Nižný Orlík

The village is situated in the valley of the Ondava river in the Northern part of the mountain range Nízke Beskydy. The hilly land area has altitude of 255 – 379 m. Only its marginal parts are forested. Nižný Orlík is one of the oldest villages in the district. This fact is supported by the first written record from 1355, but already in 1330 it was established on the emphytheutic right by hereditary mayor Orlík.
The village dwellers were peasants and cattle breeders. In the 19th century the village was known for its gardens, too. Shortage of the working opportunities caused leaving of many people for the foreign countries, especially in the 19th century and again during the first Czechoslovak Republic. Today young people usually go to work in Czech Republic or West European countries.

The bell tower from the 18th century is a historical monument of the village. There are two churches in the village – an Orthodox one and a Greek-Catholic one.
Nižný Orlík is surrounded by the uplands Ondavská vrchovina which is a subpart of Nízke Beskydy. Tourist routes are well marked and maintained. Besides hiking and cycling you can also make use of great conditions for mushrooms and forest fruits collecting. During the winter you can visit good skiing terrains. The Ondava river flows through Ondavská vrchovina as well as Nižný Orlík and it is more than 146 km long. Beaver has been observed there and forest game live in the near forests. Ondava feeds the artificial water tanks Malá Domaša and Veľká Domaša which also serves as a great area for water recreation and sport fishing. Fishermen will like the surroundings of Nižný Orlík for sure, because in Ondava there is a carp ground and towards the springs there is a salmon ground, too. People preferring cycling have a great opportunity to use the 27 km long part of so called Karpatská cyklistická cesta (Carpathian Cycling Route) leading through Nižný Orlík.
Trips to the near villages such as Jurkova Voľa, Vyšná Jedľová, Ladomirová can be concluded by visiting the Greek-Catholic churches and in Nižná Jedľová the cloistral Orthodox church. In the nearby village Vyšný Orlík you can find a spring of the water rich in sulphur and carbon, as well as two protected nature formations – linden. A district town Svidník situated only 3 km far from the village is located on the confluence of the rivers Ondava a Ladomirka. A dominant feature of the town is the 37 m high memorial of the fallen Soviet soldiers during the cruel fights of the mountain pass of Dukla in 1944. Very interesting can also be a visit of an open-air museum – folk architecture where you can see sacral, residential and farm buildings from the villages of Horný Šariš and Zemplín. One of the most beautiful bell towers in Šariš from the beginning of the 18th century originates right from Nižný Orlík and it is interesting because it has an entrance gate to the church. Today you can find it in the Museum of folk architecture in the spa Bardejovské kúpele.