Važec (German: Waagsdorf or Weißwaag; Hungarian: Vázsec or Vágfalva) is a village and municipality in Liptovský Mikuláš District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia, at the foot of Kriváň in the High Tatras mountains, Slovakia's symbolic and often considered most beautiful mountain.

History

In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1280. Jaroslav Augusta painted a number of watercolors of this village. Before the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, Važec was part of Liptó County within the Kingdom of Hungary. From 1939 to 1945, it was part of the Slovak Republic. On 29 January 1945, the Red Army and the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps entered Važec and it was once again part of Czechoslovakia.

Fire of 1931

464 of the village's 582 homes were destroyed by fire July 17–18, 1931. The fire killed 6 persons and injured 18 others, resulted in the loss of hundreds of heads of stock, and produced damages estimated at $1 million in 1931 dollars. The fire originated from three different points, raising suspicion of incendiarism.

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  German Military Cemetery in Važec
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  German Military Cemetery in Važec

Geography

The municipality lies at an altitude of 792 metres and covers an area of 59.685 km. It has a population of about 2,400 people.