Orava (region)

Orava Castle (Slovak: Oravský hrad, German: Arwaburg, Hungarian: Árva vára) is a castle situated on a high rock above Orava river in the village of Oravský Podzámok, Slovakia. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful castles in Slovakia. The castle was built in the Kingdom of Hungary, with the oldest parts being built in the thirteenth century and the most recent parts in the early seventeenth century. Many scenes of the 1922 film Nosferatu were filmed here, the castle representing Count Orlok's Transylvanian castle.Orava Castle stands on the site of an old wooden fortification, built after the Mongol invasion of Hungary of 1241. Its history follows a familiar pattern of construction, destruction, reconstruction, fire, various ownerships and territorial squabbles. The original design was in Romanesque and Gothic style; it was later reconstructed as a Renaissance and Neo-Gothic structure, hugging the shape of the 520-metre spur on which it perches. The mining magnate Thurzo family, who took charge in the mid-16th century, were responsible for a great deal of rebuilding work, although its present form was not finalised until 1611. It burned down again in 1800, after which it was no longer used as a residence. After a period of dilapidation dating until World War II, the castle became a national monument.

Oravský Podzámok (Hungarian: Árvaváralja) is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Zilina Region of northern Slovakia. Orava Castle is located in the village. The village is located at 508 m (1677 ft) and has a population of 1331 inhabitants.Factory OFZ, Istebné, the largest Slovak producer of ferroalloys, is located in Oravský Podzámok.

Medzibrodie nad Oravou (Hungarian: Medzibrogy) is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. It stands at 549 m (1801 ft) and has a population of 475.

The Orava Magura (Slovak: Oravská Magura, Hungarian: Árvai-Magura) is a mountain range in the Žilina Region of northern central Slovakia. The range is part of the Central Beskids, which are themselves part of the Outer Western Carpathians. The Orava Magura is a sandstone massif, densely forested, with primarily spruce and beech, with cultivated birch and hazel. The highest peak of the range is Minčol, 1394 meters, along with Paráč (1325 meters), Budín (1222 meters), and some others. The most important tourist resorts include Tvrdošín, Zázrivá, and Dolný Kubín which are often visited during Slovakia's summer. The region is also home to the Horná Orava Protected Landscape Area.

Horná Lehota (Hungarian: Felsőlehota) is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.

Bziny (Hungarian: Bezine) is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Zilina Region of northern Slovakia.

Pucov (Hungarian: Pucó) is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Zilina Region of northern Slovakia. It is situated at 579 m (1900 ft) and has about 739 inhabitants.

Hruštín (Hungarian: Hrustin) is a village and municipality in Námestovo District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.

Pribiš (Hungarian: Pribis) is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Zilina Region of northern Slovakia.

Árva County (Hungarian: Árva vármegye, Latin: Comitatus Arvensis, Slovak: Oravská stolica/župa, German: Komitat Arwa, Polish: Komitat Orawa) was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary since the 14th century until 1920. Its territory is now in northern Slovakia and southern Poland. Today, the Slovak name is only used as an informal designation of the corresponding territory (see Orava region).

Pokryváč (Hungarian: Pokrivács) is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.

Sedliacka Dubová (Hungarian: Parasztdubova) is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. It is situated at 594 m (1949 ft) and has about 513 inhabitants.Peter Colotka, who was the prime minister of the Slovak Socialist Republic from 1969 to 1988, was a native of the village.