Salt water – mineral spring and peat bog

The settlement of Slaná voda is named after the mineral spring that springs on the banks of the Soľný potok stream. It is an alkaline iodobromine brine that contains about 50 g of salts and approximately 135 mg of iodine per kilogram of water. It is one of the most strongly mineralized waters of its kind in our country. Salt springs were known in the area as early as the 16th century, and between 1863 and 1918, a small spa operated here.

What will you see?

The spring is captured in a well and anyone can taste or smell it. The surroundings are among the best-preserved peat bogs in Orava – waterlogged meadows, spruce forests with peat moss and rare plants, such as the carnivorous sundew. There is a parking lot at the Slaná voda cottage and several hiking trails to the Orava Beskýd Mountains start here, including the educational trail to Babia Hora.

Good to know

• A paved road leads to the settlement, which branches off from road I/78 in Oravská Polhora.
• The water is highly mineralized and salty. Drink it only in small quantities, if at all.
• Water from this spring is also used by a natural salt inhaler in the center of the village.
• Do not enter the peat bog outside the trails, it is a sensitive protected area.
• About 2 km away is the Hviezdoslav gamekeeper's lodge with a literary exhibition.

Photo: ANDREJ NEUHERZ (CC BY-SA 3.0), ANDREJ NEUHERZ (CC BY-SA 3.0), Chestnut (CC0) – Wikimedia Commons