Manínska Gorge (source: Roman Ripka)
Not long ago, this narrow stone corridor in north-western Slovakia was utterly impassable. Even horse-drawn carts had to be dismantled and carried through, piece by piece. Today, Manínska Gorge is one of the country’s most extraordinary natural landmarks – a magnet for hikers, climbers and cyclists drawn to its towering limestone cliffs and serpentine paths.
Squeezed between the peaks of Veľký and Malý Manín in the Strážovské Hills, the gorge was once part of a continuous Jurassic limestone ridge, writes My Považská. Its narrowest point measures just 3.7 metres wide, making it the slimmest location in central Europe where a paved road runs. But this corridor was not formed naturally over millennia – it was blasted through the rock by dynamite in the 1930s.
“Before the road was built, drivers had to unload their carts, carry everything by hand through the gorge, and reassemble the carts on the other side,” said Roman Horecký, a local historian from the civic group Historická Považská Bystrica. That changed in 1933, when a section of the cliff was removed and a reinforced road was laid.
The construction opened up access to remote mountain villages like Záskalie, Kostolec and Vrchteplá. “Water was the key,” said Pavol Uriča, chairman of the Manín branch of the Slovak Tourist Club. “There was plenty of it beyond the gorge, and that’s why people settled there, even though it was so difficult to reach.”
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Tourism came soon after. In 1928, a simple hikers’ shelter was built, and in the following decade, the area gained broader recognition thanks to Peter Jilemnický, a Slovak writer and teacher who taught in Kostolec. Climbers arrived in the 1940s, with the first recorded ascent made in 1945 by Jozef Dostál and Pavol Andrášik, who named their route Cesta stredom — The Middle Route.
In 1967, the gorge was designated a national nature reserve, and tourist infrastructure gradually followed. Today, the gorge remains a beloved destination for Slovaks and foreign visitors alike.
Each spring, the Slovak Tourist Club holds a ceremony known as the “unlocking of the gorge” to mark the beginning of the hiking season. The most popular route follows the paved road itself—a scenic nine-kilometre walk through both Manínska and Kostolecká Gorges, finishing in Vrchteplá. Along the way, travellers can stop at a local restaurant housed in the very school where Jilemnický once taught.
From Vrchteplá, more adventurous hikers can continue on to the Súľov Rocks or climb up to the summit of Veľký Manín, which rises to 891 metres above sea level. “The views from the cliffs are breathtaking,” said Uriča. “There’s a spot called Puklá skala – Split Rock – where you can see all the way across the Malá Fatra mountains, Martinské hole, Kľak and even Strážov.”
Tucked away from the main trails are other local treasures, including Partisan Cave (Partizánska jaskyňa) and Skalné okno, a striking natural rock window accessible only by unmarked paths. Nearby lies a symbolic cemetery commemorating those who lost their lives in the surrounding mountains. Another highlight is Kostolecký dóm – a vast rock overhang in the neighbouring gorge known as the “Roof of Slovakia”. It is the largest of its kind in the country and a favourite with climbers, some of whom even hang rope swings beneath its vast stone canopy. Climbing, however, is restricted in certain seasons to protect local wildlife.
For cyclists, a 20-kilometre scenic route begins in the nearby town of Považská Bystrica and winds through the gorge. Plans are under way to link it with the larger Vážska Cycling Route via a new bridge over the Váh River.
Manínska Gorge was once an impassable obstacle. Today, it stands as one of Slovakia’s most striking gateways to the natural world.
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