I’d like to invite you to a brief tour of Brezno – nice small town in the heart of Slovakia where I’m living now.

Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about Brezno’s history:
“The place has been inhabited since prehistoric times, but the current town arose from an old Slovak settlement, next to which newly arrived German miners erected a typical square market in the early 13th century. The first written evidence of the town’s existence is dated 1265 when King Béla IV of Hungary issued a charter for the hunters from the area of Liptov allowing them to use woods around the settlement, known as Berezuno. The name is derived from the Slovak word “breza” for birch. In the nineteenth century Brezno was a typical almost purely Slovak town and was one of the centres of the Slovak national movement. Since Second World War it has developed into an industrial town.”
“According to the 2001 census, the town had 22,875 inhabitants.”
... and this is interesting info too: “Brezno is twinned with the French town of Meudon, Nový Bydžov in the Czech Republic and Ciechanów in Poland.”
Tour continues with some beautiful photos. Enjoy…
History

From the sky

Courthouse
Town square

Panorama

Storm
Gray Bear golf course near Brezno

Low Tatras in winter
Wikipedia's page about Brezno
Nice article at Spectacular Slovakia
Beautiful photos of the region at Hiking.sk
Map of the Upper Hron River Region
Thanks to jeanmarc for posting his region tour today. He inspired me ;)
Hope you enjoyed!
-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka






















