Raden's House in Čičmany — Museum of the Painted Log Houses

Čičmany is a mountain village in a basin of the Strážov Hills, close to the source of the Rajčanka river, and the highest-lying village in Žilina District. It is famous for its log houses painted with white geometric ornaments: from a distance they look like gingerbread cottages. In 1977 the lower part of the village was declared a folk architecture reserve — it has 115 buildings, 36 of them national cultural monuments. Two houses in the reserve belong to the Považie Museum in Žilina: Raden's House (Radenov dom) and House No. 42. Both are open as museum exhibitions.

Čičmany was first mentioned in a charter of 1272. The villagers lived from farming, sheep breeding, slipper-making and selling bryndza cheese; in the 20th century many families left for seasonal work and for America. Great fires in 1907 and 1921 destroyed the old log houses, and the village was rebuilt on the old patterns — some houses to designs by the architect Dušan Jurkovič, who had been drawn to Čičmany houses as early as 1895. Today's patterns appeared only after the 1921 fire: the women transfer motifs from local embroidery onto the walls and repaint them whenever they fade. Earlier, simple signs were painted in lime or clay mainly on the corners where the logs met. In 2010–2011 the museum restored both its houses using traditional techniques: floors and stoves were repaired, Raden's House received a roof of hand-split shingles, and the ornaments were renewed from old photographs.

What to see

• Raden's House — the last surviving two-storey log house with a gallery in the village. The exhibition "Čičmany, the enchanted village" covers the whole human life cycle, customs, work, crafts, local architecture, clothing and textiles. Here you can see the famous Čičmany costume of white linen decorated with dense embroidery, painted chests, a cradle and embroidered towels.
• House No. 42 — the exhibition "Home of the Companions" on the extended family that was usual in Čičmany until the early 20th century: parents, their married sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren farmed together under one roof and held their property in common. The room with a clay stove with several hearths, benches along the walls and shelves for crockery is arranged as a diorama — as if the occupants had just stepped out.
• The village itself — a stroll through the reserve's lanes between the painted houses is as interesting as the museum. Nearby stands the Baroque Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross, with a high altar from about 1798 and an organ from 1738.

Practical information

Čičmany can be reached from Žilina via Rajec, from Prievidza via Nitrianske Pravno or Nitrianske Rudno, and from Trenčín via Ilava and Košeca. There is a paid public car park near the museum. The exhibitions are open Tuesday to Sunday (longer at weekends) and closed on Mondays; a ticket for both houses costs €5 for adults, other prices are in the "At a glance" box. Cards are accepted.

Both houses are visited on your own, which takes about 30 minutes; every half hour you can join a guide's commentary. Groups are limited to 20 people, so in season it is better to come in the morning or announce a group in advance. Dogs are not allowed in the houses, and there are no toilets in the museum houses. The log houses have thresholds and wooden stairs; the upper floor of Raden's House is not wheelchair accessible. With a walk round the village allow 1.5–2 hours.

Nearby: trails and peaks

Čičmany is surrounded by the forests of the Strážov Hills and the summits around Javorinka, where a small ski area operates in winter. The Čičmany – Jasenovo trail leaves from the village, and the long Bojnice, square – Sedlo Javorinka trail passes nearby, linking these hills with the town where Bojnice Castle stands. In the other direction, in Žilina, the Považie Museum has its main exhibition at Budatín Castle.

Official website: pmza.sk

Photos: Ing.Mgr.Jozef Kotulič, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Palickap, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Schliemann, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.