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While writing this article, I am on my 2-week vacation back home in Slovakia. Out of cruise ship. And now when I have more time to go through my blog, I realised that most of my articles are focused on foreign countries. And not on my homeland SLOVAKIA.
Therefore, I decided to change it and post a short article about my hometown which lies in the East of Slovakia. Article about STRÁŽSKE. 🙂
Firstly, I must mention that although its population is only around 5,000 inhabitants, it is a TOWN and not a village. Many of my friends are teasing me with this fact and making jokes on my “village life”. 😀
Strážske is located in the Eastern Slovakia between 3 bigger cities and thus Michalovce, Humenné and Vranov. Strážske lies on river Laborec which reminds me my good old times as a kid when & where we used to go for fishing with my family. Behind Laborec river there is town district called Krivošťany surrounded by beautiful green mountains. On my free weekends I used to go for hiking to Belavarka or Krivošťany.
As this town is small, sure, there is no crazy & busy day or nightlife. However, in spite of this fact, there are still some things which are worth visiting or doing while being in Strážske. Summer swimming pool could serve as good example. Not only locals but also people from neighbouring towns and villages come to our summer pool. On the main square you can find municipal authorities´ building, memorial for victims of WWI and small shopping centre with tasty bakery, colourful florists and some bars and pubs where younger people come to have fun on weekend. Nothing crazy, but better than nothing, right?
To one of the news of my town belongs the statue of an angel which is built from one piece of wood and stands in front of our bus station in order to protect our town and our people. It became pride our my hometown.
Last but not the least I want to mention our delicious town-made ice cream which is located in front of our park. Its price is only 40 cents and especially the vanilla ice cream makes you become addicted to it. Many people passing through Strážske stop by to get at least one ball of vanilla ice cream. So delicious it is! 🙂
SURROUNDING OF STRÁŽSKE
What could you do and see in the surrounding of my hometown?! If you are fan of nature and castles, then you will find your paradise here.
BREKOV CASTLE
Only 5 km from Strážske in direction to Humenné there is a small village Brekov where ruins of castle dating from the Middle Ages can be found. From the top of this castle you can admire amazing natural landscape as well as neighbouring towns.
ZEMPLÍNSKA ŠIRAVA
Around 30km from Strážske you can visit the second largest water tank called Zemplínska Šírava. Its nickname is “Slovakian Sea” as Slovakia doesn´t have any sea but this water tank reminds us popular beach life by its unique atmosphere. It is a pearl of Eastern Slovakia and Zemplín is a region popular among foreign tourists, too. Are you in a mood for jet ski, yachts, summer open-space cinema, or crazy night clubs & parties?! This and a lot more can be found in Zemplínska šírava. One summer without spending at least a day on Šírava is not summer for person from Eastern Slovakia. 🙂
MORSKÉ OKO & SNINSKÝ KAMEŇ
Do you love hiking in beautiful green mountains and visiting natural lakes & ponds on the way? And you are not afraid of heights at the same time?! Then this option is FOR YOU! Morské oko represents the 3rd biggest natural lake where fishing or swimming are forbidden but you can enjoy peaceful atmosphere of this place to the fullest. By hiking around 1 hour from Morské oko, you can reach Sninský kameň (Snina Rock) where you experience spectacular views over green landscape, lake & neighbouring villages. This whole area belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage.
PS: Are you looking for a nice camera which would take incredible photos?! Check Nikon D3200 
So what do you say about my hometown and its surrounding?! Worth visiting?? If your answer is YES, then don´t hesitate and stop by. Don´t visit the only touristic place of Slovakia (its capital BRATISLAVA) but visit also off-beaten track and enjoy hospitality of Eastern Slovakians. It would be my pleasure to show you around. 🙂
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Dakujem za tento clanok. Skvele,vystizne,zaujimave a aj poucne?
Veľký súhlas👍
Som tiež Strážčanka, ale ako inak, už viac rokov som z tohto úžasného mestečka preč.Momentálne voWiedni. A tu som si spomenula, že Kaštieľ ktorý stojí v Strážskom dostala dvorná dama-Grófka Irma Sztaray, ako odmenu za jej služby Rakúskej Cisárovnej ,,Sisi”. Ďakujem.Je to od takého mladého človeka pozor uhodné, že si vie vážiť srdcu blízke miesto na svete. Držím palce!?✨
Dakujem Anicka za tento komentar. To o tom kastieli som nevedela ani ja. A hoci mam precestovany riady kus sveta, stale sa rada vraciam domov do Strazskeho – mesta, kde mam milovanu rodinu a dych berucu prirodu navokol. 🙂
Nechcem sa hádať, ale ozaj mali čo do činenia Sztarayovci s naším kaštieľom ? Pokiaľ viem, jeho majiteľom bol László Széchenyi. Sisi zomrela v 1898 a kaštieľ bol postavený až v roku 1901, takže … ? 🙂
My ancestors came from Strazske and emmigrated to Ohio, USA. Do you know anybody named safijan, safian, safianova, etc. or anyone with relatives in Ohio?
Waaw, that´s great! Honestly I don´t know anyone with such name but I will double-check these names with my parents & grandparents… Hopefully, you will get a chance to come and visit Strazske one day 😉
Thanks for your reply! I’m going to be in Budapest in a few weeks. It’s a little bit far to make the trip to Strazske because I only have 2 days there, but I might actually consider it if I had somebody who spoke both English and Slovak to help with local officials who may have old birth and marriage records.
My great-grandfather had “Ormezo” as his place of birth on his death certificate. Is that Hungarian for “Strazske”?
Honestly, I had to google “ormezo” out and I found out it stands for Strazske in Hungarian – great to know 🙂 in case you want to come to Strazske, contact me on email milimundo88@gmail.com and in case I am gonna be here these days, I will show you around.