Wooden Churches # 20 - Tročany, Slovakia

This newly restored church stands in the centre of the small village of Tročany, located south of Bardejov in eastern Slovakia. Research conducted during the past few years has confirmed that the church is much older than had been previously thought; samples taken from its wooden beams were tested and the date of its construction was found to be the end of the 15th century or the first years of the 16th century. This puts it into the same age bracket as the Roman Catholic church in Hervartov, previously believed to be the oldest surviving wooden church in Slovakia. It is among the oldest Greek-Catholic wooden churches in the entire Carpathian mountain region.

Dedicated to Luke the Holy Apostle and Evangelist, the church has a standard Greek-Catholic floor plan with a sanctuary, nave and narthex (entrance area). Above the entrance porch there is a bell tower topped with a very unusually shaped cap which looks like a candle extinguisher. A similarly shaped cap sits above the central nave, while the sanctuary has no cap or steeple attached. The bell tower contains two bells which are still in regular use during religious services. At the top of the cap of the bell tower is a simple double-barred cross, while the cap above the nave has a more decorative single-barred cross.

The interior contains a restored iconostasis from the 17th century, though it is missing some of its original features. Instead of the typical Last Supper scene placed above the middle Czar door there is the Mandilion, a picture of the face of Christ on a cloth without a crown of thorns. In the sanctuary the altar is decorated with an 18th century icon depicting the Descent from the Cross, while the preparatory table in the corner has an icon of Saint Michael the Archangel. There are small windows on the right-hand side of both the nave and the sanctuary which allow some natural light to enter.

Today the church is used by both Greek Catholics and Roman Catholics, so the interior contains some modern Roman Catholic fittings which thankfully do not detract from the beauty of the older Greek Catholic artifacts. The church has undergone several renovations throughout its history, with major work carried out in 1897, 1933 and 1968. In 2010 and 2011 the church was completely restored both inside and out with funding provided by the European Regional Development Fund as part of a cross-border project to promote economic growth and cooperation between south-eastern Poland and north-eastern Slovakia.

The key for the church is kept by a family which lives at the opposite end of the village; if you are standing at the church go left along the road, pass the turning point for the road out to the main highway, continue up the slight incline of the hill and the house is on the right, the second house past the village office. You need to open their front gate and walk up and knock on the door on the right side of the house. The family are used to opening the church every day for visitors and are very friendly (they even speak a word or two of English) and they have pamphlets and books for sale about the Greek-Catholic churches in the region.

Tročany is not serviced by regular bus transport, but it is a two kilometre walk from the village out to the main road running between Bardejov and Prešov, and there is a bus stop at the turnoff to the village where buses pass by every hour or two. Prešov is a major transport hub with train and bus connections throughout the country, while Bardejov is the best place to base yourself for a tour of the wooden churches found in its vicinity.

Wooden Churches # 16 - Kožany, Slovakia

The small village of Kožany lies in rolling countryside surrounded by fields and forests in a remote region of north-eastern Slovakia, between the towns of Bardejov and Svidník. This small Greek-Catholic church sits on a low hill at the western end of the village, with views across the surrounding farmland.

Dedicated to the Lord's Meeting with Simeon, the church was constructed in the second half of the 18th century by local builders. The three-roomed structure sits on a low stone foundation and features a bell tower above the entrance area. Three bells are kept in the tower and the oldest was cast in 1406, making it one of the oldest church bells to be found in Slovakia.

The inerior of the nave contains colourful paintings on the wooden walls, a unique feature among the timber churches in this region. The paintings were created between 1793 and 1797 and depict many scenes from both the Old and New Testaments. A Last Judgement icon on canvas, painted in the the late 18th century, is one of the most precious works found in the church.

The iconostasis dates from the beginning of the 18th century, and here again is a unique feature, since instead of a Czar door and two Deacon doors at the sides, there is a main Czar door and only one side Deacon door, likely because of the narrow width of the nave. The bars placed over the windows on the exterior of the church are another unique feature, since they are made of hand-crafted wrought iron and are as old as the church itself.

The key for the church is kept by a family which lives in a house several doors down from the church on the same side of the road. They charge a small entrance fee and have some books and pamphlets about the wooden churches in the region available for sale.

Getting to Kožany by public transport is possible, since there are several buses per day on weekdays which go to the village from Bardejov's main bus station (fewer on Saturdays and Sundays). Getting to Bardejov is easiest by bus from Prešov, Poprad or Košice, all of which have transport connections throughout the country.

