Trip to Palcmanská Maša

In the Slovak Paradise National Park, in addition to the beautiful wild gorges, dense forests, and steep rocky slopes, there is also the Palcmanská Maša reservoir. It is the largest water reservoir in the Slovak Paradise area. Over the years, this place has become a popular recreational area where people like to cool off during the warm summer days. And this is where we decided to go.

It’s a beautiful, summer, holiday morning, and the kids and I get into the car. All three of us are excited about today’s trip. They don’t mind the car ride and love to travel. It takes about an hour by car to the village of Dedinky by the Palcmanská Maša reservoir. We look around and drive through villages surrounded by forests. Before we know it, we have arrived.

As soon as we parked, my two little rascals ran straight to the water. Naturally. By the water, there is this bike they, of course, had to try out.

We walked along the road closer to the shore. You’d hardly find a beach here. There’s a grassy area where we spread out a blanket and sat right by the water. We took off our shoes and dipped our feet in.

The reservoir has the coldest water among natural swimming spots in Slovakia. Simply the perfect refreshment. This is because the reservoir is filled by the Hnilec River and its tributaries, which flow into it from the surrounding mountains. The sun doesn’t have time to warm them up.

Palcmanská Maša reservoir is a popular spot for water sports. I feel like water sports are becoming more and more popular here in Slovakia. We also see families with children on pedal boats, small boats, inflatables, or kayaks.

It’s just a relaxing atmosphere. Now and then, a dragonfly flies by.

We also decided to explore the surroundings. After all, we couldn’t spend the whole day just sitting by the water. Not far from us, we found educational attractions for children. It’s focused on the insects that live here. There’s a large memory game, insect houses, and even a big butterfly.

The best view of Palcmanská Maša and Dedinky is from the dam. The whole area is laid out before us.

Additionally, a large number of fish gather by the dam wall. Too bad we didn’t have any food with us to feed them.

The reservoir covers 86.5 hectares and is part of the Dobšiná water project. It was built in the 1950s. Water from the reservoir supplies the Dobšiná hydropower plant and several smaller power plants. These significantly contributed to the development of this region.

We spent another summer day by the water. We didn’t visit any playgrounds today, but the kids didn’t mind. They fell asleep as soon as we got into the car for the return trip.

Thank you.