Dúbrava, Štátne Majetky – trail to the south-east – mouth of the Dúbravská Valley – up the valley to the south – former mining plant and mining museum.
The trail follows an asphalt road purpose-built for use by large trucks, so please exercise extra caution!
The route starts at Štátne Majetky on the outskirts of Dúbrava, a historic mining village founded in the 13th century. Your walk takes you through the Dúbravská Valley, where you’ll find five information panels along the way:
- A brief history of Dúbrava village and its early mining heritage
- Geological characteristics of the Dúbrava deposit and the environmental risks of stibnite mining
- The oldest ore extraction techniques and stibnite processing
- Mining in Dúbrava during the 20th century
- Extraction and transport in Dúbrava mines in the 20th century
Around 6 km from the village, you’ll reach the site of the former mining plant in the Paludžanka Valley, located on the northern side of the Chabenec massif in the Ďumbierske Tatras. This is home to the most important stibnite deposit in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Besides stibnite, small quantities of gold, silver, and copper ores were also mined here in the past. Mining activity intensified significantly after 1948, when a flotation processing plant with a capacity of 50 tonnes per day was established. To transport ore to the plant, cableways were built from the Predpekelná and Dechtárka sections, one measuring 1.4 km, the other 0.5 km. Stibnite from Dúbrava was a strategic raw material for Czechoslovak arms manufacturing. In 2023, the Mining Museum opened in the building of the former mining warehouse office – known locally as the banícka faleska – where miners once gathered before heading underground. The museum, offering an exhibition on the history of local mining, is open to the public at weekends from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. by prior telephone appointment.
Dúbrava can be reached from the town of Liptovský Mikuláš via the local regular bus service, with the trail’s starting point conveniently located at the bus stop. If you are travelling by car, parking is available at several quiet spots along the roadside.
There are several accommodation facilities in the village and in the valley that offer accommodation. Dining options are provided, whether in summer or winter, in hotel restaurants or snack bars.