Historic village calls for Unesco status to be revoked after tourist influx
Tourists overwhelm village as locals call for Unesco World Heritage status to be removed
- Residents of Vlkolínec, a medieval Slovakian village, are calling for its UNESCO World Heritage status to be revoked due to an overwhelming influx of tourists.
- The village, listed since 1993, attracts up to 100,000 visitors annually to its 45 painted buildings in the Carpathian mountains.
- Locals, now numbering fewer than 20 permanent residents, describe the situation as a 'living nightmare,' with tourists intruding on private gardens and homes.
- Strict UNESCO preservation rules are cited as compromising their traditional lifestyle, preventing them from raising pets or cultivating crops.
- UNESCO acknowledges the village's vulnerability to tourism impacts, noting interference with inhabitants' daily lives and the increase of temporary residents.