Ruzomberok

Ružomberok (German: Rosenberg; Hungarian: Rózsahegy; Polish: Rużomberk) is a town in Central Slovakia, in the historical Liptov region. It has a population of around 30,000.



Understand
The city lies on a cross of historical and current trade routes. Historically, it was part of Likava - which is a village next to it.

It is similar in character to other cities in the region (like Liptovský Mikuláš or Martin). Major employer in the city is Mondi SCP, a paper-making/processing company. The city also hosts one of the biggest Slovak colleges - "Katolícka univerzita".

Get in
Major train route also has a stop at the. Next to it, there's also a bus station, where inter-city and inter-country buses operate. Another way to get in is by car.

Get around
Private car is the most common way of transport, but the city has a public bus network which operates in around 1/2-1 hr intervals on the most common routes. The buses also operate to the nearby villages, mostly from the main station. Taxis operate mainly from the bus station and around city center (at Hotel Kultúra).

Apart from a few hilly parts (Klačno, Baničné, Cemetery surroundings), most of the town is easily accessible by bicycle, within ~20 minutes. The city center is also reasonably accessible by foot, 30 minutes should suffice in most cases.

See




Culture

 * City center with shops and a few parks.
 * History museum Havránok, showing history of former Celtish settlings in the region.
 * City center with shops and a few parks.
 * History museum Havránok, showing history of former Celtish settlings in the region.

Do
Many attractions are present in or nearby the city.

Hiking
Plenty of hiking trails exist in the surrounding mountains. Check OpenStreetMap for detailed maps of hikes around the city.


 * Few hours hikes to surrounding peaks include Čebrať (the most prominent hill), Mních (the one with a broadcast tower), and Sidorovo
 * A pleasant hike through meadows from Vlkolínec to Malinô Brdo and back
 * Panoramatic hikes to Malinné peak (it's possible to take Hrabovo cablecar for a large part of the way), Tlstá hora and Veľký Choč (ideally from Valasská Dubová) are more demanding and good shoes are recommended, as well as weather forecast awareness.
 * A hour's drive from the city, it's possible to reach stunning mountains like High Tatras and Roháče (in Western Tatras)
 * Multi-day hikes via mountain tops, sleeping in small shelters or (alpine) huts:
 * Low Tatras (start at Liptovská Lúžna or Korytnica)
 * Great Fatra (start at Malinô Brdo)
 * Little Fatra (start at Terchová) - a picturesque Veľký Rozsutec mountain.
 * Great Fatra (start at Malinô Brdo)
 * Little Fatra (start at Terchová) - a picturesque Veľký Rozsutec mountain.

Biking

 * Mountain biking in Malinô Brdo - more than 10 tracks of different difficulties available.
 * Mountain biking in Malinô Brdo - more than 10 tracks of different difficulties available.

Many mountainous routes in the Čutkovo valley, Lubochňa valley and other surrounding areas.

Sports

 * Football: MFK Ružomberok play soccer in SuperLiga, the top tier. Their Štadión pod Čebraťom (capacity 4900) is 2 km west of town centre.
 * Nearby mountains provide multiple possibilities of skiing (skibusses available in the winter), e.g., Donovaly or Jasná.
 * At the Liptovská Mara, there are some watersport activities possible.
 * Speleology in the (mostly small) caves around the city.
 * Nearby mountains provide multiple possibilities of skiing (skibusses available in the winter), e.g., Donovaly or Jasná.
 * At the Liptovská Mara, there are some watersport activities possible.
 * Speleology in the (mostly small) caves around the city.
 * Speleology in the (mostly small) caves around the city.

Fun

 * In the nearby villages, there are multiple water parks available, including:
 * Bešeňová - as detailed in Liptovský Michal
 * Liptovská Osada - Gothal
 * Lúčky - Kúpele

Eat
Multiple restaurants and coffees are present in the city center. Most commonly regional food and pizza are served. Also the Čutkovo and Hrabovo valleys have restaurants.



Nearby the city, popular options include:


 * road to Banská Bystrica - see South-Western Liptov (still just 10-15 minutes by car from center).
 * road to Žilina:
 * road to Dolný Kubín:

Go next
The nearby areas of Orava, Liptovská Mara and Liptovská Osada.

Mountain ranges Tatra National Park, Great Fatra, Little Fatra and Low Tatras.

Cities Žilina, Martin, Banská Bystrica, Liptovský Mikuláš