Seven hundred metres above sea level, herds of sheep graze peacefully on the slopes of the Great Fatra, the location of almost hidden and forgotten, Vlkolínec, a unique village in the heart of Slovakia’s Liptov region.

Today, the vibrant village is tantamount to being an open-air museum. Since 1977 the characteristic blockhouses of Central Slovakia have been listed as historic monuments. A small museum within a farmhouse at the entrance to the community provides an insight into the village life of 1886.

In front of the houses are small flower and vegetable gardens, well-cared-for by the farmers’ wives. The houses have gabled saddle roofs and are covered with wooden shingle. For the winter months, firewood is piled against the walls.

The village was first mentioned in 1376. Its name was derived from the Slovakian location of Vlk, which means Wolf, a fitting name for this isolated mountain settlement as it was a reference to the former duty of the villagers to build and maintain wolves’ holes.

On the outskirts is the picturesque church of the Visitation Of Virgin Mary, built in 1875, a single-nave, Neoclassical building with an adjoining tower and sacristy. It is a sacred building of the Christian church, in the past the only place for social life within the region’s harsh environment.

Vlkolĺnec, a place inhabited by wolves!