Hviezdoslav’s forest lodge in Oravská Polhora

The forest lodge at the foothills of Babia Hora mountain is situated in the place of an old cottage which used to by visited by the famous Slovak poet, Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, before it burned down. The building is currently administered by the Orava Museum of P. O. Hviezdoslav (Slovak: Oravské múzeum P. O. Hviezdoslava) and serves as a unique exhibition presenting a popular work by Hviezdoslav, The Gamekeeper’s Wife (Slovak: Hájnikova žena). Therefore, Hviezdoslav’s lodge can be described as the first museum of literature in Slovakia which is entirely devoted to a particular literary work. Visitors can experience the beauty of the natural environment which shaped the poet as well as learn more about the process of creation of the abovementioned book, all its editions, and the ways it influenced film, theatre, and art. The entrance to the exhibition – the hall and the first room – are a stylised reconstruction of the living quarters of the family that used to inhabit the place. Inside the lodge, there is also a stylised study of Hviezdoslav, where visitors can have a look at his cape (a sleeveless overcoat fastened at the chest and covering the shoulders), which was a very characteristic element of his attire, and at his manuscripts displayed on the desk.