People of the Forest

This route is suitable for both adults and children, offering information about the Huncokárs as well as the local flora and fauna. The forests of the Small Carpathians are linked to the Huncokárs – forest workers, lumberjacks, medicinal herbalists. Follow the trail they used to walk along, starting at the playground at Zochova Chata heading toward the German Huncokár school. It was originally built as an urban villa where holidaymakers could spend the night. On the ground floor was a flat for the forest workers – Huncokárs. They came to the Small Carpathians at the invitation of the Pálffy family, owners of the surrounding land, to introduce a modern and efficient logging method. The areas of Modra–Piesok, Pezinok–Rybníček, Kamenná brána, Zabité, Sklená huta, and the Záhorie region of Vývrat, Horáreň pod Vysokou, and many other areas became home to many forest people and their families. The largest population of Huncokárs was around Modra–Piesok, so a school was established in this area. After 1945, the mountain settlements in the Small Carpathians were cleared out and some of the inhabitants were moved to Germany.
From the Huncokár school, continue on to the St Mary Magdalene Chapel; in summer it still serves people of faith. The route continues past the Huncokár cemetery, the Manor House, and Jurčova lúka, where it meets up with another educational trail about the forests of the Small Carpathians. You’ll find the first information about the forest habitat and the Protected Bird Habitat near the observatory. Go along Tisové skaly to get to the reservoir, where you’ll also learn more about the local flora and fauna. Along the way, you can enjoy the company of the Rosalia longicorn beetle (Rosalia alpina), a protected species of European priority, the common chaffinch, the European robin, the white-backed woodpecker, and the saker falcon, which is protected by law.

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