Suchá Hora: Cycling Routes, Goral Culture and Moorland

Suchá Hora combines a signposted cycling route section with Goral traditions, a complex border history and moorland landscapes. For travellers who want to consider cycling, culture and nature together when choosing where to stay, this offers several specific themes. The cycling route between Trstená and Suchá Hora is a key feature; the cultural character and landscape of upper Orava add their own perspectives.

Cycling Route and Railway History

New road signs and additional facilities have been installed along the signposted cycling route section between Trstená and Suchá Hora. The rest areas have benches, tables, bicycle racks and waste bins. The route section offers views of the Tatras and bilingual information boards about the former railway and its history. Two cycling information boards are located in Suchá Hora on the cross-border route.

The railway is also mentioned in the wider route description: a cycling guide to the Around the Tatras route, published in 2019, describes its connection to the ruins of the former Suchá Hora railway station. From the former station, the main route continues for another 9 km through the green landscapes of Orava. The cycling guide dates from 2019; surfaces and conditions may change. Check them before setting out on a specific trip.

The former railway to Suchá Hora ran from Kraľovany and Trstená towards Nowy Targ and was extended to Poland in 1904. The information boards along the cycling route thus connect today’s route guidance with the municipality’s transport history.

Goral Traditions and Local History

Suchá Hora belongs to the Goral dialect area, which encompasses 24 municipalities in the western and northern part of upper Orava. The Goral dialect is still actively spoken. Living traditions include songs, music, folk costume and customs. Goral folk costume resembles the styles worn in Goral communities east of the Tatras and is worn on major church holidays and special occasions. Traditional dances associated with the area include do zvíjania, goralský, zbojecký, košíček, kresaný and odzvodný.

The Goral folklore group from Suchá Hora preserves the singing, dancing and music of the municipalities of Hladovka and Suchá Hora. In 2019, it organised the 12th Goralská nedeľa, featuring local and visiting folklore ensembles. Traditional architecture is also visible in the village: wooden houses from the early 20th century include houses with three rooms, a masonry base and outbuildings, often grouped beneath a shared shingle-covered gabled roof.

The municipality was established during the Wallachian colonisation; its first written mention dates from 1566. From 1920 to 1924 and for several months in 1939, Suchá Hora belonged to Poland. The border crossing near Suchá Hora reopened on 1 May 1991. After Slovakia joined the Schengen Area on 21 December 2007, border checks were completely abolished.

Moorland and Church

A raised bog lies in the northern part of Suchá Hora’s cadastral area, shaped by earlier surface peat extraction. Nearby is the Rudné reserve, with extensive forest bogs of a taiga-like character that continue seamlessly into Poland. Rudné is so far the only known site in Slovakia for the rare species skaliarka močiarna. It is also designated as an ecological-functional area for black grouse breeding grounds in the Horná Orava Bird Protection Area. Suchá Hora is one of the cadastral areas within the Horná Orava Natura 2000 site.

The Church of Christ the King was built in 1934, consecrated on 6 August 1995 after reconstruction, and renovated in 2021–2022. It belongs to the parish in Suchá Hora, which provides current information on service times and church announcements. If you plan to attend a service, check the current times before your visit.

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