Turany

Turany is a town in the Martin District of the Žilina region, Slovakia. It is located in the northeastern part of the Turiec Basin at an altitude of 401 m. The town lies between the Váh River and the Krpeľany Canal, with the slopes of the Lesser Fatra mountains rising to the north. Turany is served by railway line no. 180 (Žilina – Košice), national road no. 18, and the D1 motorway bypasses it from the south.

Turany was first mentioned in historical records in 1341. Before 1918, it was part of Turóc County within the Kingdom of Hungary. From 1939 to 1945, it belonged to the Slovak Republic. In 1397, Turany was granted town rights by King Sigismund of Luxembourg and was exempted from taxes in 1405. The town developed as a private settlement, with residents engaged in crafts, forestry, and timber rafting on the Váh. In the 19th century, a sawmill and brickyard operated here, producing tiles and stove tiles.

The town is known for its historical buildings, including a late 13th-century Catholic church with a late Gothic altar, a 17th-century Renaissance belfry, and the "tolerant" Evangelical church from 1786. The area is surrounded by the scenic slopes of the Lesser Fatra, with natural attractions such as the Šútovo Waterfall and the bare peaks of the Lesser Fatra: Chleb, Snilovské Saddle, and Hromové.

Turany is a convenient base for hiking in the Lesser Fatra. Numerous trails start or pass nearby, such as Turie – Minčol, Turie – Pod Krížava, the Veľkofatranská Magistrála, and the Liberation Trail. Mountain lovers can ascend Veľký Kriváň, Malý Kriváň, or Chleb. For rest, there are huts like Javorina, Martinské Hole, Kľačianska Magura, and Pod Chlebom. In nearby Martin, you can visit the Museum of the Slovak Village and the Ethnographic Museum.

Getting there from Ukraine

From Uzhhorod ≈275 km, ≈3 h 35 min without queues: Uzhhorod – Vyšné Nemecké → I/19 to Košice → D1 motorway via Prešov, Poprad and Liptovský Mikuláš to Ružomberok (≈270 km, ≈3 h 25 min from the border). From Lviv it is faster through Poland: M-10 → Krakovets – Korczowa → A4 to Kraków → S7/DK7 to the Chyżne – Trstená border → R3 and I/59 via Dolný Kubín to Ružomberok: ≈482 km, ≈6 h 15 min (via Uzhok and Ubľa ≈500 km, ≈7 h 30 min). The D1 requires an e-vignette (eznamka.sk).

Sources: Wikipedia, Wikidata, OpenStreetMap, Karpaty.rocks data. More on Wikipedia