Drnava: Nature Trail and Mining History

When looking for a hotel in Drnava, your plans are a useful place to start: the town appeals to a range of interests with its nature trail, mining history, and cycling routes. Nature, local history, and cycling offer different starting points for planning your trip.

The Poklady Drnavy Nature Trail

The Poklady Drnavy nature trail is 4.8 kilometers long and has seven stops with information panels in Slovak and Hungarian. It starts at the Drnava Ironworks site. The trail is considered an easy family outing and is suitable for families with small children and school groups. The bilingual panels give the stops a clear thematic framework.

Along the way, the nature trail passes an English oak (Quercus robur) that is more than 300 years old. In the forest section, you can enjoy a view of almost all of Drnava. The trail thus combines a notable natural landmark with a view of the town, broadening the perspective from an individual building to the town as a whole.

Other stops and landmarks include the single-storey Andrássy manor house in the Baroque-Classical style and the Chapel of the Virgin Mary. The final stop is the Catholic Church of St. Nicholas, dating from 1779. Those interested in architectural history will find a range of architectural styles and religious sites along the way, while the oak tree and the view over Drnava offer a different focus.

Mining and Industrial Traces

The Drnava Ironworks are also connected with the Chain Bridge in Budapest: in the 1840s, components for the famous bridge were cast there. The Drnava ironworks building is two storeys tall and designed in the Neoclassical style. Its façade is divided by 26 blind arcades supported by pilasters.

Traces of the ironworks can also be found in the local cemetery. A number of gravestones made by the works are still preserved there. Together with the ironworks building, they tell the story of Drnava’s industrial past in different parts of the town.

The Dionýz adit is designated a national technical monument. Its portal is the authentic, preserved visible above-ground part of the adit in the Drnava mining district. In front of the adit are a shelter, a small pond, benches, and a fire pit. If you want to plan a stop here, check its condition before your visit.

Another extensive historical site is on the summit of Drieňovec: the hillfort there covered a fortified area of more than 20 hectares. Alongside industrial remains, archaeological traces are therefore also central to the town’s history.

Cycling and Comparing Routes

Visitors can rent e-bikes in Drnava to explore the Poklady Drnavy nature trail and the remains of the old railway. Check the rental service’s availability before you arrive. If cycling is important to your trip, you can also compare the information provided for two cycling routes.

Cycling route 2701 starts in Drnava and heads towards Lipovník. It is classified as a moderately difficult mountain biking route. The Zádielska Route passes through Drnava and is 54.5 kilometers long. The routes can therefore be compared using different details: the starting point, direction, and difficulty are given for route 2701, while the total distance is provided for the Zádielska Route.

Tree History and Nature Views

The municipal chronicle mentions the old Drnava oak as early as 1670. The Drnava oak was also a finalist in Slovakia’s “Tree of the Year” competition in 2020. Together with the more than 300-year-old English oak on the nature trail, these references make trees a recurring natural and historical theme in the town.

The landscape also shapes the view along the route near Čertov hrad: two large rocky peaks come into view between the trees, about 50 meters apart. The nature trail, historic buildings, and cycling routes each offer a different focus for a stay in Drnava. Discover more destinations: Dlhá Ves, Brzotín, Čierna Lehota, Betliar, Rožňava, Rejdová, Jovice, Dedinky.

Return to the main travel overview: Rožňava.