Plavnica: Churches, Chapels and EuroVelo 11

Plavnica brings together ecclesiastical architectural history, traditional wooden buildings and a cycling route that passes through the town. The buildings range from the Early Gothic period to neoclassical and Baroque-neoclassical forms. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, you can consider whether architecture or your cycling plans should take priority. The individual buildings offer different points of comparison: preserved features, dates of construction and architectural styles can be compared in concrete terms.

Churches from Different Periods

The Kostol Obetovania Pána church was built around 1325 in the Early Gothic style. The surrounding walls and a Gothic window on the east side of the presbytery remain from its original Early Gothic structure. The window is therefore associated with a specific area and compass direction. The church also contains a late Baroque sculpture and a polychrome wood carving of Christ on the Cross. Both works date from the second half of the 18th century. This building thus brings together surviving features of the original structure and works of art from a later period.

The Evanjelický a.v. kostol offers a different architectural emphasis: it was built in 1806 in the Neoclassical style and has a floor plan in the shape of a Greek cross. At the same time, it is considered a valuable example of the Toleration churches in the Šariš region. Plavnica’s churches can therefore be viewed through several different aspects: the Early Gothic heritage of the Kostol Obetovania Pána and the Neoclassical design of the Evangelical church.

Chapels and Other Buildings

The chapels also differ in their dates and architectural forms. The Povýšenia sv. Kríža chapel was built in 1826 in the Neoclassical style and is located in the cemetery. The Korunovania Panny Márie chapel dates from 1857 and lies on the road towards Stará Ľubovňa. The sv. Cyrila a Metoda chapel, built at the beginning of the 20th century, provides another chronological reference point.

The sv. Jána Nepomúckeho chapel dates from the end of the 18th century. It is a Baroque-Neoclassical building surrounded by a small park. Inside the chapel is a colorful folk sculpture of Saint John of Nepomuk dating from the 19th century. Here, the construction date, style and sculpture together create a different picture from that of the two churches and the chapels with clearly identified Neoclassical features.

The architectural heritage also includes several well-preserved, picturesque wooden houses from around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Drevená zvonica dates from a similar period. It was declared a national cultural monument in 2016. The Jewish cemetery is on a hill west of Plavnica and north of the road to Stará Ľubovňa. Its location can therefore be identified by reference to the town, the hill and the road.

Plavnica and EuroVelo 11

In addition to its historic buildings, the EuroVelo 11 cycling route passes through Plavnica. Its route through the Prešov region covers 157 km and includes the town. For your planning, this offers a different perspective on Plavnica than exploring its churches, chapels and wooden houses: you can connect the town both with regional architectural history and with a cycling route. Route information may change, so check the current route before setting off.

Discover more destinations: Vysne Ruzbachy, Mníšek Nad Popradom, Maly Lipnik, Hajtovka, Kamienka, Lesnica, Nová Ľubovňa, Altlublau

Go to the main travel overview: Stará Ľubovňa.