68 comments so far
jeanmarc
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1750 posts in 595 days
posted 456 days ago
that then I to say C am imposing and splendid J hopes that the others ljs will follow L idea to show us their areas
-- jeanmarc manosque france
jeanmarc
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1750 posts in 595 days
posted 456 days ago
has when part of golf both lol
-- jeanmarc manosque france
TedM
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1839 posts in 611 days
posted 456 days ago
Beautiful, simply beautiful! As I mentioned to you before, I was lucky enough to visit Slovakia a couple of years ago. My wife and I had such a great time there. We were visiting friends in Komarno and from there we visited Bojnice, the hot springs in Ružomberok, Vlkolinec, Banska Stiavnica and of course, we drove through the Tatras. Although we didn’t visit Brezno we were pretty close at Banska Bystrica. We can’t wait to go back, if only for the duck dinners! :) Next time we’ll drop by for a visit. ;)
-- I'm a wood magician... I can turn fine lumber into firewood before your very eyes! - http://www.woodworkersguide.com
teenagewoodworker
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2470 posts in 647 days
posted 456 days ago
thats a very nice place to live! so much natural beauty and so much wood :)
Jarrod Zion Murphree
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347 posts in 602 days
posted 456 days ago
That looks like an inspiring place to live. I am so intrigued by Central Europe, as well as the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. I can’t wait to travel there.
Thanks for posting. Looks amazing. You’re a lucky guy…
Regards, JM
-- Jarrod, Taos, NM http://jzmurphree.wordpress.com/
gizmodyne
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1658 posts in 969 days
posted 456 days ago
Beautiful pictures Martin. I want to visit now.
-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne
trifern
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7890 posts in 646 days
posted 456 days ago
Breathtaking! Do you guys have an Olympic team?
-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.
Rob
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197 posts in 546 days
posted 456 days ago
Oh my goodness, you’re for Slovakia! I had no idea. ;) Looks like a nice place.
GaryK
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9496 posts in 867 days
posted 456 days ago
Ah! You can smell the history!
Great looking place to live.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
SCOTSMAN
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2229 posts in 464 days
posted 456 days ago
Very beautiful typical of Easterm European countries well preserved and friendly peole there too I have not been that far east but I lived in germany for five years and have been around Italy Venice Austria Salsburg because of my interest in Mozart etc .Thanks for hosting this site .I take my hat off to you your a reall gentleman God bless Martin and best wishes from Scotland to your your family and all my new friends here on the jock site.Alistair
-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease
Roper
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718 posts in 592 days
posted 456 days ago
you are avery lucky man to live in such a beautiful place martin. did any one elso notice how nice and clean it is there. wish our cities looked that good.
-- Roper - Master of sawdust-
Russel
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2033 posts in 818 days
posted 456 days ago
This is pretty cool, a travelogue. Jean Marc and Martin both live in very attractive places. As for me, I live in a cookie cutter suburban neighborhood, so it’s really neat to see more appealing locales.
-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.
thetimberkid
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1944 posts in 582 days
posted 456 days ago
Looks like a Beautiful place!
Thanks for the post
Callum
-- For wood working podcasts with a twist check out http://thetimberkid.com/
tenontim
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1319 posts in 623 days
posted 456 days ago
Very beautiful place to live, Martin. With such a pleasant place to live, no wonder you do such a nice job with this website. We appreciate you. I guess Zagreb is the closest I’ve gotten to your town, although it’s not as nice. And not that close. Thanks for the post.
-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com
PaBull
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292 posts in 544 days
posted 456 days ago
Thanks for sharing. I am from Holland myself came to America when i was 25 and I am getting home sick looking at your pictures.
-- http://www.twinoaksgrowers.com
dennis mitchell
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3785 posts in 1193 days
posted 456 days ago
Now that is fun. Thanks Martin
-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com
rikkor
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11338 posts in 753 days
posted 456 days ago
I really appreciate the opportunity to see the (well known) home of LumberJocks. It is really beautiful. I live in a suburb of a large metropolitan area. It is nice for many reasons, but spectacular views like you have is not one of them.
itsme_timd
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676 posts in 710 days
posted 456 days ago
What a gorgeous town, thanks for sharing!
-- Tim D. - Woodstock, GA
Karson
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25279 posts in 1279 days
posted 456 days ago
Martin: Thanks for the tour of your home town. A beautiful place. We tend to think of old around here meaning 100 yrs old. Where as in the rest of the world. There is a lot of history before we even started.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
brunob
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1465 posts in 1048 days
posted 456 days ago
Spectacular. I’d love to hike in those mountains.
-- Bruce from Central New York
Obi
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2191 posts in 1116 days
posted 456 days ago
So… which house is yours?
-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/
buli
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17 posts in 1152 days
posted 456 days ago
Great propaganda Martin. I was wondering what a nice town and then I realized that it’s Brezno :)
-- Buli, Brezno
Brad_Nailor
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1192 posts in 836 days
posted 456 days ago
Purty….like one of them there picture post cards!
-- David, South Windsor, CT "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning"
Zuki
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1219 posts in 956 days
posted 456 days ago
Thanks for sharing Martin.
-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them
Les Hastings
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948 posts in 652 days
posted 456 days ago
Ok I’m jealous Martin,,,,,,,,,Thanks for sharing your part of the world with us.
-- Les, Wichita, Ks. (I'd rather be covered in saw dust!)
Yettiman
