Liptov region is a pre-historic region of Slovakia, with known inhabitation since 6th BCE when Slovaks moved here. There are three old castles in this region.
A museum recreating the village life of the Liptov region showcases the life and times of peasants and craftsmen here. There are old stone buildings that I am not sure if they have been constructed for the museum or are actually old.
In the biggest building, there are practicing craftsmen, primarily women doing traditional embroidery to make traditional dresses of Slovakia. The patterns were stuck with pins on a round pillow and lots of spindles of thread handing from the pins. I could not make out how they did embroidery and the lack of common language came in the way, but I still enjoyed watching them concentrate on those intricately drawn patterns. There is an old world charm in watching these women patiently weave the patterns that would make a young woman look pretty. You can buy the finished pieces of course.
Most stone buildings showcase the old household, with small kitchens and big utensils sitting on wooden racks and farming equipment outside the house in an open shed along with animals like horses. Garlic and chills hang along the kitchen walls. Presence of wood in these houses reminds you of the lack of wood and presence of alternative materials in our present day lives. Sewing machines are showcased as part of those houses as are the stitched traditional dresses.
Brochures tell me that there are events that are organized here all year around like Lace making Sunday, Liptov Cooking, Beekeeper’s Sunday, Spring Festival, Scholl workshop, Forest Railway day, exhibition of Dogs, Shepherd Sunday, kid’s day, craft a golden bottom, talks on Liptov clothing and textiles, Sunday of Natives etc. All of these seem to be focused on either celebrating or re-living the heritage of the good old days of Liptov. How I wish this could be done in India, and we would be celebrating each day, and would not need to repeat a dish for our lives.
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