Discover Jesenské: lookout tower, trails and churches

Jesenské combines nature and cultural experiences: the “Jeden strom” lookout tower, several hiking routes and churches with different building histories give the town a varied character. If you are looking for a hotel in Jesenské, you can consider whether to focus your choice of destination mainly on the views, longer hiking routes or the architectural heritage.

Views and trails around “Jeden strom”

The 13-metre-high “Jeden strom” lookout tower stands above Jesenské. It was completed in June 2025 and is fully open to the public. From the top, you can enjoy a 360-degree view; on a clear day, you can also see the High Tatras. A short, easy detour from the main path leads to the tower. It is part of the hiking trail network in the Cerová vrchovina, and the official trail to the lookout tower goes via Širkovský hradný kopec.

When planning your hike, you can compare a shorter route to the viewpoint with a longer hiking trail. The 3.75-kilometre route from the centre of Jesenské to the tower passes through a valley and an area inhabited by European ground squirrels. The blue hiking trail 2644 is 18 kilometres long. It starts at Jesenské railway station and runs via Širkovce, Širkovský hrad, Gemerské Dechtáre, Senná and Ragáč. The information about the length and route can help you choose the hiking option that best suits your planned day.

Landscape with different protected areas

The protected areas also differ in their spatial boundaries: one third of Jesenské lies within the NATURA 2000 “Vtáčie chránené územie” Special Protection Area. The southwestern part of the cadastral area borders the Cerová vrchovina Protected Landscape Area. The surrounding area therefore includes both land within a bird protection area and a border with a protected landscape area. This information provides a regional context for the hiking trails and the landscape you can explore around Jesenské.

Churches and local history

The Roman Catholic Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary is a building originally constructed in the Baroque style in 1737. A fire damaged the church in 1825. The Reformed Church was built in 1898 in the Neoclassical style on the site of an earlier medieval church. Together, the histories of the two buildings illustrate different periods in the town’s past: for one church, its original Baroque construction and fire damage are documented; for the other, its Neoclassical construction and its medieval predecessor on the same site.

Another historical detail can be found in the Jesenské cemetery: it has wooden post grave markers with finials bearing symbols of local production from around the turn of the 20th century. Jesenské also has a memorial to the victims of the First and Second World Wars. These memorial sites add another perspective on the town’s history to that of its churches.

Getting around and events

There are bilingual information and orientation signs in Slovak and Hungarian at nine locations in the municipality, designed to help tourists find their way around. The information centre sells tourist maps of Jesenské, the Rimavská Sobota District and the surrounding area, as well as a hiking map of the municipality’s cadastral area. If you would like to plan your hike using a map, the range covers both the municipality and the wider area.

Two events documented in 2026 took place in late April and early May. On 30 April, the traditional “Stavanie mája” event was held in front of the cultural centre. The following day, the ninth edition of the “Jarná cena Ceroviny” cycling race took place in Jesenské. These specific dates provide the historical context for the events.

Discover more destinations: Rakytník, Kaloša, Horné Zahorany, Veľké Teriakovce, Žíp, Španie Pole, Husiná, Rimavská Seč

For the broader travel overview: Okres Rimavská Sobota.