Where to Stay in Martin, Zilina

What is Martin known for?

Here the great cultural foundation of the Matica slovenská was born, and here the Slovaks gathered to declare their union with the Czechs in 1918, so that the town became a shrine of Slovak identity beneath the Malá Fatra mountains. The Slovak National Cemetery holds the nation's heroes. Culture and memory mark the town.

What are the main landmarks in Martin?

The Museum of the Slovak Village is Martin's great draw. Its open-air grounds gather old wooden houses, churches, and barns from across Slovakia, the finest sight of the town, above the valley. National shrines fill the streets.

The Slovak National Museum and the Slovak National Library hold the nation's treasures, while the Slovak National Cemetery keeps the graves of its heroes.

What is the history of Martin?

Martin became the beating heart of the Slovak awakening. In the nineteenth century, when the Slovaks had no state of their own, the town grew into the centre of their cultural revival, and in 1863 the great foundation of the Matica slovenská was born here to guard the Slovak language and learning. The nation gathered in Martin.

Its scholars, printers, and singers made the town a capital of Slovak letters, and the Slovak National Cemetery filled with the graves of the nation's heroes. A declaration here helped make a country. In 1918, as the old empire fell, Slovak leaders met in Martin and declared their union with the Czechs in a new state, a founding moment of the modern nation.

Museums keep the Slovak past. The Museum of the Slovak Village gathers old wooden houses from across the land, and the Slovak National Museum and Library hold the treasures of the culture. The old town still guards its national shrines.

Martin keeps the soul of Slovakia beneath the mountains.

Where is Martin?

Martin lies in the Turiec basin of northern Slovakia. The town sits on a green plain enclosed by mountains, with the wall of the Malá Fatra rising to the east and the Veľká Fatra to the south, where the river Turiec runs down through the valley. Wooded ranges ring the basin.

The mountains close in on every side.

What is the climate of Martin?

Martin has a cool mountain climate. Cold, snowy winters settle in the basin, and the summers turn warm and green in the shelter of the ranges, with rain spread through the year. Mist fills the valley on autumn mornings.

The mountains keep the air cool and fresh.

How do you get to Martin?

Martin lies in the mountains of northern Slovakia. Trains and the highway run to the town from Žilina and toward the east, through the valleys of the Turiec, and roads climb into the Malá Fatra around. Buses reach the mountain villages nearby.

Most arrive by rail through the valleys.