Zuberec
Encyclopedia
Zuberec is a village
in northern Slovakia
and a popular tourist center at the foothills of the Western Tatras
. Zuberec features numerous accommodation facilities, restaurants, museum and a tourist information office
.
The village is the place of several cultural and sporting events including Podroháčske folklórne slávnosti (folk festival
), Goralský klobúčik (alpine skiing
) and WSA Eurocup Zuberec (dogsled racing
).
and Bölényfalu in Hungarian
. It is named after the European bison
, an animal that used to be abundant in the region at the time of the foundation of the village.
s and farmer
s under Vlach
colonization law Lex Antiqua Valachorum
. It was subordinate, like the surrounding villages, to the Orava Castle. The village ceased to exist because of the Bocskay uprising, but it was later re-colonized. In 1683 it was devastated by the soldiers of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Zuberec contains the neo-gothic Church of Saint Vendelin built in the 1930s according to project of Milan Michal Harminec. At that time, Zuberec did not contain a church and there were space issues in the church in nearby village Habovka
. Its founding stone was laid down in 1929 and the church was consecrated in 1933 by the far-right Catholic
priest
Andrej Hlinka
. There are relics of Saint Vendelin housed here. There is a stone cross
in front of the church from the year 1839. Local cemetery contains gravestones featuring folklore
stone reliefs from the end of the 19th century.
of the Žilina Region
. Historically, it was part of the Orava
region. The village lies at an altitude of 760 metres, under the Roháče mountains. The municipality covers an area of 72.328km².
, 99.6% of inhabitants were Slovaks
and 97.6% Roman Catholics.
of folk architecture exhibits intact rural houses brought from all around the region of Orava
and re-assembled in Zuberec. The oldest building, a Gothic
wooden church, was constructed in the 15th century, but the museum itself was founded in 1967. In addition to the church, it now also has its own graveyard and a functioning watermill
. The interior of the buildings hosts an ethnographic
collection. The gardens and fields around the houses show various ancient forms of farming and animal husbandry
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in northern Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and a popular tourist center at the foothills of the Western Tatras
Western Tatras
The Western Tatras are mountains in the Tatras, part of the Carpathian Mountains, located on the Polish-Slovak borders. The mountains border the High Tatras in the east, Podtatranská kotlina in the south, Choč Mountains in the west and Rów Podtatrzański in the north...
. Zuberec features numerous accommodation facilities, restaurants, museum and a tourist information office
Visitor center
A visitor center or centre , visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to the visitors who tour the place or area locally...
.
The village is the place of several cultural and sporting events including Podroháčske folklórne slávnosti (folk festival
Folk festival
A Folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music.-Canada:Alberta*Calgary Folk Music Festival*Canmore Folk Music Festival*Edmonton Folk Music Festival*Jasper Folk Festival*Wild Mountain Music FestOntario*Barriefolk...
), Goralský klobúčik (alpine skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
) and WSA Eurocup Zuberec (dogsled racing
Dogsled racing
Sled dog racing is a winter dog sport most popular in the Arctic regions of the United States, Canada, Russia, and some European countries. It involves the timed competition of teams of sleddogs that pull a sled with the dog driver or musher standing on the runners...
).
Name
Zuberec is called Zuberzec in PolishPolish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
and Bölényfalu in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
. It is named after the European bison
Wisent
The wisent , Bison bonasus, also known as the European bison or European wood bison, is a species of Eurasian bison. It is the heaviest surviving land animal in Europe; a typical wisent is about long, not counting a tail of long, and tall. Weight typically can range from , with an occasional big...
, an animal that used to be abundant in the region at the time of the foundation of the village.
History
Zuberec was founded in 1593, when the village was known as Zwberczyc, by shepherdShepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
s and farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s under Vlach
Vlachs
Vlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...
colonization law Lex Antiqua Valachorum
Lex Antiqua Valachorum
Lex Antiqua Valachorum, meaning "Ancient Wallachian Law", also called Jus Valahicum/Valachorum , represents a collection of the Romanian pre-statal judicial system, with afferent juridical rituals, customs and traditions, kept and transmitted from generation to generation.-In the Romanian...
. It was subordinate, like the surrounding villages, to the Orava Castle. The village ceased to exist because of the Bocskay uprising, but it was later re-colonized. In 1683 it was devastated by the soldiers of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Zuberec contains the neo-gothic Church of Saint Vendelin built in the 1930s according to project of Milan Michal Harminec. At that time, Zuberec did not contain a church and there were space issues in the church in nearby village Habovka
Habovka
Habovka is a village and municipality in Tvrdošín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 730 metres and covers an area of 29.414km². It has a population of about 1,350 people....
. Its founding stone was laid down in 1929 and the church was consecrated in 1933 by the far-right Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
Andrej Hlinka
Andrej Hlinka
Andrej Hlinka was a Slovak politician and Catholic priest, one of the most important Slovak public activists in Czechoslovakia before Second World War...
. There are relics of Saint Vendelin housed here. There is a stone cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
in front of the church from the year 1839. Local cemetery contains gravestones featuring folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
stone reliefs from the end of the 19th century.
Geography
Zuberec is situated in the Tvrdošín DistrictTvrdošín District
Tvrdošín District is a district inthe Žilina Region of central Slovakia.Until 1918, the district was part of the Hungarian county of Orava.- Municipalities :*Brezovica*Čimhová*Habovka*Hladovka*Liesek*Nižná*Oravský Biely Potok...
of the Žilina Region
Žilina Region
The Žilina Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts .-Geography:It is located in northern Slovakia and has an area of 6,804 km² and a population of 694,763 . The whole area is mountainous, belonging to the Western Carpathians...
. Historically, it was part of the Orava
Orava (region)
Orava is the traditional name of a region situated in northern Slovakia and partially also in southern Poland . It encompasses the territory of the former Árva county.-History:...
region. The village lies at an altitude of 760 metres, under the Roháče mountains. The municipality covers an area of 72.328km².
Demographics
Zuberec has a population of 1,810 (as of December 31, 2005). According to the 2001 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, 99.6% of inhabitants were Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
and 97.6% Roman Catholics.
Open-air museum
The Museum of the Orava Village is located in Zuberec. This open air museumOpen air museum
An open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first open-air museums were established in Scandinavia towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are variously known as...
of folk architecture exhibits intact rural houses brought from all around the region of Orava
Orava (region)
Orava is the traditional name of a region situated in northern Slovakia and partially also in southern Poland . It encompasses the territory of the former Árva county.-History:...
and re-assembled in Zuberec. The oldest building, a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
wooden church, was constructed in the 15th century, but the museum itself was founded in 1967. In addition to the church, it now also has its own graveyard and a functioning watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
. The interior of the buildings hosts an ethnographic
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
collection. The gardens and fields around the houses show various ancient forms of farming and animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
.