This small town in northern Slovakia sits along the Orava River, near the Orava Castle. Its central square has 18th-century baroque buildings and a literary museum.
Dolný Kubín lies between three mountain ranges along the Orava River in northern Slovakia. Walk through the Gothic arches of the 14th-century St. Catherine church, browse through 15th-century maps at the Čaplovič Library, or watch young poets perform at the annual Hviezdoslavov Kubín competition. The town's Orava Gallery displays centuries of Slovak art, from medieval religious paintings to contemporary installations.
Train and Bus Connections
The town lies 270 km from Bratislava and 45 km from the Polish border. You can reach Dolný Kubín by regular inter-city trains and buses from major Slovak cities. The railway station is located in the eastern part of town.
Art Collections at the Orava Gallery
Walk through the stone corridors of the 17th-century County House to explore the Orava Gallery's collections. Each floor tells a different story: religious paintings from the 1400s fill the ground floor, while the upper levels display Slovak art from the 1800s and rotating modern exhibitions.
Medieval Town Center
The St. Catherine church, with its pointed Gothic windows and stone vaults from the 1300s, anchors the town center. Along Hviezdoslavovo námestie square, merchant houses from the 16th and 17th centuries line the streets, their Renaissance and Baroque facades still intact. Stay at the Memorial House of P.O. Hviezdoslav, now a pension, where the Slovak poet lived and wrote until 1912.
Annual Poetry Competition
Every year since 1954, performers gather in Dolný Kubín for Hviezdoslavov Kubín, Slovakia's leading poetry and prose recitation competition. Watch contestants perform in theaters and cultural spaces throughout town.
Day Trips from Dolný Kubín
Climb the limestone cliff to explore Orava Castle in Oravský Podzámok village, where Gothic chambers and Renaissance halls contain period furniture and artwork. Take a boat ride to the Slanica Island of Art to see folk crafts, or drive to Leštiny's wooden church. In Jasenová, walk through the Martin Kukučín Memorial House to see how Slovak families lived in the 19th century, complete with original furniture and household items.
