Ružín Trail of Jack-o'-Lantern's Fairy Tales

Margecany are not only the most important railway junction, but also a village with a rich history dating back to 1235, from which the first written records of the settlement originate. Margecany were not spared tragic events in the form of epidemics, namely the plague and the Spanish flu. After the construction of the water reservoir (Ružín), the original village of Margecany ceased to exist. Only the Church of St. Margaret and a cement plant have been preserved.

The Svetlonošky Trail runs along the road from Margecany towards a cultural monument – the Margecany Tunnel. The tunnel is located 3.3 km from the railway station.

The attraction consists of four wooden statues placed individually on concrete bases. The statues represent a fairy-tale creature – the dwarf Svetlonoška. Each statue holds a light in its hand, and each has a metal plaque (“scroll”) on which a fairy-tale story of the dwarfs is written. The dwarfs are named Lampášik, Kopáčik, Hutníček, and Pastúšik. Through their stories, they lure the “traveling wanderer” to visit their “little house” – the tunnel.

Each statue holds a lamp powered by a photovoltaic panel, illuminating both the statue with its plaque and the area along the nearby road, creating the illusion that the traveler is walking along a lit path toward the “house.”

When the traveler reaches the dwarfs’ “house” – the tunnel – and walks through it, individual lights inside the tunnel gradually turn on. This creates an illusion, especially encouraging children’s imagination, that one of the dwarfs might be hiding somewhere inside.

In the neighboring village of Kluknava, you can find a national cultural monument that connects Kluknava with the settlement of Štefánska Huta – a wooden covered bridge. This unique bridge of its kind was also depicted on a postage stamp in 2000. The stamp won 3rd place in a competition for the most beautiful Slovak stamp.