Muránska planina

The Kingdom of Nature – Just Step Inside!

Steep cliffs and rugged slopes surround a rolling plateau covered by dense forests, only occasionally broken by meadows and pastures. Scattered across the clearings are solitary foresters’ lodges, hunting cabins, and shelters. Views into the deep valleys open up only from rocky escarpments and limestone crags, where sun-loving plant species bask in the warmth of the sun. Gentle lowlands embrace the plateau from the south, while from the north comes the cold breath of the high mountains.

A carpet of forest stretches deep into the valleys. It completely surrounds the villages, where cottages huddle close together around a church at their center. Not only the people, but also the local horses are strong and resilient, accustomed to hard work. Time passes slowly here. The era of prosperity, when the whole region echoed with the noise of ironworks, the blows of miners’ hammers, the pounding of forge hammers, and the axes of woodcutters, has long since faded into the past. Today, it is recalled perhaps only by the occasional whistle of a train, briefly drowning out the rustling of the forest and the murmur of mountain streams. It moves at a measured pace, only as fast as the gradients and curves of the track allow.Even the sound of chainsaws has grown quiet. This valuable landscape is now protected by a national park. Visitors come to admire the beauty and quiet strength of nature, which is once again reclaiming places that humankind briefly made its own. Venture beneath the forest canopy, guided by forest roads, narrow paths, and winding trails. Marvel at the mighty trees as well as the young saplings reaching eagerly toward the light whenever a fallen giant opens a window to the sky. Let yourself be gently cradled in the embrace of a forest shimmering in every shade of green.

Can you hear the silence?