Východná () is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Liptovský Mikuláš District Liptovský Mikuláš District (''okres Liptovský Mikuláš'') is a district in the eastern part of Žilina Region of central Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by P ...

in the

Žilina Region The Žilina Region (; ; ) is one of the eight Regions of Slovakia, Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts (okresy) and 315 municipalities, from which 18 have a town status. The region was established in 1923, however, in its p ...

of northern

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

History

In historical records the

was first mentioned in 1269, at the foot of

Kriváň Kriváň can refer to: * Kriváň (peak), peak in the High Tatras, Slovakia * Veľký Kriváň, the highest peak in Malá Fatra, Slovakia * Kriváň (village) Kriváň () is a village and municipality in Detva District, in the Banská Bystrica Re ...

, Slovakia's symbolic and often considered most beautiful mountain. Before the establishment of independent

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

in 1918, Východná was part of

Liptó County Liptó County (, , , , ) was an administrative county ( comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in northern Slovakia. Geography Liptó county shared borders with the Austrian land Galicia and the Hungarian counties Árva ...

within the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

. From 1939 to 1945, it was part of the

Slovak Republic Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's ...

Culture

Východná is home to one of the major folklore festivals in the country. The festival has been organised since 1953 in the large open-air theatre overlooking the village early in the summer, usually during the first weekend of July. In 2006–2007, the premises of the open-air theatre were largely reconstructed. The festival is held as part of the programmes of the International Council of Organizations for Folklore Festivals and Folk Art (C.I.O.F.F.). Every year it welcomes an average of 1,500 performers, and the number of visitors reaches 70,000 people. The magnificent scenic programme in the open-air theatre during the three festival days is completed by minor programmes, exhibitions and accompanying events engaging the visitors right into the centre of happening.

Geography

The

lies at an

altitude Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...

of 775 metres and covers an

area Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...

of 193.698 km². It has a

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of about 2,500 people.

Notable people

Ján Michalko Ján Michalko (18 November 1947 – 22 September 2024) was a Czechoslovak cross-country skier of Slovak ethnicity. He competed at the 1972 Winter Olympics and the 1976 Winter Olympics. Michalko studied to be an electrotechnician at SOU elekt ...

(1947–2024), cross-country skier.

References

External links