Day Trips from Košice, Slovakia - The Top 25 Destinations

Eastern Slovakia has an astonishing number of attractions packed into a very small geographical area, with towering mountains, rustic red-roofed towns, castles, caves and wooden churches all waiting to be explored. Košice is by far the largest city in the eastern half of Slovakia and it has a range of impressive sights to see in and around its well-preserved central square and the Cathedral of Saint Elisabeth. For those visitors who would like to base themselves in the city for a few days to use it as a base for day trips into the surrounding countryside, I have put together a list of the best places that can be visited in a single day. I have given each destination a star rating out of five to provide an idea of how worthwhile they are to visit, and the destinations are organized by distance into three categories - within one hour of travel from Košice by public transport, within two hours, and within three hours. The pictures in this article show, from top to bottom, The High Tatra Mountains, Betliar Chateau, Bardejov old town square, Markušovce Chateau, and Spiš Castle.

Destinations Within One Hour of Travel from Košice:

** Jasov Monastery and cave - (40 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to the town of Jasov; the cave is at the base of the hillside near the southern end of the town

** Herľany Geyser - (45 minutes) By bus from Košice to the village of Herľany

** Prešov - (35 minutes) By train from Košice main station

** Veľký Šariš castle and Šariš brewery - (50 minutes to 1 hour) By train or bus from Košice main station, sometimes changing to another bus or train in Prešov is required

* Slanec Castle - (35 minutes) By bus or train from Košice main station

Destinations Within Two Hours of Travel from Košice:

***** Spiš Castle - (1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to Prešov, then change to a second bus to the town of Spišské Podhradie. You can't miss the castle on the hill, it dominates the landscape for miles around

***** The High Tatra Mountains - (1 hour 50 minutes) By train from Košice main station to Poprad, then change to the mountain railway to reach Starý Smokovec. From there you can take the funicular up to Hrebienok which is the starting point for many possible day hikes in the Tatras. Start early if you are going to travel to and from Košice in a day

**** Levoča - (1 hour 45 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to Prešov, then change to a second bus to reach Levoča

**** Bardejov - (1 hour 50 minutes) By bus from Košice main station

**** Krásna Hôrka Castle - (1 hour 15 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to the village of Krásnohorské Podhradie, the castle is clearly visible on the hill above the town

**** Slovak Paradise National Park - (1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes) By train from Košice main station to Spišská Nová Ves, then by bus to the village of Čingov which is the starting point for many hikes into the park

*** Kežmarok - (1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours) By train from Košice main station to Poprad, then change to a bus or train to reach Kežmarok. The bus and train stations are next to each other in Poprad

*** Gombasek Cave in the Slovak Karst National Park - (1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours) By bus from Košice main station to Rožňava, then change to a second bus to the village of Slavec and get out at the stop along the highway after the village at the turning point for the road to Silica village. From the bus stop take the trail to Gombasecka cave, it's about 1 kilometre

*** Betliar Chateau - (1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to Rožňava, then change to a second bus to reach Betliar village

*** Spišská Sobota - (1 hour 15 minutes) By train from Košice main station to Poprad; Spišská Sobota is a historic village on the edge of Poprad, about a 20-minute walk east from the train station

** Markušovce Chateau - (1 hour 15 minutes) By regional train from Košice main station to the village of Markušovce

** Tročany wooden church (1 hour 20 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to the village of Janovce, then it's a 1.5 kilometre walk along the local road to reach Tročany village

** Brežany wooden church - (1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes) By bus or train from Košice main station to Prešov, then change to a bus to reach Brežany

Destinations Within Three Hours of Travel from Košice:

**** Dobšinská Ice Cave - (2 hours 30 minutes) By train from Košice main station, changing to a second train in Margecany

*** Bardejovské Kúpele spa and outdoor folk architecture museum - (2 hours 5 minutes) By bus from Košice main station

*** Stará Ľubovňa Castle and outdoor architecture museum - (2 hours 15 minutes) By bus from Košice main station; the castle and outdoor museum are 1.5 kilometres north of the bus station in Stará Ľubovňa

*** Domica Cave in the Slovak Karst National Park - (2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes) - By bus from Košice main station to the village of Plešivec, then change to a second bus to the village of Kečovo and get out at the stop next to the cave (before the village) called Kečovo Domica. From the Domica cave it's a 2 kilometre walk across the border into Hungary to Aggtelek village and the Aggtelek Karst caves, which are equally impressive

*** Ochtinská Argonite Cave - (2 hours 5 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to the village of Gočaltovo and get off past the village at the stop called Gočaltovo Hradok. From there it's a two-kilometre walk up into the hills to the cave entrance

** Svidník folk architecture museum - (2 hours 10 minutes) By bus from Košice main station

** Humenné folk architecture museum - (2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes) By bus from Košice main station