Slovenská Ľupča, Slovakia

Slovenská Ľupča is a village in central Slovakia, about 10 km (6.5 miles) east of Banská Bystrica.  It sits on the right bank of the Hron River, between the Low Tatras and the Slovak Ore Mountains.

The village was once a royal town and dates back to 1250.  It's home to about 3300 people. 

The Church of the Most Holy Trinity is a Roman Catholic church that was built in early 14th century, between 1330 - 1370.

The church was just renovated last year.

Next to the church is the local plague column.

Nearby is the Kulturne Stredisko, the Slovak equivalent of a Czech Culture House, or community centre.

The Evangelical church is no longer actually an Evangelical church.  After WWII, the church was transferred to the Catholic Church.

There's some street renovation going on around the church now.  

Next to the church is an SNP monument.

There are over 2500 people buried in the town cemetery.  The oldest grave is from 1866.

On a hill, overlooking the city, is the town castle.  It was built prior to 1250 and served as a royal residence. 

It also served as a guard castle and oversaw important commercial routes.  The castle is a Slovak national cultural monument.

It has been owned by a management company since 2002, which offers guided tours to the public. 

From the top of the hill are some lovely views. 

I'm not 100% whether the view is of the Low Tatras or of the Slovak Ore Mountains, but pretty either way.

Hronsek, Slovakia

Hronsek is a village on the left bank of the Iron River about 10 km (6.5 miles) south of Banská Bystrica.  It is home to about 60 people and dates back to about 1250 when it was called Zyklafalu.  

Over the centuries it's been called Czwiklafalwa, Czwiklina, Galowyczfalwa, Galowycz, Czwyklina, Galfalwa, Garanzegh, Cwklina, Garamsseg, Hronec, Hronsek-Skalka, and Garansek, until 1946 when it became Hronsek.

The village and surrounding area used to be royal property.  Hungarian King Belo IV gifted it in 1250, as a reward for fighting against the Tatars.  Today the village is known for three main sights.

The oldest building in the village is a Gothic-Renaissance mansion.  It was a 14th century moated castle.  

Part of the fortifications were removed in the 1920s and since 2002 the building has been owned by a private company.  Renovations have been underway since 2007.

The Soósovsko-Géczyovský castle is in the centre of the village.  The Baroque castle was built in 1775.

Interior renovations took place in the 19th and 20th centuries.  But looking through a window, it might be time for more renovations.

There's a small park surrounding the castle where there's 250-year old linden tree which has been protected since 1984.  

Nearby is the village's town hall.  

Above the door is a plaque that was unveiled on 1 July 2000 to commemorate the 750th anniversary of the first written mention of the area.

The most well-known sight in Hronsek is the wooden Evangelic church.  The church, made completely from timber, was completed in 1726.  It only took one year to build.

The church is made from solid oak and larch wood, without a single nail.  Everything is connected by carpenter's joints and wooden pins.

The church can seat 1100 people and there's supposed to be a rare baroque organ that dates back to 1764.  

Unfortunately it wasn't possible to go inside while we were there.

In 2008, the church was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kuşadasi, Türkiye

Kuşadasi is a beach resort on the west coast of Türkiye, about 95 km (59 miles) south of Izmir.  With a population of almost 114.000 people it is the 117th biggest city in the country.  However, during the tourist season, which kicks off in about another week, the population reaches almost 2 million people.

Big cruises ships arrive daily with many tourists opting for a tour of Ephesus.  Others come to enjoy the 25 km (15,5 miles) miles of beach along the Aegean.

Kuşadasi is old and many of the locals refer to the town as Ada.  The earliest settlements in the area date back to around 3000 BC.  Over the centuries it has been part of the Persian Empire, the Roman Empire, and the Byzantine Empire.  In 1413, it became part of the Ottoman Empire.  After WWI, it was controlled by Greece until it became part of Türkiye in 1922.  In 1923, the local Greek population was exchanged for Turks as part of the population exchange under the Lausanne Treaty.

