Bukovce

A small Slovak village of Bukovce spreads across 11 km2 of beautiful countryside. Located in the valley of Nízke Beskydy hills, the village has got just under 600 inhabitants. The village is surrounded by green meadows and patches of woods which makes it an ideal home for many species of animals, trees, plants and wild flowers. The area is also very popular for those who enjoy walking in the open countryside and animal spotting – red deers, rabbits and pheasants can be seen fairly often in and around this village. Managers of the local hunting grounds try to keep an eye on the game population and illegal hunting.
The earliest written reference of Bukovce dates from 1379 when the village belonged to the family of Cudar. It those days, the village was known as Veľké Bukovce. Joining smaller hamlt of Malé Bukovce in 1964 and accepting mutual name of Bukovce, the new history of the village has begun. The name of the village – Bukovce – derives from a Slovak work of ´buk´ meaning oak in English. Even the coat of arms shows two oak trees – a small one representing Malé Bukovce and a big oak tree representing Veľké Bukovce.

Religion has always played crucial role in the history of village life. The impact of religion can be seen on the present generations. The village has got its own church of St. Demeter which was built in neo – baroque style in 1891. The local monastery, in which the local communities use to gather for worships and pilgrimages, is located on the Buková Hôrka, the local hilltop. There is also a chapel which dates from 1742 a a church which became the religious centre for many people from the local area. Many religious holidays are celebrated on the hill above the village of Bukovce, majority of these holidays take place in June, August and September. The historical path to the monastery is also known as “Jozefova cesta” or “Jozefínka” (Joseph’s Path). Over the past centuries, the path was an important connecting route between many villages in the northern Slovakia and south of Poland.

There are several successful local business in the village – a farm with cows and sheep which supplies many butchers with high quality beef and other meat products. Another company known as Fytocentrum specializes in growing herbs which are later packed and sold as herbal teas. The village has got its own Women’s Institute for ladies and Football Club for men. Numerous cultural and sporting events are organized in the village every month of the year. The most popular is the Village Day which takes place in June each year. The organizers put their heads together and prepare many interesting competitions for people of all ages. These include the competition for the strongest man in the village, Miss Bukovce – a competition for young girls, football matches for teenagers and adults, many traditional competitions for children and the local specialty – preparing traditional Slovak dish – pirohy.
People in the village are keen on co – operation with other local villages both in Slovakia and Poland. The initiatives include cross – border co – operation to promote the whole region and attract more visitors to the area which has so much to offer. There are beautiful hills and many footpaths for walkers, many religious buildings such as churches, chapels and monasteries and several cultural monuments too. This region is not only popular during summer season but also in winter. Local cross – country skiing events and winter walks are being organized each year by local residents. A new tourism micro regions was established several months ago to promote this part of the country. It is know as the Micro Region of Zelené Beskydy Bukovce. The village also co – operates with the Walker’s Association in the nearby town of Svidník.
Hard work and lots of hours spending on community work has finally paid off in 2001 when the village received an award for developing cultural traditions and values. The competition was organized under the umbrella of Ministry of Environment, Slovak Republic. The village has presented itself as a mixed community which tries to integrate local Gypsies and work with them rather than leave their old traditions die. For that reason, a local Gypsy folklore group was established several years ago and at present it supports 25 young Gypsies who are incredibly gifted in singing and dancing. Since 1999, the Gypsy group known as Jag has performed on numerous occasions both in Slovakia and abroad. The most recent event was the International Festival of Ethnic Groups which took place in Poland.