Are you bored of the various crowded holiday destinations, where dozens of other tourists are around you and you are waiting in queues wondering why you didn't stay at home instead? Do you think you already know all the interesting areas in our country? Then you have definitely not been to the "Far East"...
Within a radius of a few kilometres you can swim in Domáš, visit the Andy Warhol Museum, the Humenne castle and the Valaškovský Bridge, which is a cousin of the Paris Eiffel Tower, unique wooden churches, walk along the ridge of Poloniny and stroll in the places where the filming of the cinema film Čiara, about the harsh life in the Slovak-Ukrainian border area, took place. All this and much more can be found in the districts of Humenné, Medzilaborce, Vranov nad Topľou, Stropkov and Snina.
Domaša, our pride
Domasa, Domasa, you are our pride, it is sung in a Slovak song and it is really true. This reservoir covers over 14 km² and offers excellent conditions for all summer sports. After swimming, a visit to nearby Vranov nad Topľou (almost halfway there is the Čičva castle offering nice views of the surroundings) is also a good idea, where you can stroll around the centre and visit the stunning Basilica of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary along the way. From Domáš you can also go the other way to the town of Stropkov and visit the Stropkovský Manor, which houses the museum and the local ZOO.
Andy Warhol and 11 military cemeteries
You can find out how our ancestors lived in Medzilaborce, which is not only the smallest district town in Slovakia, but also has a nice miniskanzen. The biggest attraction for visitors to the town is museum of pop-art founder and versatile artist Andy Warholwhose parents come from nearby Mikova. A. Warhol Museum of Modern Art is currently (2023) Closed due to extensive reconstruction, which, once completed, will bring visitors an even greater aesthetic and cultural experience.
In the vicinity of Medzilaborce they also have a devil, or an engraved relief of his head on a sandstone rock near Devil's Stone, near the historic monastery in Krásný Brod.
History lovers can take a walk along the Military-Historical Nature Trail Výrava. Directly on the trail there is an authentic battlefield from World War I, where 100 years ago the future face of Europe was fought for. And the fact that it was really hard fighting is clearly visible from the remains of the trench lines. In total, there are up to 11 military cemeteries including common crypts for 1025 soldiers under the Orthodox church in Osadno. Yes, a well-known film was made about this village.
There is a castle in Humenne, also a cousin of the Eiffel Tower and the Titanic
The centre of Upper Zemplín is Humenné with a rich history. A whiff of the early 20th century appears already at the railway station, where he stopped on his wanderings during World War I. The Good Soldier Svejk. A statue is carved in his memory, where he gave everyone under his pipe an unforgettable good-hearted smile.
The unique feature of the town is the only castle in the entire Prešov region. V Renaissance castle with gardens and park now houses the Vihorlat Museum. Interesting is also a walk in the Hubková locality belonging to the Natura 2000 natural heritage system, or on the illuminated Valaškov Bridge over the Laborec River. It was built 117 years ago using the same "hot" riveting technology as the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris and the legendary Titanic.
Hike to Vihorlat or rather splashing around in a bio-swimming pool?
City Snina offers pleasant wandering not only to lovers of religious monuments, but also history lovers will find their own here in the reconstructed classicist manor house.
If you are a lover of views, don't miss the climb to the nearby Sninský kameň and the 1076-metre high Vihorlat hill, from where you can see the whole Zemplín region, the hills in Ukraine, Poland and Hungary and, with a bit of luck, the High Tatras as well. Nearby is the largest lake in the Vihorlat Mountains, Morské oko. You can take a dip in the nearby Sninské rybníky bio-swimming poolwhere the water literally cleans itself.
On Kremenec you are in three countries at once
Not only children can "roll their eyes" in Gallery of wooden temple miniatures in Ulichthat are standing there in 1:10 scale. A few kilometres away, in the easternmost village in Slovakia, Nová Sedlica, everyone will feel like in a fairy tale. In the village there is exactly the same house where Grandfather Večerníček and his faithful dog live. Above Nová Sedlica is the three-bordered Kremenec hill, where you can start or end the ridge trail along the youngest Slovak national park Poloniny.
Being the most remote, least populated and least encumbered by human activity, it is a paradise for amateur astronomers and lovers of untouched nature. In the predominantly beech forests, they will find up to three indigenous forests, Havešová, Rožok and Stužica, which are inscribed on the World Heritage List UNESCO. If you descend from the ridge to the water reservoir Starina (it is a source of drinking water and therefore bathing is prohibited), you may be surprised by the unique bison in its surroundings.
Vyhladli ste? Pýtajte si čeregy, holúbky, nalečniky alebo džiňanku
Spestrením výletu do tohto kúta severovýchodného Slovenska môže byť návšteva 9 drevených grécko-katolíckych a jedného pravoslávneho dreveného chrámu, či obce Ubľa, kde sa odohráva podstatná časť filmu Čiara. Už i vám vyhladlo pri čítaní tohto článku? Tak si na záver dobre zapamätajte slová ako čeregy, kapustníky, zemplínske holúbky, bandurčeniky – nalečniky či dziňanka. Ak prídete na Horný Zemplín, isto ich ochutnajte.
Source: www.hornyzemplin.sk, OOCR Horný Zemplín a Horný Šariš
