A historic chimney in Utekáč, southeastern Slovakia, has been given an attractive use. (source: Marcela Ballová)
The chimney, a lone survivor of Utekáč’s once-renowned glassworks, towers above the village in southeastern Slovakia. Built in 1787, it remains the tallest structure in the Poltár district, a stoic reminder of an industry that was razed to the ground not long ago.
Now, the historic chimney has found new life — and a new purpose. Its brick facade has been transformed into a climbing wall, an inventive twist that aims to draw visitors not just from across Slovakia but from further afield, reports the website My Novohrad.
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Climbed in a few minutes
Rising 42 metres above the ground, the structure boasts a climbing wall that reaches up to 39 metres, making it a rare feat of design and engineering in Slovakia.
"This is an exceptional chimney. I don't know if there is another like this with a climbing wall in Slovakia," said Jan Mlejnek, the Czech builder behind the project from Jablonec nad Nisou. "There is one in Prague, but it is lower, just 30 metres tall."
Mlejnek, who has climbed the chimney himself in just eight minutes, designed two routes for scaling its heights: an easier path for beginners and a more challenging option for experienced climbers. About 180 holds dot the facade, leading to a belay point drilled through the chimney's core for what Mlejnek describes as “100 percent safety” and enduring stability.
At the base, a smaller wall invites children to try their hand at climbing.
Miroslav Barutiak, the mayor of Utekáč, expressed his satisfaction that the village's historic chimney had been preserved and transformed into an attraction.
"It was built by Count Anton Forgáč, who began constructing a glass factory here in 1787. It was the first building on the factory grounds. But they didn't stop at a factory – they built the entire infrastructure and housing for the workers," Barutiak said during the opening of a new climbing wall.
According to records from the Austrian State Archive, the Utekáč glass factory was the largest of its kind in the Hungarian Kingdom by 1887.
The factory later gained fame for producing thermos flasks, light bulbs and Christmas decorations. It closed permanently in 1998, and the decaying structure was demolished in September 2020. The chimney, however, remained, standing as the village’s defining landmark.
Utekáč sits in the Poltár district, one of Slovakia’s less developed regions, where depopulation remains a persistent challenge.
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