Bees of Paradise near Hrabušice
As diligent as a bee. Such an epithet is given to anyone who tries really hard to make their parents or teacher happy. Bees are even among the first to “fly” to first-graders as a school assessment. We have been close to bees since time immemorial. In the traditional way of life, bees had an important place and our ancestors treated them with respect. In general, it was a widespread custom that when the owner died, they announced it to the bees by knocking on the hive or ringing the bell. People believed that the bee understood human speech and came from the forehead of God. Many superstitions were associated with their breeding, which were supposed to ensure health, increase honey production, reproduction: at Christmas, crumbs from the Christmas dinner table were put into the beehive, sprinkled with holy water... Killing a bee was considered a sin. Even today, the bee is an important symbol – a symbol of a healthy environment, because even a schoolboy knows that without these pollinators, life would not exist in the form we know it today.
If you care about a healthy environment, like going out in nature and have diligent children at home, take them and show them the bees of paradise. Not far from the village of Hrabušice in the district of Spišská Nová Ves, in the territory of the Slovak Paradise National Park, an ecopiary with free-range beekeeping was established. It serves to observe the natural way of life of bees. In the area of the former forest nursery, enthusiasts from the former
Hrabušice urban community have created a heavenly place where you can find yourself in another world - the world of bees. On the way to Paradise, the Slovak one, you can see how bees live there. The divine peace and harmony in the unique nature of the national park is complemented by the buzzing of bees and the babbling of a mountain stream like unique heavenly music.
Ecopiary is not focused on honey production, it shows how bees have lived in a natural way - in tree stumps, wooden beehives, or in a special hotel for solitary bees. Anyone who is not as diligent as a bee can just listen to the sounds, look and perceive the beauty of nature with all their senses. Anyone who is curious and longs for new knowledge will learn more about the life of bees, their breeding method and their importance for the entire ecosystem.
The life of bees can be observed here quite closely, but completely safely. As the author of the project, Marcel Slivka, from the former Hrabušice urban community, explains, listening to the buzzing of bees, sleeping on hives and inhaling bee air directly from the hive has healing effects for people with allergies or high blood pressure. Bees also treat many other diseases. Visitors may also expand their knowledge thanks to the information and educational boards, which contain detailed information on the life of bees. The area also includes a fireplace, the so-called api house, and a place to relax. The entire area of the ecopiary is fenced and accessible all year round.
The nearby city of Spišská Nová Ves offers an even larger selection of tourist attractions / points of interest, such as the Spiš Museum, the Spiš Artists' Gallery, and for the smaller ones of us - LaborARTorium - a gallery of experiments.
