Tvrdošín lies in Orava, the northernmost corner of Slovakia, where the Orava river has been dammed to form a long reservoir under the dark ridges of the Western Tatras and the Roháče. It is a border country, not far from Poland, and a place of wood, snow and sheep, where for centuries people built in timber. The town has a wooden church that stands among the oldest in Slovakia, the Church of All Saints, built in the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century in Gothic style with a steep shingled roof, and its interior is painted with scenes in a folk style that moves between the grand and the endearing. It is one of the Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area, which UNESCO listed in 2008.
Orava has its own proud identity, with a castle that sits on a high cliff over the river, the Orava Castle at Oravský Podzámok, a place that German film director Murnau used for the 1922 film Nosferatu. The reservoir, built in the 1950s and 1960s, drowned a number of villages, and the water has its own fishing, sailing and bird life. In the hills, villages preserve a way of life with shingled farms and meadows, and the local cheese, the smoked sheep cheese called oštiepok, is a delicacy.
Riding in Orava is a pleasure. The roads climb gently from the valley floor into pine forest, with open meadows, and the views toward the Tatras are some of the finest in Slovakia. The surface varies, and in the villages you will find cattle, tractors and the occasional horse cart. Weather in the mountains changes quickly, and a clear morning can turn into a downpour by afternoon. Summer is mild and the autumn leaves are a feast, while winters are long and snowy, and the roads can be icy.
Tvrdošín is a town of nearly ten thousand inhabitants, with fuel, supermarkets and cafes, and Trstená, a few kilometres north towards the Polish border, has more. In a restaurant, look for bryndzové halušky, small potato dumplings with sheep cheese and crispy bacon, the national dish.
Park near the church and walk, since the gate is small, and the churchyard is a pleasant place to sit for a while.