Panorama of half of Slovakia. Calvary attracts locals and tourists alike

Face of Christ is drawn on a rock.

(Source: Romana Vicianová)

There are three calvaries in the Ružomberok district. One is historical, located above Ružomberok. The other two, which are newer, are in Valaská Dubová and Lisková.

We visited the calvary, which connects Lisková and Martinček with a 761-metre winding path. It starts at the national natural monument of Liskovská jaskyňa Cave, which is at the fourth protection level. The path ends at the chapel of the Sevenfold Virgin near Martinček.

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"The idea of building a calvary above Lisková came from a local Korýtko train driver, Jozef Švárny, who called a 14-year-old boy, Gusto Hatiar, to help him so that they could start digging a winding path," says Jozef Roštek, a resident of Lisková, who is currently taking care of the chapel. "He is not alone, the other Liskovians help him as well."

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No trees once grew in the mountain where the calvary leads. In 1968, the locals built the first chapel on its hill. Until 1989, work on the completion of the calvary stopped.

"Although people used to be more religious, they didn't walk up the sidewalk to the chapel. It was necessary to complete the calvary," Roštek continues to explain.

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