Gemer Craft Fair at Krásnohorská Dlhá Lúka below Krásna Hôrka

Gemer crafts in one yard

Krásnohorská Dlhá Lúka is a village below Krásna Hôrka castle, a few kilometres from Rožňava. In 2002 the Association of Gemer Craftsmen (Združenie gemerských remeselníkov) was founded here; today it has more than forty makers from all over Gemer. Its aim is to revive folk crafts, teach them and give makers a place to show and sell their work. That place is the Craftsmen’s House (Remeselnícky dom): an old house with a wooden porch, whose yard and attic were renovated in 2014. It shows examples of basketry, weaving and bread baking, as well as an exhibit on paper-making and pottery.

From the start the association has run a children’s handicraft camp every summer. As early as 2015 the camp welcomed some 70 children and 10–15 craftspeople a day, the fair drew 250 participants and 1,500–2,000 visitors, and in autumn there were weekend workshops in basketry and pottery for adults. In 2024 the village hosted an Intergenerational Craft Festival with a conference titled "Connecting Generations through Crafts", prepared with Hungarian partners under the Interreg programme.

Why go

• The Gemer Craft Fair. The main event of the year takes place at the end of July (the nineteenth fair was held in 2025). More than a hundred craftspeople and antique dealers gather in the yard of the Craftsmen’s House: woodcarvers, basket makers, blacksmiths, potters, weavers and jewellers. Traditional Gemer cooking and a cooking contest are an essential part.
• Live bell casting. At the fair the Rožňava bell founder Róbert Slíž demonstrates his craft and can cast a small bell on the spot.
• Have a go yourself. During craft festivals the association runs workshops for children and adults: basketry, smithing, beadwork, corn-husk work (šúpolie), gingerbread and wirework.
• Bread from the oven. In July and August the Craftsmen’s House demonstrates bread baking in a traditional outdoor oven.

What to buy

Best of all, things made in Gemer: woven baskets, pottery, carvings, ironwork, embroidery and lace, jewellery, linen bags and gingerbread. At the fair you can talk to the maker and order a piece to your taste. In winter the association holds a Christmas craft market (13 December 2025, in the yard of a local inn) with mulled wine, cabbage soup and a concert, and in autumn small craft markets (in Gombasek in 2025).

Practical information

Address: Krásnohorská Dlhá Lúka 2 (Craftsmen’s House), 049 45 Krásnohorská Dlhá Lúka — near the Rožňava – Košice road, about 5 km east of Rožňava; easiest by car, with parking in the village on fair day. Date: the fair is held at the end of July (27 July 2024, 26 July 2025); the exact day for the next year is published in the events calendar on the association’s website. No admission fee is mentioned on the site. Outside events, visits to the Craftsmen’s House and children’s craft camps must be arranged in advance: +421 907 234 314, [email protected]. Craftspeople who want to sell at the association’s markets register in advance via the same address; the deadline is usually given in the invitation to each market.

Nearby

• Kaltenecker Brewery in Rožňava — Gemer craft beer.
• Andrássy Palace in Betliar — manor and English park.
• Háj Pottery — ceramics and field-kiln firing.
• Ochtiná Aragonite Cave — underground aragonite "flowers".

Official website: gomorikezmuvesek.sk

Photos: gomorikezmuvesek.sk.