Ružomberok and the lower Liptov have long been an industrial centre of the Lower Liptov. It is the place where ancient and medieval roads crossed, iron and copper ores were once mined and where the textile as well as paper industry used to flourish. The tradition of papermaking dates back to the beginning of the 17-th century and is still alive today.
The modern paper factory is historically linked to the first handmade paper mills in the lower Liptov. Today, there is nothing left of the oldest handmade paper mill in Liptovský Michal and only the ruins remained of the mills in Ružomberok and Biely Potok. There are villages in the Lower Liptov where whole generations of families used to work in the paper industry and Ludrová is one of them. It is one of the oldest villages in the region. Its earliest written records date back to 1376 when the king Ľudovít I. declared Ludrová a part of the Ružomberok town and until 1953, it is referred to as one of the town streets called Villa Ludrová. It is very likely the village is of older origin. La Téne and Púchov culture settlements on the Stráňa hill, the remains of a medieval fort in Pánsová, the All Saints Church built in the last third of the thirteenth century, travertines on the Čerená hill, mineral springs located in the area of the village, the entrance to the Tatra national park, the Hučiaky gorge with several caves, a lot of game and the creek of Ludrovianka with a number of nice meanders make Ludrová an attractive tourist destination.
In the recent history, there were bobbin lace, linen fabric and unpeeled willow baskets woven here. The village was also known for wood carving. They used to carve wooden mugs (črpáky), dishware used by shepherds, stirring spoons, dinnerware and even nativity scenes (called Betlehems in Slovak) here. The main aim of the whole project is to increase the attractiveness of the lower Liptov, to provide visitors with a variety of cultural and tourist attractions and to restore and preserve the tradition of hand papermaking in the region of the lower Liptov.
The museum tour during which, supervised by a specialist, you will try papermaking yourself can be booked by phone:
- Peter Slimák, village mayor – 0903 896 174
- Juraj Toth, professional head of the museum – 0903 275 982
The museum is located in the Ludrová village, Močilá local part, close to the Medokýš mineral stream.
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