Terchová!

The landscape overshadowed by the mighty Mních (Monk) peak has inspired many a myth and legend of mystery. Credit to such myths and legends, the region has earned the reputation of a quaint pocket where mysterious and magical meets reality. As usually in such cases, the reality is somewhat more prosaic. The same goes for the actual roots of the myths and legends if one delves deeper. A major part of our mythological image of Terchová goes to the local-born folk hero, "the captain of mountain highwaymen", Juraj Jánošík. It is his fabulous deeds or rather acts of bravery that have spun legends most of which have been directly linked with the hero's native village.

Tourism
Up until the early 19^th century, the rugged parts of Malá Fatra were mostly frequented by shepherds, woodcutters, poachers and herbalists. The Veľký Rozsutec peak used to be a lure for treasure hunters. The first half of the 19^th century was a threshold epoch. At the time, people started flowing to the region to which discovering natural treasures became an integral part of their life attitudes. Prominent Slovak researchers also could not miss on the breathtaking sceneries of mountain valleys around the Vrátna valley. At least to be mentioned in this regard are the renowned natural scientist and geologist Dyonýz Štúr, or the officially appointed practitioner for the royal district of Trenčín and later royal consultant MUDr. Karol Brančík.

A major breakthrough as regards the frequency of visitors to the region was the construction of the Košice - Bohumín railway line (1871) and the Váh river valley railway line (1883). Following completion of the tracks, the region of Malá Fatra became a preferred destination of visitors even from more distant regions. With the passage of time and particularly since the interwar and post-war periods, a number of tourist amenities grew in the region.

After 1989 in the wake of privatization processes, the tourism industry went through some major changes. Chalets, hotels, cable railways and ski lifts returned to private ownership, with the locals holding high hopes for the vital change to translate soon into new quality levels in services and in the whole tourism infrastructure amidst the gorgeous scenery of Malá Fatra.