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153 posts in 617 days
posted 456 days ago
Thanks for the post.
Have you ever visited Aqucity?
I hear it is very nice
-- Keep your tools sharp, your mind sharper and the coffee hot
Napaman
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3421 posts in 956 days
posted 456 days ago
I love the red rooves! When do the REAL TOURS start…one day I will get to EUROPE…beautiful Martin…thank you for sharing your city with us….If I get time I will try to do Napa…
-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...
motthunter
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2079 posts in 678 days
posted 456 days ago
What? you live in another country? what a scandal.. JUST KIDDING… Glad to see your town. It looks like a great place. Always nice to know a bit more about others.
-- making sawdust....
TheCaver
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292 posts in 718 days
posted 456 days ago
Interesting Martin, especially the bit about the historical ‘birch’ reference. Wonderful scenery.
I do take some slight at some of the negative comments about our own country (the US). Most people have not REALLY delved into American History enough to realize that our history is every bit as interesting and fascinating as any other country’s albiet not quite as extensive. Then again, our history runs much farther than the 200 years that schoolbook history teaches us.
I would like to suggest a favorite pastime of mine made possible by the Teaching Company. TC offers college level courses (available in audio or video so you can listen in the shop) on a WIDE variety of subjects including American and European history. I just finished a 44 hour long course on American History taught by prize winning professors in the comfort of my home and it was mind blowing. They also have some great courses on physics which I recommend too :)
Google ‘the teaching company’ (I am in no way affiliated, just a VERY happy user).
Sorry for hijacking the thread Martin!
JC
-- Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. -Carl Sagan
MsDebbieP
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14096 posts in 1039 days
posted 456 days ago
thanks for the tour Martin.
What a beautiful city.
Love the town square…
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
miles125
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1414 posts in 884 days
posted 456 days ago
Nice looking place. I love town squares!
-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""
brianinpa
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1363 posts in 602 days
posted 456 days ago
Very nice. I think I have seen some of those places on jigsaw puzzles.
-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.
Scott Bryan
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20080 posts in 701 days
posted 456 days ago
Martin,
Brezno is simply gorgeous.
Thanks for allowing us to visit with you.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
RAH
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414 posts in 756 days
posted 456 days ago
Beautiful, thanks for sharing.
-- Ron Central, CA
SteveKorz
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2030 posts in 593 days
posted 456 days ago
Wow, Martin. You are a very lucky man, this is absolutely beautiful! I think if I was over there, I would explore it all!! Thanks for the tour, and the enlightenment… it’s always nice to see other places, and meet other people.
-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †
Richforever
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335 posts in 599 days
posted 456 days ago
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful place! I love the architectural details and the cleanliness.
-- Rich, Seattle, WA
Greg3G
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770 posts in 964 days
posted 456 days ago
Stuning views Martin. I can only imagine sitting in the square on a summer evening listening to the music, drinking a nice wine with friends. It brings back great memories of the time I spent in Germany, Austria and Italy.
Thanks for reminding me. I will have to find the time to get back to Europe. I would like to take my wife and visit some of the places I went and go someplaces I couldn’t get to at the time.
-- Greg - Charles Town, WV
DAN
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6402 posts in 862 days
posted 456 days ago
what is the local hardwoods ? what else is grown in those hills ?
-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever
lazyfiremaninTN
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528 posts in 832 days
posted 456 days ago
All those beautiful pictures and none of you enjoying that wonderful corner of the world, WHY?
And no pictures of your wood working shop?
I would give my left leg to be able to go visit some of the smaller/ off the beaten path places in europe.
-- Adrian ..... The 11th Commandment...."Thou Shalt Not Buy A Wobble Dado"
ND2ELK
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6065 posts in 653 days
posted 456 days ago
Hi Martin
What a wonderful looking place you live in. I will never have an opportunity or money to visit Europe, so thank you for bringing a little part of it to us. You are blessed to live in such a beautiful country!
God Bless
tom
-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa
Grumpy
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14852 posts in 730 days
posted 456 days ago
What a wonderful part of the world you live in Martin. Somewhere to be very proud of.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
Dick, & Barb Cain
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6991 posts in 1178 days
posted 455 days ago
Thanks for the spectacular tour of your beautiful community, & countryside.
It looks like such a nice, quiet, & peaceful looking area.
It’s hard to imagine how old the buildings are, there.
The community I live in was relocated, & completely rebuilt in the early 1920s, because of the rich
iron ore deposits underneath.
We also have a lot of people from your area of Europe who came here to find work in the iron mines.
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
Sac
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236 posts in 512 days
posted 455 days ago
Beautiful town Martin.
I took the liberty to look at the other pics on your site there at phoyobucket. I was wondering Martin if you have the planes for the bookcase? , Thanks.
-- Jerry, Set in the foothills of the Smokey's
Mark Shymanski
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1549 posts in 591 days
posted 455 days ago
Thanks for the tour of your community. Great scenery and an interesting history. I like posts like this.
-- ...it's rennovation time!!!
Al Navas
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289 posts in 754 days
posted 455 days ago
Martin,
Thanks! A beautiful, spectacular, wonderful place to call home. Thanks for the wonderful mini-tour.
-- Al Navas, St Joseph, MO, http://sandal-woodsblog.com
Sawdust2
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1168 posts in 966 days
posted 455 days ago