Güvercinada, "Pigeon Island" is an island connected to the city by a 350 metre (1.150 foot) causeway.

The island has a castle which was built back in the 1770s.  In 2020 the castle became a tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Near the harbour is the Öküz Mehmed Pasha Caravanserai that was built from 1615 - 1618.  It was a safe place for merchants to stay with their goods and later as a customshouse.  In 1968 it opened as a hotel and in 2022 the last hotel owner ceased operations.

Kale Kapisi, the Castel Gate, was part of the city walls built in the 17th century.  The upper floor was once used as a police station but there is now some kind of micro miniature art centre.

The Kaleiçi Mosque is the old town mosque, in the middle of the bazaar area that was built back in 1618.

The clock tower was built in 1996.

The Ibramaki Art Gallery originally opened as a hospital at the end of the 19th century.  In 2009, the local municipality restored the building and turned it into a gallery.

The old cemetery has graves from the 1700-1800's.

More than 400 homes of the Tepe neighbourhood are being revitalised under the city's "Let's Colour" programme with homes pained in various shades of pink, yellow, blue, orange, green and purple.

At the port, there are daily 1,5 hour ferries between Kuşadasi and the Greek island Samos.  We wanted to check it out but the ferries only run from April to October.

About 30 km (19 miles) south of the city is the Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park.  There are dense forests, hiking trails, and beach, plus wild boars running around.

It was still just a wee bit too cold to lie out on the sand but it felt good to at least be at the beach.

Near the national park is the Cave of Zeus.  

There is a 10 metre (33 feet) deep pool that is off limits to swim in.  Legend has it that this is where Zeus would take refuge whenever his brother Poseidon would whip up a deadly storm.

Another story goes that Zeus would slip away here, from Mount Olympus and his wife Hera, to swim with local girls.

Yedi Uyurlar Mağarası is the Cave of the Seven Sleepers.  The story is that in 250 AD, the Roman Emperor ordered everyone to perform a sacrifice to dedicate themselves to the empire and to the Roman gods, or be executed.  Seven Christians refused and hid in the cave.  Romans found the young men asleep in the cave and sealed them in.  

One day a farmer opened the cave and found the men asleep.  When they awoke, they pooled their money to buy food but when they tried to pay they discovered their money was over 150 years old.  The cave, located outside of Ephesus was excited in the 1920s and found a number of Christian games from the 5th and 6th centuries.  

The Çamlik Railway Museum is home to one of the largest largest collection of steam locomotives, with more than 30, from 1891 to 1951.  The outdoor museum isn't well known but thanks to Atlas Obscura we went to have a look at it was well worth the visit.

We really enjoyed our week in Kuşadasi.  It's definitely worth a visit with lots of places to explore.  I wish the weather would have been just a little warmer but I'm quite glad that we managed to visit before all of the tourists rush in.

Here's a short Rick Steves video I found out on YouTube.

©Rick Steves

New National Cultural Monuments

The Ministry of Culture was established in 1969 during the days of Czechoslovakia.  The ministry is responsible for art, cultural monuments, the affairs of churches and religious societies, and legal regulations pertaining to television and radio.

Brno's Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

Eight historic buildings have been designated as národní kulturní památky (NKP), national cultural monuments.  Effective 1 July 2023, these eight landmarks will have the highest level of state protection.  

 Half of them are located in South Moravia and two of these four are right here in Brno.

• Augustinian Monastery in Pivona (Pilsen Regoin)
• Jezeří Castle with Arboretum (Ústí Region)
• Augustinian Monastery in Roudnice nad Labem (Ústí Region)
• Veveří Castle (South Moravia Region)
• Augustinian Monastery with the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Staré Brno (South Moravia Region)
• Moravský Krumlov Castle (South Moravia Region)
• Rosice Castle (South Moravia Region)
• Plumlov Castle (Olomouc Region)

Moravský Krumlov has been on my list of places to visit for a long time because I have yet to see the Slav Epoch which is on display at the castle.  Now I've got another reason to go.