščadnica, the trail has five information boards. It complements the town’s historical and artistic themes with a distinct thematic perspective.

Discover more destinations: Svrčinovec, Nová Bystrica, Korňa, Krásno nad Kysucou, Makov, Čadca, Klubina, Klokočov.

For the broader travel overview: Čadca.