The white patterns
Geometric shapes on timber.
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Čičmany is a small mountain village in north Slovakia, famous for dark timber houses covered in white patterns. The walls look embroidered, and it has been protected since 1977 as a folk architecture reserve. Only about 125 people live here today. The first written reference dates from 1272. The name comes from a word for a lumberjack who makes noise at work. After a great fire in 1921 the village was restored to its original look with generous state help. Until the mid-twentieth century it was a centre of sheep raising, and it is also known for its folk music and costumes. You walk a quiet street between timber houses with steep roofs and galleries, their walls painted by hand with pointed white geometric shapes. The village has a small museum, according to guides. Meadows and green hills surround the village. Not every house is old, and plain white ones stand beside the decorated ones. The village is 34 km in a straight line south-west of Žilina, reached by a mountain road. The houses are lived in, so do not enter the gardens or photograph residents without asking. It is small and a short visit is enough, though you can add a walk in the hills. Summer and winter snow are the finest times, and check museum hours before you go.
Geometric shapes on timber.
Timber houses with steep roofs.
Meadows around the village.
Čičmany, Žilina Region, north Slovakia
Yes, so respect privacy and do not enter gardens.
A short visit is enough, and you can add a hill walk.