Rudník combines a long tradition of basket weaving with a nature trail that starts in the town centre and leads to Poriadie railway station. There are also practical ways to explore the surrounding area: cycling routes lead to nearby communities and natural, cultural and historical landmarks, while regular bus services run to Myjava, Stará Turá and Vaďovce. You can plan your time around crafts, history and trails in the Myjava Hills.

Willow Weaving and Local History

Basket weaving has a long tradition in Rudník. To this day, a company there processes willow and makes willow products. If you are interested in traditional crafts, the transition from the town’s long history to its continuing willow processing is a distinctive way to get to know Rudník.

At the 2015 edition of Nevšedné podoby prútia, visitors discovered new weaving techniques and tools, learned more about harvesting and preparing willow rods, and exchanged experiences. For anyone interested in crafts, the event offers a glimpse of different stages of the work, from preparing the raw material to the weaving techniques and tools.

Rudník was first mentioned in writing in 1661. Historical trades in Rudník included blacksmithing, milling, the production of vegetable oil (záboje), weaving, embroidery, lace-making and the manufacture of wooden products. This mix of metalworking, milling, textile work and woodworking places basket weaving within a broader picture of local craft and production history.

Nature Trail and Cycling Routes

The NCH Poriadie–Rudník nature trail is 2.284 km long and has three information stops about the nature, fauna and flora of the Myjava Hills. It starts in the centre of Rudník, heads north through the Skalky forest and ends at Poriadie railway station. The nature trail towards Stará Myjava begins there.

Cycling offers a different focus: routes lead from Rudník to nearby communities and to natural, cultural and historical landmarks. Cyclists also use local roads connecting the surrounding communities. Unlike the precisely described nature trail, cycling routes are best chosen with the surrounding destinations and connected road network in mind.

Hamlets and Getting There

Rudník stretches across numerous hamlets and kopanitse on the slopes and in the valleys of the Myjava Hills in the White Carpathians. The area can therefore be understood on two levels: as a dispersed settlement landscape and as part of the larger hill country.

Rudník has regular bus services to Myjava, Stará Turá and Vaďovce. There is no railway service in the village; the nearest railway stations are in Poriadie and Myjava. Poriadie is a useful point of reference: the nature trail ends at its railway station, and Poriadie is also one of the nearest stations to Rudník. Myjava also features in two ways—as a bus destination and as the location of one of the nearest railway stations. Check the timetables for your travel dates if you plan to use a bus service or a station in Poriadie or Myjava to get there.

Discover more destinations: Kostolné, Polianka, Priepasné, Jablonka, Vrbovce, Poriadie, Lúka, Košariská

For the broader travel overview: Myjava.