Traditional shepherding

Traditional sheep farming, transhumance, and the shepherding culture linked to seasonal sheep grazing in Slovakia are part of the broader Wallachian-shepherd culture spread throughout the Carpathians. This practice was introduced through colonisation under Wallachian law, extended across Slovakia’s mountainous regions and, in some cases, even into the lowland areas.
Carpathian sheep farming in Slovakia has developed distinctive characteristics by adapting to the country’s natural environment and historical-social conditions. It is a mountain-based sheep breeding system involving seasonal grazing across different locations and altitudes, along with the accompanying traditions and cultural expressions. A key feature of these traditional sheep farming methods is their influence on the surrounding natural environment, the specific character of the landscape and biodiversity (including the revitalisation of traditional sheep breeds), increasing the species diversity of grazed areas, and their contribution to the overall cultural landscape.
This element encompasses traditional sheep production, which involves utilising various raw materials of the sheep—not only milk but also wool, meat, and leather—and processing milk into traditional sheep products. These include lump cheese, bryndza sheep cheese, žinčica boiled in a kettle over an open fire, as well as oštiepok and parenica sheep cheese, among others, all of which are produced either directly in the shepherd’s hut or at home.
Equally significant in traditional sheep farming are its unique customs, rituals, and ethical codes of conduct among sheep farmers, as well as the material culture and shepherding artistry that distinguish traditional sheep farming and transhumance from common sheep breeding. This element also encompasses experience, skills, knowledge, and an in-depth understanding of sheep breeding, animal care, human treatment, grazing, and sheep transhumance production. The continuity of these practices is primarily maintained through intergenerational transmission within the sheep farming community.
Sheep culture and seasonal sheep grazing in Slovakia remain a significant identity-forming element of cultural heritage and continue to play a crucial role in shaping the identity of the Slovak population.