We head to Vrchteplej. The only official route to this village is from Kostolec. Narrower but adjusted. This road is final in a small square. You will not get to Súľov by car after the hill. You can get off and choose either hiking, cycling, or in winter probably the most ideal cross-country skiing. We are at the end of the Trenčín region, on the border with Žilina, in a village with the nickname mountain, which offers a surprising amount of inspiration.

Under the protection of the Strážov Hills, right in their heart, about 250 inhabitants live in Vrchteplá. A village with an unusual name, but with a beautiful atmosphere in the bosom of nature, just a short walk from the Manín Strait National Nature Reserve and in the center of Súľov Rocks. Trenčiansky on the one hand, Žilina region on the other. In the air you can smell the wood from the drawing smoke from the chimneys of classic dwellings. The silence is broken only by the Manín brook, which flows through the village. It has a length of 11.3 km and is a tributary of the Vah. From behind one fence, you can hear the sound of a chainsaw. Here and there the chirping of birds, somewhere to hear a rooster or the barking of dogs. The cats are mainly guarded by cats. We counted twenty of them here.

There is a wooden building on the square next to the municipal office. It is a former school built in 1929 and 50 years later a memorial room SNP was opened there. In 1995, part of it was converted into a prayer room and consecrated in the same year. Since then, services have been served there to the Evangelical Church. Nice, neat place, in times of well-being (necovidu) and often visited.

Partizánska dolina

In the past, Vrchteplá was an important place of fighting of the Slovak National Uprising. It is also reminiscent of a monument towering over the village, dedicated to fallen partisans. The surrounding forests were interspersed with partisan paths. Many houses in the village also served as partisan residences. After an unexpected shootout in 1945, many partisans fell, whom they buried on the top of the Hôrka hill above the center of the village.

The monument consists of a reinforced concrete slab - a platform with a floor plan measuring 11 mx 19.5 m with a concrete plinth at the ends on the shorter sides, built across the top of the hill. The board runs cantilevered on both sides over the terrain under consideration. It is paved with polished granite. From the southwest side, the main entrance formed by stairs with four concrete steps leads to the slab - the platform.

From the valley of the village you can see two separate quarter-round pylons made of cast reinforced concrete, whose height is 10.5 m and are horizontally divided into five parts. In the upper part, between the first and second part, they are connected by a stylized five-pointed star made of white metal. On both pylons there are cast sculptures on the inside of the fourth parts from the top. On the left pylon is a sculpture of a mourning mother above the dead son, and below it was a quote in three lines by Július Fučík: "Everyone who faithfully lived the future and fell for its beauty is a figure carved out of stone."

Today it is already destroyed, as is the list of known and two unknown fallen warriors in the Uprising. Every year, on 29 August, SNP celebrations take place here, which commemorates the importance of events significantly inscribed in the history of Vrchteplá. On an earlier date, April 30, the locals will be happy to welcome you again when laying wreaths at the SNP Memorial on the occasion of the liberation of Vrchteplá and the popular construction of May.

Close to the stars

At the end of summer, Vrchteplá is the most ideal place to observe the meteor swarm of Perseus. In August, the area around the monument turns into a refuge for astronomers, who have been coming here since 1977 to watch the sky and shooting stars. In good weather, up to fifty Perseids can "fall" in an hour. At the time of the highest intensity, it is possible to observe up to 100 meteors per hour in the sky. It attracts professionals and amateurs alike.

"It's an ideal place to observe. There is a view of almost three hundred and sixty degrees and very little light pollution of the sky, satisfactory turbulence. In this case, it is an advantage not only for observation, but also for photographing objects, which we have been striving for for several years. We also photograph other objects in the night sky, we observe flights of telecommunication satellites, we observe nature, “we quote from the sentences of the Astronomical Club from Plevník-Drienový. This attraction directs dozens to hundreds of sky observers to Vrchteplá every August, who set up their tents and wait for a phenomenon that they could perpetuate.

Crossroads of hiking trails

Behind the square, the general roads are divided - right and left. There is a dead end sign in front of both. You can only get there on your own or by bike. Several attractive routes pass through Vrchteplú, which you can try on your own in summer or winter. If you are a fan of MTB bikes, in Prečín you will connect to the Rajecká cycle route and via Bodina, Vrchteplú, Kostolec, Plevník-Drienové and Lávka you will get to Mikšová, where you can comfortably connect to the Vážská cycle route.

From Vrchteplá to the opposite side, beyond the border of the Trenčín region, you can get to Súľov in two ways. The first leads along the asphalt and gravel and climbs over the village to the saddle below Havrania skala and descends from the saddle through the Čierny potok locality to the state road to Súľov-Hradná.

The second one on the same surface heads to the saddle below the Dubovec hill, from which it continues to Súľov. "It's perfect for hiking. There is unbelievable peace. Especially in the summer it's amazing mushrooms, berries or just to vent your head in the fresh air. I'm from Bratislava and I only come here to rest for two weeks, "said a well-tuned young lady, whom we met on the way to the village. "You can be in Súľov in half an hour via Kopec. You have to drive around the city by car and it's about 20 kilometers, "confirmed the most talkative man from Vrchteplá.

In April, one of the most important tourist marches takes place here - Jilemnický 25, which attracts more and more visitors and participants. June belongs to cyclists again, the popular AUTHOR bike marathon Súľovské skaly is on the calendar of every cycling enthusiast.

The cottages belong to the hosts

On weekdays, and especially now during a pandemic, you will not meet many people in the village. Even purchases had to be resolved by locals during the strictest anti-pandemic measures in a side village, in a county town, or at home only at selected times. “Here in the inn are small local food. For a larger purchase, you have to go to Považská Teplá or Považská Bystrica, "said the tourist, who often returns here to her cottage. “Most houses are inhabited. Here, at the entrance to the village on the right, which look the same, belong more to the locals. Rarely does anything come up for sale. The right time needs to be captured. In neighboring Súľov, across the hill, they are more expensive. It is a nicer location, "she added.

What more to add? The warm one, if you visit it at any time of the year, has its charm. Its nooks and crannies are very neat, modern and information-packed tourist boards will take you where you need to go. Try a visit to Vrchteplá even in summer. Not just for the unusual name and events in the rich calendar. You will find peace in the soul near the stars. Try it.

photo: Miroslav Konfál