Hey, guys. Are those Martin’s fellow conspirators on the golf course?
Don’t let NM see this post. LOL
Lee
-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.
snowdog
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806 posts in 861 days
posted 455 days ago
looks like a great place to live, which hose is yours? :)
-- "so much to learn and so little time"..
Jeff
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996 posts in 973 days
posted 455 days ago
Thanks, Martin. Very courteous of you to share. I like this idea of tours as well. I live in one of the historic districts of St. Paul and this makes me want to do such a tour.
-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN
Martin Sojka
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1385 posts in 1351 days
posted 455 days ago
Thanks for nice comments.. I’m glad you like the town ;)
I found something else for you to enjoy. It’s the latest promotional video on Slovakia – english voice by legendary Mr. Don LaFontaine (should be running on CNN and BBC soon):
The video features the following Slovak locations, or natural, sports and culturals:
Real Fairyland – how cool ;)
-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka
Dusty56
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3402 posts in 567 days
posted 455 days ago
Absolutely gorgeous setting…Did you grow up in this part of Heaven on Earth ? Thanks for sharing and making us all just a wee bit jealous ! Have a great weekend , Martin : )
-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .
MsDebbieP
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14096 posts in 1039 days
posted 455 days ago
that’s quite the video!
Fariyland, eh???? Hmmm do you need a little fairy door? I’m getting pretty good at them! :D
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
GEORGE6149
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29 posts in 476 days
posted 455 days ago
Looks like a very beautiful place. Thanks for sharing. Also thanks for LJ’s. I am a complete rookie at wood working, but I’m learning a lot from this forum. A lot of excellent wood workers who are not afraid to share their knowledge.THANKS
-- GEORGE
Todd A. Clippinger
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5590 posts in 978 days
posted 455 days ago
Martin,
I just love the post. The pictures and video are much appreciated.
One of the elements that I love so much about LJ is the diversity and that I have contact with so many people from around the world.
I really appreciate you sharing your home with us.
-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com
Lee A. Jesberger
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3709 posts in 858 days
posted 455 days ago
Hi Martin;
What can I say that hasn’t already been said.
A beautiful place to live, for sure.
I think of the fact that not long ago this long distance communication wouldn’t even have been imaginable, yet from this small town, you are able to create a worldwide family.
Bravo, Martin!
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
Bob #2
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2991 posts in 900 days
posted 454 days ago
Martin , I have been over your pics again and again and I can’t see the Golden Arches or even a hint of aTimmy’s?
What do you folks eat over there? <gd>
Nice place – lucky guy!
Bob
-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner
jude
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148 posts in 828 days
posted 454 days ago
cool! Thanks for sharing. Good skiing in Slovakia????
-- life can always be weaved into a song.
Grumpy
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14852 posts in 730 days
posted 454 days ago
Lucky you Martin. Thats some beaut scenery.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
Dave T
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89 posts in 499 days
posted 454 days ago
It’s already been said, but it looks beautiful. I loce the architecture!
scottb
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3391 posts in 1206 days
posted 454 days ago
Beautiful slice of the world you have over there. I do so miss (temporarily living and walking in) the town squares, architecture and history of Europe. Thanks for sharing!
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
toyguy
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699 posts in 716 days
posted 453 days ago
I Sure would like to tee it up at Grey Bear….... Looks like a great track.
Very nice slice of the world for sure….
-- Brian's Table Top Toys http://home.mountaincable.net/~bgraham/
Martin Sojka
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1385 posts in 1351 days
posted 451 days ago
Woo hooo.. 2 gold medals in 30mins for Slovakia in Beijing 2008 Olympic Games:
“Elena Kaliska of Slovakia continued her country’s gold streak in the Canoe/Kayak Slalom events, finishing first in the Women’s Slalom Kayak Single final on Friday, August 15. Slovakian paddlers have also captured the gold in the Men’s Canoe Single and Double events.” – read here
-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka
MsDebbieP
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14096 posts in 1039 days
posted 450 days ago
congrats to Slovakia!!! :)
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
jeanmarc
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1750 posts in 595 days
posted 450 days ago
congratulations for the sportsmen slovack
-- jeanmarc manosque france
Grumpy
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14852 posts in 730 days
posted 450 days ago
I heard the news as well, great effort.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
daltxguy
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546 posts in 793 days
posted 450 days ago
Hi Martin,
I’ve not had the pleasure of visiting Brezno ( at least I don’t think so, but we might have driven through it or near it when we drove from Vienna to Wroclaw in Poland ) but it looks very familiar. My family is from southwest of where you are in the northern part of Hungary, near the Danube.
We used to take day trips on our bicycles to Bratislava from Vienna when I lived there in the early 90’s back when it was still Checkoslovakia!
It’s a lovely spot you have there. I shall have to take you on a tour of my area here in New Zealand.
-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com
GaryCN
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174 posts in 813 days
posted 439 days ago
The closest that I have been to there is Zell Am See AT or Salzburg AT
The area is very impressive. I’m wondering how long of a drive would that be
from Munich DE to Brezno? 12 hours or less?
-- Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
CessnaPilotBarry
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1225 posts in 581 days
posted 438 days ago
A beautiful place!
-- - Please help keep Lumberjocks an enjoyable escape by refusing to participate in political discussions. Simply spit out the bait and ignore the thread...
coloradoclimber
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441 posts in 947 days
posted 438 days ago
It is indeed a beautiful place. Even the storms look cool :)