Exploring Liptov Castle, a historical walk along the views of Liptov

Itinerary

• From the edge of Kalameny (Kelemenfalu), starting at the Medokyš thermal spring, we follow the S trail to the Sedlo pod Kraľovou junction.

• From the Sedlo pod Kraľovou junction, we continue left on the P trail towards the castle (Liptovský hrad).

• From the castle, we descend north on the K trail across the sedlo Poľana meadow into the valley of the Kalamenianka stream, from where we return to the edge of the village.

Detailed description of the route

From the thermal bath to the castle on the panorama trail

Our route starts from the paid parking lot by the Medokyš thermal spring above Kalameny (Kelemenfalu) in the summer season. If you want to save on the entry fee, you can leave your car at the end of the village near the sports field or the cemetery. It is worth at least seeing the spring, but the hike can also pleasantly end with relaxing bathing. Next to the natural thermal spring, a well was drilled in the 1990s, whose water was allowed to flow freely, and later a pool was created by building a stone dam to collect it. Next to the well, strong gas bubble upwelling occurs, so you can also enjoy a jacuzzi effect at one point of the pool. The composition and origin of this thermal water are related to the bathing water of nearby Lúčky (Lucski) valley. Serious thermal tourism developed around the spring in the nearby village (Lúčky), where similar plans were made, but eventually, an open-air, free bathing area remained around the well. In the 2020s, the pool and its surroundings were paved with stones, a gravel parking lot was created, and during the summer season, the local municipality collects parking fees.

The spring is fed by karst water rising at the intersection of the east-west running Kócs-Tátra structural line and a fault line running perpendicularly in the valley. The dissolved mineral content of the spring water is particularly high, 2500-3000 mg/l, due to the surrounding mountains being composed of approximately 200 million-year-old marine sedimentary rocks with high bicarbonate and sulfate content.

Opposite the spring, the S trail winds off the road to the right into a slight depression, where we start a slow climb along the edge of pastures and forests. As we ascend the mountainside, the landscape unfolds around us; we get a view over the houses of Kalameny and the surrounding mountains. On the far side of the Liptov Basin, the ridges of the Low Tatras line up in increasingly broad rows. We must overcome nearly 200 meters of elevation gain to the saddle, from where much of the Low Tatras can be seen, and towards the east, the peaks of the Liptov Hounds become visible. Below us stretches a reservoir created by damming the Vág river in the mid-20th century, which submerged, evacuated, and sacrificed several villages. It is worth visiting the open-air museum built on the basin's edge near Pribylina, passing through the settlement at the foot of the Liptov Hounds.

From the Sedlo pod Kraľovou junction, we continue on the P trail, which ascends on a bulldozer road cut into the pine forest towards the castle. Most of the pine forest has already been cut down, and the regrowth above offers an increasingly expansive view of the surroundings. The heavily switchbacking road climbs almost another 200 meters before reaching the summit. The path to the summit is closed off by a rock ridge, a natural defensive line that was also used during the castle's construction. We overcome the last obstacle using a massive metal ladder leaned against the rock; we also cross a bridge over a ditch before entering the medieval fortress, now only preserved in its foundation walls.

The Liptov castle, a fortress spanning historical eras

A fortress might have stood on the hill of Liptovský hrad since the Bronze Age, as Bronze Age pottery and jewelry fragments were found during archaeological excavations. Its first record is known from a 1256 charter by King Béla IV: as the king of a country ravaged by the Tatars, he wanted to strengthen border defenses with a stone fortress. Later owners included Máté Csák, King Wenceslas IV of Bohemia, and the Garák and Pongrác families. The castle's lord sided with the Polish king against King Matthias, but the two leaders later reconciled, and the Hungarian king seeking to consolidate his power took revenge. He exiled Peter Komorovszky but spared his movable property and ordered the castle to be demolished.

Today, only 1-2 meter high foundation walls and the surrounding moat remain. Nevertheless, we can discern the structure of the building, whose center was the residential tower standing at the highest point. Stairs and arched windows built into the walls can be seen there. Below us, on the gentler parts of the hilltop, the castle courtyard unfolds, where a covered resting area was also created during the reconstruction.

The best view of the surroundings is from the remains of the upper residential tower. To the west rises the main peak of the mountain range, Great Kócs (Veľký Choč), exceeding 1600 meters, with a densely forested rocky ridge. The wooded summits frame the view from the north, while the silhouette of the Liptov Hounds filters through the foliage to the east. To the south, the wide Liptov Basin and the valley of the Vág river divide the rugged mountains from the peaks, which culminate mostly in the opposing Low Tatras range, almost seamlessly connecting with the Great Fatra. On clear days, the main peaks of the Low Tatras, Gyömbér and the neighboring Chopok, are also visible from the summit.

Descent on the protected side

Our tour continues on the K trail along the rocky ridge on the northern side of the mountain behind the castle. The ridge drops steeply to the east with cliffs, offering views of the surrounding mountain ring at points. At the base of the steep, several caves are found where medieval finds were uncovered, including cooking pots and an iron cauldron, exhibited at the Ružomberok ethnographic museum. The path descends at places over major ledges along the rocky ridge, losing nearly 200 meters in elevation over a 500-meter distance. Finally, the northern slope softens as we arrive at the flat plain of sedlo Poľana from the devastated forest. The pass is a bowl-shaped, spacious meadow, which we cross towards the mountains on the opposite side. Here, the trail sharply turns south into the deep valley below, ultimately leading back down to the main valley.

With increasing steepness, we descend into the pine forest, which accompanies us all the way to the valley mouth. The forestry road here is heavily damaged by timber vehicles and the significant slope, but finally, the asphalt road at the bottom of the main valley offers relief. At the confluence of the two valleys, near the end of the descent, a tidy resting place offers seating beside a cozy spring. We can draw pure water from the abundant spout, while the covered bench provides some comfort and shelter from rainy weather.

Finally, joining the Kalamenianka stream valley, we turn back to our starting point along one last comfortable section, and finally reach the end of our hike with quick steps, where the open-air thermal bath promises a chance to rest. The nearby village, Kalameny (Kelemenfalu), but even more so the neighboring Lúčky (Lucski), offer many options to try gastronomic specialties.