Muránska planina offers opportunities for hiking and ski touring on a year-round network of hiking trails with a total length of more than 310 km. For travelers who would like to rent a holiday apartment in Revúca District, the district is the destination address.
More local pages: Muráň, Muránska Huta, Gemerská Ves, Hucín, Chyžné, Jelšava, Kameňany, Leváre, Levkuška, Lubeník, Magnezitovce, Mokrá Lúka, Muránska Dlhá Lúka, Muránska Lehota, Muránska Zdychava, Polina, Prihradzany, Rašice, Ratková, Ratkovské Bystré, Rybník, Skerešovo, Tornal'a, Višňové, Žiar, Revúcka Lehota and Revúca.
Nature and Landscape
Bobačka Cave is the most extensive cave system in the national park and contains more than 5 km of underground passages with rich sinter formations. The publicly accessible Hrdzavá Valley includes waterfalls or cascades, as well as a nearly 600 m deep gorge lined with steep limestone cliffs.
More than 150 km of cycling routes are designated in Muránska planina. Huculská magistrála was created for visitors who want to explore the surrounding landscape from the back of a Hutsul horse; it leads through the mountains and valleys of the Slovak Ore Mountains and Muránska planina.
The Ľadová jama shaft cave near Studňa retains ice at its bottom even in summer thanks to its climatic conditions; there is an observation platform above the entrance. The Studňa educational site is accessible exclusively to pedestrians and, in winter with favorable snow conditions, to cross-country skiers; no cycling route leads there.
At Sysľovisko Biele vody near Muráň, visitors can observe a colony of European ground squirrels up close from spring to autumn. They can also feed the ground squirrels by hand there. The Cigánka nature reserve combines the historic site associated with the castle with habitats for rare plants and animals.
Trails and Activities
The Náučný chodník Muránsky hrad educational trail is 6.5 km long, moderately difficult, takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, and has an elevation gain of 530 m. The first written mention of Muránsky hrad Castle dates from 1271 and refers to it as “castum Mwran”. The castle ruins stand on Cigánka Rock within the national nature reserve of the same name.
The 4 km Gemerská zelená cesta ecological educational route runs over embankments and technical structures of the unfinished Gemer railway between Revúca Square and the former spa area. It is suitable for pedestrians, cyclists, families with children, and Nordic walkers.
Kayaking is offered on the Muráň River in the section between Teplá Voda and the road bridge in Jelšava; several types of kayaks are available for this purpose. The mountain scooter descent in Jelšava is approximately 5.5 km long, has an elevation difference of 550 m, and takes about 20 minutes.
History and Culture
The Rotunda of Saint Margaret of Antioch in Šivetice, with an interior diameter of 11 meters, is the largest Romanesque rotunda of its kind in Slovakia and Central Europe. It contains Late Romanesque frescoes depicting the life and martyrdom of Saint Margaret, considered the oldest hagiographic narrative in Slovak visual art.
The Jelšava City Museum presents the history of the city, as well as information about mining, bell casting, and Gubárstvo. The Museum of the First Slovak Grammar School is located in a building designated as a national cultural monument, which served as the Slovak Evangelical Grammar School from 1862 to 1874.
The Gotická cesta is Slovakia’s first thematic cultural tourist route and, together with a section in Spiš, forms a 276 km circular route. The Coburg Manor House in Jelšava is currently being reconstructed and can be visited by prior arrangement.
The mining exhibition in Rákošská Baňa is accessible by prior arrangement. The Chodník malých netopierov trail in Rákoš passes secured former mining facilities that serve as winter quarters for bat colonies; the bat colonies can be observed in spring and autumn. The church in Rákoš contains a striking mural of the Holy Trinity, discovered in 1993, depicting God as a seated figure with three faces and four eyes.
In the 14th century, Jelšava was the second most important commercial center and an important iron supplier in the Kingdom of Hungary.
Regional Specialties
Muránske buchty have been baked in Muráň since the 1970s and resumed production after an interruption; a protected trademark was registered for this specialty in January 2018. At the Jelšava City Days, visitors can try Gemer dumpling balls; a cooking competition for this specialty had been held there for several years.
