Slovak Village of Kralovany Doesn't See Sun in Winter

Kralovany, July 2 (TASR) – A unique feature in Slovakia, the village of Kralovany (Zilina region) doesn’t see sunlight for a good part of winter each year, being hunched in the shade of a steep hill called Kralovianska kopa [‘Kralovany Mound’], TASR learnt on Sunday.

Sun hides itself behind the ‘mound’ in late November and doesn’t reappear before late in January, and even that only on some locations for just a few minutes.

“Such short moments are able to help and one is animated immediately. Sure, living in a several-week shadow doesn’t boost anyone’s mental state, but the locals have already got accustomed,” Kralovany mayor Milos Had told TASR.

Far more fame for similar reasons is enjoyed worldwide by the Norwegian village of Rjukan, which is without sunlight for as many as six months a year.

“We’d like to approach the Norwegian municipality of Rjukan and establish cooperation with it. We’d like to go there, or they could come over here. We have something in common, so we certainly would find a common ground,” said Had, adding that there’s a village with a similar problem in Italy as well.

People in Kralovany would welcome any advice how to tackle the winter dark. A few years ago, Rjukan made headlines in the world press after installing giant mountaintop computer-operated mirrors to reflect sunshine directly into the town.

“It cost some €650,000. Such a solution is unrealistic for us, however,” shrugged the Kralovany mayor.