Roofing in Slovakia

Slovakia is a mountainous, forested country in the western Carpathians, and its traditional roofs were overwhelmingly of wood. Log houses in mountain villages were covered with hand-split wooden shingles, as were the wooden churches of the east, eight of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Climate and hazards

Slovakia has cold, snowy winters in the Tatras and other ranges and warmer conditions in the Danube lowlands. Snow load, frost and wind-driven rain are the main concerns, and fire was historically the main threat to timber villages: a row of houses at Vlkolínec destroyed by fire in the Second World War was never rebuilt.

Roofing history

Vlkolínec, near Ružomberok, illustrates the long continuity of Slovak timber building. The settlement's roots go back to the 10th century, it was first recorded in the late 14th century, and by 1469 it had five streets. Most of its surviving buildings date from the late 19th century: log houses on narrow lots, with stone foundations and clay-covered walls painted white or blue, and stables, barns and outbuildings behind. A bell tower was built in 1770. The village was declared a reservation of folk architecture in 1977.

Wooden shingles were common because timber was readily available and shingles were practical: the roofs were light, insulated well and were easy to repair, since damaged pieces could be replaced one at a time. Shingle roofs have since largely been replaced by modern coverings, but they are still used on historic buildings, in open-air museums and in conservation areas.

In the east, wooden churches of several denominations were built between the 16th and 18th centuries. The eight churches inscribed by UNESCO as the Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area include two Roman Catholic, three Protestant and three described by UNESCO as Greek Orthodox; the Protestant churches reflect a period of religious tolerance in Upper Hungary during the 17th-century anti-Habsburg uprisings.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Drevený šindeľ (wooden shingle): mostly spruce or larch, split by hand along the grain so that the wood's fibres stay intact and resist moisture and warping. With proper care, shingles could last several decades, weathering to a grey patina.
• Log-house roofs: shingle roofs over log houses, as preserved at Vlkolínec.
• Church roofs: timber roofs and towers on the wooden churches of the Carpathians. See wooden tserkva roofs.

Roofing today

Shingle roofs survive mainly in heritage settings.

Codes, standards and regulation

The Slovak roof design standard is STN 73 1901, published by the Slovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing; it carries the same number as the Czech roof design standard ČSN 73 1901. As an EU member, Slovakia applies the Eurocodes, including Eurocode 1, Part 1-3 for snow loads.

Notable roofs

• Vlkolínec (UNESCO World Heritage Site), with about 45 log buildings forming a remarkably intact settlement.
• Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area (UNESCO), eight churches of the 16th-18th centuries.

Local roofing terms

• drevený šindeľ - wooden shingle

Sources and gaps

Current market data and information on named manufacturers: published information is limited.