Krajinka na okraji?

105

You know pretty well Spíš, Orava or Liptov, do you? And yet there are areas still waiting to be discovered outside these three mountainous regions of Slovakia. Are you at all acquainted with the local area of Hont?, with our history, culture and last but not least our natural countryside and beautiful landscapes?

Of course, there are many regions which are less known than they ought to be and thus are largely undescovered. Sometimes, these attractive tourist destinations declined unfortunately due to local indefference and loss of local identity and values. Even though the country of Hont seems to be falling into forgetfullness, still and all it hides “beyond its walls” a rich culture heritage and significant historical material wealth. At the very beginning of our meeting with the country of Hont, we didn´t have the slightest idea of how diverse and rich the Hont really is. Therefore, the cultural and material historical testimony should be available for all visitors. The reason why we moved from city to countryside and changed the urban comfortable lifestyle (Western Slovakia) to rural demanding lifestyle (country of Hont), was because we wanted first of all to make Hont country great again conserving and restoring the regions unique cultural history and material historic heritage and furthermore secondly we wanted to turn our dream of living in the Slovak countryside into reality.

Accidentally we ended up living in a small village of Beluja. It is a picturesque village located along the sides of the flat Beluja Creek Valley and it is located southward only a short distance away from the mythical and fabulous Sitno Peak. The Sitno Peak has been regarded as the most well-known symbol/landmark of Hont country. However, our quaint little village Beluja lies in the peripheral areas of the county/borough and by this it was not fairly considered as relating to any matter of social, economic or other public concern.

Apparently, the village´s remote location has helped to protect it from the pressures of the modern world. Beluja preserved the traditional architecture and its old-fashioned characteristics. Due to its southern exposure, the village enjoys long periods of sunshine/sunny days. There is a reason the people who lived in neighbouring town of Banska Štiavnica, are coming here and are looking forward to bright sunny days. Especially during the winter attended by cloudy, foggy and sometimes rainy weather, the people are delighted in a warm sunny days due to southern side of Štiavnické Hills.

Moreover, the mild macroclimate of Beluja encourage early budding/flowering of trees. The charming village and its surroundings nestle in the folds of Štiavnické Hills and surrounding hills – Guľov, Kozí or Kincel. These 3 hills offer a marvellous and amazing panoramic view of the whole Hont countryside. A number of a small creeks are crisscrossing the village surroundings and flow into larger Beluja creek. Sometimes summer can bring a heavy rainfall, which can cause overflows into Beluja Creek.

All around our neighbourhood, there are many interesting and lovely places to go. The neighbouring forests are home to a vast array of plants, trees and animals. Blackberries, wild strawberries, sweet-briar, english hawthorn, black thorn, herbs as well as many other rare thermophilic green plants grow in forest edges and green meadows. At the edge of the forest you can see a red foxes, rabbits/hares and red deers. We met even a funny budger. To encounter a wild forest animals are more common here than elsewhere and do occur quite often and it is not a matter of dumb luck.

Travelling far and wide over “our little country”, you will hardly find industrial estates and factories. And that´s the reason why the life is much more difficult here than elsewhere in “developped”, industrial areas of Slovakia. But if you are able to adjust to a natural, ecological way of life, please do it. You will find out that the rural or country life offers quiet, slowed-down lifestyle, with more nature and more time for creativity. First and last the country life offer the beautiful simplicity of rural life.

If you are nearby, don´t hesitate to call or visit us. We are waiting for you.

We are looking forward to welcoming you!!!

Anton and Tatiana

 mydvaja