Quaint Čičmany

Tuesday 11 to Wednesday 12 July

We drove into the mountains to visit Čičmany’s painted houses. The road was horrendous – windy and pot-holed. We later learnt that it sits between two counties, and neither will pay for its maintenance.

We booked into a new hotel that looked like an Ikea store. The bed, sheets, towels, glasses, chairs and wardrobe were all from Ikea. It was minimalist and fresh, in great contrast to the Film Hotel in Bratislava.

Here the houses are decorated with white paint over a brown background, as a preservation for the wood. The decoration reflects the cross stitching which is popular in this region and is made up of stylised birds and flowers as well as symbols such as crosses and arrows and circles. 

The houses are unique to this village and have gained UNESCO recognition.

We liked the quietness of this pretty village that has a population of just 208 people. But the downside is that there are few activities, other than looking at the houses which run along the main street. Even our hotel was reluctant to serve dinner.