People swim in the Zázrivka stream in Lúčivná. (source: Michal Hečko)
While most people have begun to put on jackets, hats and gloves to keep themselves warm, they are heading into water only in neoprene gloves and swimsuits. Freezing temperatures and a layer of ice is what cold-water swimmers in northern Slovakia love.
Find out more about region of folklore, national parks and modern attractions in our Žilina Region Travel Guide. (source: Spectacular Slovakia)
The season in the Orava region has just begun.The season in the Orava region has just begun.
“In the settlement of Oravská Polhora, they built a winter-swimming area in the northernmost location of Slovakia,” Juraj Gerek said. “The River Polhoranka has very clean and cold water throughout the year, springing from under the Babia Hora Peak. The nearby well-preserved bunkers from the Second World War are also interesting.”
The cold-water swimming area, which was created by winter swimmers from the region just last year, has been already damaged by vandals, and so the first thing swimmers had to do before the opening of the new season was repair it.
But the winter-swimming spot in Oravská Polhora, set in beautiful nature, is not the only place of its kind in the region.
Cold-water swimmers in Oravská Polhora. (source: Orava Otužilci)
Vavrečka
“My top spot is outside the Vavrečka settlement. Beautiful and well equipped,” said Anna Hacajová. “They have a thermometer there. The changing rooms, with mats and hangers, are a great advantage in bad weather. Outside there are benches where you can sit and sunbathe on sunny days. A pleasant mountain environment, a place to sit by the fire, cleanliness, a maintained environment and silence.”
It takes about five minutes to walk to this place from the end of the asphalt road along a sidewalk that runs along the stream.
“In some places you can feel like you are going through the Jánošíkove Diery hiking trail outside Terchová,” Gerek claimed.
An outdoor pool outside the Vavrečka settlement. (source: Dorot Mikulášová)
The pleasant walk will warm everyone up, he added, and they will be ready to swim in clear cold water in the stone pool, springing directly from the spring a short distance away. Outdoor and indoor spaces are lit and open to the public. The changing rooms are not locked and, Hacajová said, are under the supervision of a CCTV system.
Swimming in a quarry or a stream
“The mystical place is the Šútovský Potok stream, which springs from the Mojžišove Pramene springs,” said Roman Prílepok.
He noted that some cold-water swimmers would not enter the River Orava or the Zázrivka stream due to waste from cesspools. That is why they prefer mountain streams. Not only because of the cold water, which remains cold in the summer, but also because they are the cleanest.
“You won’t get to the lake in winter because it is frozen. You first have to cut a hole. Streams are good in that you enjoy winter swimming without any hard work.”
Nevertheless, the Kraľovany – Rieka quarry next to the Šútovo settlement is more popular, and lots of people come here in the summer months as well. The water in the quarry has an attractive green colour at any time of the year.
Swimmers relax in the Kraľovany-Rieka quarry in winter. (source: Jaroslav Janček)
“At the start of November, the water was ten degrees,” Hacajová said, recommending another cold-water swimming spot in the Zákamenné settlement.
People created a small “lake” for cold-water swimmers using water from a tiny forest spring, and it is undiscovered at large.
Orava water dam
By far the largest number of cold-water swimmers regularly swims in various corners of the Orava water dam in Námestovo and another dam in Tvrdošín. In this area, about 200 cold-water swimmers have their own club, Orava Otužilci, founded nine years ago. However, the history of winter swimming here goes back to 1975.
“The Orava dam is the closest to my heart. I come from Námestovo. I grew up by the dam,” said Marián Trnka, vice-chair of the Orava Otužilci club. “For me, the best place for winter swimming is Jami beach, in front of Hotel Studnička. It offers a beautiful panorama. You swim and watch snowy peaks.”
A cold-water swimming spot in Zákamenné. (source: Anna Hacajová)
The beautiful view is what makes the place behind the Hotel Ranč u Edyho popular as well. People just need to walk along the path by a petting zoo towards the dam to see it.
Swimming right in the village
Istebné Valley is a well-known place for walks, hiking, but also barbecues and parties in nature. As a small river flows through the valley, it could be a sought-after location for people who love winter swimming. But it is not. Local swimmers, however, enter its riverbed directly in the settlement, between the houses.
“I started here alone a few years ago,” said Ján Lacko. “Then the idea to hold the Čvachtačka cold-swimming event arose. It was successful and acquaintances and friends gradually joined. So has my wife, sister and mother, who is 67 years old this year. That is why it’s the best place for me, not to mention that it's near my house. We meet every Wednesday and Saturday.”
In the wider vicinity of the Istebné settlement, there are several other winter-swimming places. Some swim in the Zázrivka stream in the Lučivná settlement, but others head to the Jasenovská Jamka spot in the Jasenová settlement on the way from Dolný Kubín to Ružomberok. In Medzihradné, one of Dolný Kubín’s suburban areas, swimmers go to the place above newly-built houses, where a stream can also be found.
The Medzihradné winter-swimming spot. (source: Anna Hacajová)
When it comes to winter-swimming spots, last year was fruitful indeed. Almost all of the artificially created winter-swimming spots in the Orava region were created. For example, a group of swimmers in the Zubrohlava settlement built their own gazebo and benches and started using the bay by the stadium.
“We are happy to see cold-water swimmers build their own spots in their place of residence,” Trnka said, adding that some do not have to travel, but just put on their slippers, visit the swimming spot and return home in bathrobes.
© My Orava
Spectacular Slovakia travel guides
A helping hand in the heart of Europe thanks to the Slovakia travel guide with more than 1,000 photos and hundred of tourist spots.
Detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains, including attractions on the Polish side.
Lost in Bratislava? Impossible with our City Guide!
See some selected travel articles, podcasts, traveller's needs as well as other guides dedicated to Nitra, Trenčín Region, Trnava Region and Žilina Region.
Author: Jaroslava Kavuliaková
