The history of the Magurka Chalet dates back to the interwar period.
In 1938, the Czechoslovak Tourist Club mentioned Úfnosť Chalet (meaning ‘hope’), today´s Magurka Chalet, in the Magurka settlement. Back then, the chalet was owned by the Slovak Tourist Club in Ružomberok. For many years it served as an important stop on the ridge route of the Low Tatras mountains, and it was known as a popular destination for the Liptov region. However, after the Velvet Revolution (1989), the once popular and frequently visited chalet was left to a sad fate. For a while, it even looked like it might be shut for good. In the post-revolutionary period, the chalet fell into private ownership. Gradually, it fell into disrepair and for many years it remained closed to the public. Fortunately, in 2008 a new owner came around, and in 2009 the chalet was reopened to the public after extensive renovation.
The Magurka settlement is located at an altitude of 1,050 meters above sea level, which makes it the highest settlement in Slovakia situated right below the main ridge of the Low Tatras mountains, to the north of the Ďurková Saddle (Sedlo Ďurková). It was founded by miners in the thirteenth century. Over the years, it grew in importance in the whole Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, as gold deposits and other ore elements were found in the area. In the mineralogical collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, a unique sample of gold from Magurka is preserved. At a museum in Budapest, there is a huge piece that contains 8 kilograms of pure gold. The gold production reached its peak right before the First World War with 25 kilograms of gold extracted per year. At that time, about 400 people, including children and women, worked in mining and processing. After the war, the gold mining production experienced a rapid decline. The cable railway, steel poles and mining equipment were removed from Magurka and ended up in the scrap yard in Podbrezová village (in the region of Banská Bystrica). Consequently, the population density dwindled, as only a small proportion of the conscripted men returned to Magurka.
The gold mining industry in Magurka began in 1250. At that time, the Magurka settlement was a privately-owned property. Later, its ownership was transferred to the municipality of Partizánska Ľupča, and so the gold mined in the region became the property of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (1867-1918). During the reign of Maria Theresa (1740-1780), the whole gold mining industry was in the hands of the state, with the exception of three mines that remained in the ownership of Partizánska Ľupča. In 1835, two new mining shafts were opened – the Ritterstein shaft and the Kilián shaft – and another one followed in 1848 (the Russeger shaft). At first, the gold was extracted manually using the traditional methods of panning and sluicing, which were later replaced by machinery.
In 1860, the first houses were built in Magurka, and by 1888, there were already 250 miners working here. In the same year, antimony was discovered here.
At the time, the annual mining production of gold as well as that of silver was estimated at ten to eleven kilograms and the annual production of antimony reached 3,000 to 4,000 cubic metres. Of all the shafts in Magurka, the longest one was the Kilián shaft, being 3,000 metres long, followed by the Russeger shaft, being 1,600 metres long, and the Ritterstein shaft, being 1,400 metres long. The extracted products were then transported to Ružomberok. Later, an underground cable railway was built to connect the entry from the surface to the underground mine. This lengthy process, however, increased the production costs that were now higher than the mining revenue. This led to a definitive stop of the mining activities in Magurka in 1923. Thus, the machinery was transported to the mining town of Banská Štiavnica, and the former mining buildings were sold off. As a result, only a few families remained living in Magurka.
In 1928, there were only twenty houses in Magurka and the population was estimated at seventy-five inhabitants. The mining activities, however, have left an important heritage treasure (a mining church) in Magurka. In the church tower, there is a large rattle that has been preserved to the present day. In the past, the rattle was primarily used to call the miners to work and announce the end of the shift.