Leštiny is a small village in the Orava region of northern Slovakia, a short distance from Dolný Kubín, and its pride is a wooden Lutheran church that looks, from outside, more like a large farmhouse than a place of worship. This is one of the articular churches, built under strict conditions imposed in the late seventeenth century, and it is part of the World Heritage Site of Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area, inscribed in 2008.
The story behind it is fascinating. After decades of religious conflict in the Kingdom of Hungary, the Diet of Sopron in 1681 allowed Protestants to build churches, but only in designated places, called articles, and under restrictions: they had to be made of wood, without stone foundations, without towers and outside the centre of the village. The result was a church that disguised itself, plain outside and richly painted within. Inside Leštiny, the walls and ceiling are covered with floral decoration, biblical scenes and inscriptions, and a beautiful altar and pulpit glow in the light from small windows.
Orava is a land of rivers, hills and forests, with the Orava river winding through it and the mountains of the Malá Fatra and the Western Tatras on the horizon. A few kilometres away, at Oravský Podzámok, Orava Castle rises on a sheer rock above the river, one of the most dramatic castles in Central Europe. It famously appeared in the 1922 film Nosferatu. The poet Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, a giant of Slovak literature, came from this region, and Dolný Kubín celebrates him.
Riding in Orava is excellent. Route 70 follows the Orava river past the castle, with gentle curves and views, while minor roads climb into the hills with tight bends and quiet villages. The road to Zuberec and the Western Tatras is especially beautiful, and the Oravská priehrada reservoir to the north makes a pleasant stop. Weather is changeable, with rain and cool temperatures even in summer, and snow from November to April at higher elevations.
Dolný Kubín, five kilometres away, covers fuel, groceries, garages and a decent lunch. Local specialities include bryndza cheese, sheep's milk products and smoked cheeses, and the region's traditional wooden architecture can be seen in open-air museums as well as in villages like this one.