Salaš Dechtáre above Liptovská Mara

Salaš Dechtáre is a wooden koliba above the Liptovská Mara reservoir that is described as one of Slovakia’s first commercial salaš restaurants. According to the venue, it began serving bryndzové halušky to the public back in 1959, and the recipe has been handed down from cook to cook with only minor changes. It is not a dairy with its own flock but above all a restaurant of Liptov cuisine with a small sheep’s cheese shop — yet its remarkable history makes it a worthwhile stop on a drive through Liptov.

The first building was put up in 1959 by the Nový Liptov agricultural cooperative on land belonging to the village of Vyšné Dechtáre. Its chairman, Jozef Herczeg, was looking for ways to give people an income in a region with poor soil and came up with side businesses, including winter work for women. The commercial salaš was one of these ideas: guests were greeted at the entrance by a real shepherd, Ján Lako Turek, and geese and ducks were kept nearby for the kitchen. In the end Herczeg was jailed by the communist regime for his entrepreneurial activities.

In April 1975 the filling of Liptovská Mara began. The water flooded 13 villages and 940 families lost their homes; a lone 13th-century church tower still stands above the water as a reminder. The original salaš lay in the flood zone, so it was moved to the place where it stands today. Since then the building has been carefully renovated three times, with the aim of repairing rather than demolishing the old parts of the structure and interior, so as to keep the character of a building that has been welcoming guests for more than half a century.

What to taste and do

• Liptov cuisine. The signature dish is bryndzové halušky; the menu also includes other traditional Slovak dishes based on “our grandmothers’ recipes”.
• Views of the Mara and the Tatras. The covered summer terrace with 80 seats overlooks the whole reservoir and the panorama of the Western Tatras — a pleasant place for a break in summer. The owners call the Mara itself a paradise for water-sports fans and anglers, so lunch here combines easily with a day by the water.
• Buy sheep’s cheese. The shop sells cheese from local sheep farms: fresh and smoked korbáčiky, cheese “strings”, smoked shaped cheese, fresh and smoked parenica, fresh and smoked sheep’s cheese, 100% sheep’s bryndza, žinčica and polooštiepok.

Practical information

Getting there. The salaš stands at Galovany, part of the municipality of Svätý Kríž, on the road along the northern shore of Liptovská Mara between Ružomberok and Liptovský Mikuláš. The easiest way is by car; parking is by the building.

Opening hours (according to the website, as of October 2026): restaurant 8:00–20:00, the night “Dechtáre Bistro” 20:00–8:00, so the place is open around the clock. The restaurant seats 130 and the bistro 28. Meal vouchers are accepted.

It is a place for everyone, not only hikers: families, motorcyclists and drivers on long journeys all stop here. Prices are on the menu on the venue’s website. If you plan to come at night, it is worth calling ahead. If you are travelling with children or in a large group, the terrace is the more comfortable choice in the warm months.

Nearby

• Liptovská Mara — Slovakia’s largest reservoir, with views of the Western Tatras.
• Articular church in Svätý Kríž — a huge wooden Lutheran church.
• Salaš Krajinka near Ružomberok — its own cheese, bryndza and žinčica.
• Liptovar brewery in Liptovský Mikuláš.

Official website: salasdechtare.sk

Photos: salasdechtare.sk.