A memorial plaque marks the birthplace of the poet Ivan Krasko in Lukovištia. The house is privately occupied. In the public square in front of it is Ivan Krasko Park, maintained by the municipality. Krasko’s life and work form a clear cultural focus for the village, as further memorials also demonstrate.
Memorial sites associated with Ivan Krasko
Since 2008, Lukovištia has had a second memorial room dedicated to Ivan Krasko. A bust of the poet stands on a plinth in front of the former school, which closed in 2002. The bronze monument “Topole” by Alina Ferdinandy stands above his grave. The plaque on his birthplace, the park, the memorial room, the bust and the grave monument commemorate Krasko in different ways.
Location at the foot of Bankov and a challenging cycling route
Lukovištia lies at the foot of 438-metre-high Bankov in the Revúcka vrchovina. The main road leads from the valley of Rimavská Baňa to Lukovištia and continues around Bankov to Drienčany and Teplý Vrch.
A cycling route also passes through Lukovištia: the Teplý Vrch–Maginhrad route follows paved roads and field tracks in the pleasant shade of the surrounding forest. It is challenging. If you are considering making cycling the main focus of your trip, take this into account when planning your day; the route offers a different kind of experience from visiting the Krasko memorial sites or exploring the church architecture.
Evangelical church and local history
The Evangelical church stands in the centre of the village. The Baroque-Classical building dates from 1794 and has a painted wooden coffered ceiling. Its furnishings also include a wooden Baroque choir loft from the late 18th century and a Classical organ with richly polychrome carved wooden decoration. The church was completely restored in 2010 and continues to serve its intended purpose. For those interested in culture, it offers a focus in its own right: its architectural style and furnishings provide a different emphasis from the memorial sites associated with Krasko.
The area’s history was preceded in the 13th century by the mining colonisation of Malohont. Lukovištia later became a centre of tanning. The Malohont tanners’ guild was active there continuously from 1640 until the 1870s. Another cultural trace leads to colonists from the former Republic of Genoa, in what is now Liguria. Traditional Italian family names, as well as the names of fields, forests and hills, preserve clues to this settlement history.
Community Day and local culture
Community Day is traditionally held in July, Ivan Krasko’s birth month. At Community Day 2024, local lace-makers performed a play featuring light-hearted episodes from the lives of Lukovištia residents. The event thus combines lace-making with a community performance. If you would like to plan your trip around Community Day, check the date for the relevant year.
Discover more destinations: Jestice, Drienčany, Cakov, Gemerské Dechtáre, Lipovec, Kráľ, Širkovce, Krokava
View the wider travel overview: Okres Rimavská Sobota.
