Centrum Long is a family retreat centre run by the married couple Roman and Katka Miesler in their home in the scattered hillside hamlet of Zaježová, part of the municipality of Pliešovce in the Zvolen district, in the quiet Javorie hills south-east of Zvolen. The Mieslers have been guiding dark retreats since 2013 – back then they built the first Slovak darkness hut at the nearby Vzdelávacie centrum Zaježová – and before the pandemic they set up on their own and built a new hut on their own land from their savings. It is completely blacked out, largely soundproofed and has two separate self-contained spaces, so two people can be in the dark on the same dates, each on their own. Each space has a small hallway with a shower, washbasin and flush toilet and a living room with a bed, an armchair and room for yoga or meditation.
The approach is meditative and spiritual (both guides draw on Tibetan Buddhism, Katka also on the Christian tradition and on psychological and energy techniques) with an emphasis on self-knowledge, working with the mind and emotions, and forgiveness. Guidance is optional and paid by donation; the guide comes once a day with food. Besides the standard retreat they offer a meditation or detox dark retreat, a parallel retreat for partners (each in their own space) and a combination of darkness with a solitary retreat in nature. It suits adults who want to go into the dark for at least a week out of genuine inner interest, as well as couples; the whole centre keeps a quiet regime without alcohol, tobacco and other addictive substances.
Dark retreat without meals (herbal tea in a thermos): 35 €/day
Guidance: voluntary donation
Week with meals (8 days / 7 nights): 360 €
Week without meals (8 days / 7 nights): 280 €
Both the arrival and the departure day are counted; prices valid from 1 Aug 2024.
Price includes
Accommodation in a self-contained space of the hut
Full-day vegetarian meals (in the option with meals)
Introductory talk with instructions on the day you enter the dark
Closing talk and recommendations on the last day
Pillow, duvet with cover, blanket, sleeping mat, meditation cushion, cutlery and dishes
Guidance is not included in the price – it is rewarded with a donation
Meals
included in the price, vegetarian, hot meal once a day
Muesli and apples for breakfast are always available in the hut and are topped up as needed.
Once a day, between 10:00 and 16:00, they bring a cooked meal with salad, home-made bread and herbal tea; some of the vegetables and herbs come from their own garden and the surroundings.
Diets for serious health reasons (gluten-free, dairy-free, allergies) must be reported in advance; a very complicated diet may increase the price.
A stay without meals (35 €/day, herbal tea only) needs to be discussed in advance; they do not recommend it for a first dark retreat.
Length of stay
at least a week recommended, ideally 8 days (7 nights)
The website does not state a fixed minimum; both the check-in and the departure day are counted.
The retreat can be ended at any time, but the amount paid is not refunded.
Deposit and payment
25 € for each day of the stay, within 7 days of booking
Example: stay 1–8 January = 8 days = deposit 200 €.
Payment instructions for the deposit are sent by email after you fill in the booking form.
If you do not pay the deposit on time, the date may be offered to someone else.
The balance is paid on site in cash.
Cancellation
2 months before the date: 20% of the deposit
1 month to 8 days before the date: 70% of the deposit
8 days or less before the date: 100% of the deposit
If you arrange a replacement for the same number of days, the deposit can be transferred to them.
Early departure: once you have checked in, the full price of the stay is payable and nothing is refunded if you leave early.
Health restrictions
The following must be discussed in advance (by email or phone):
Alcohol or drug addiction (current or past)
Phobias, panic and anxiety states, severe depression, use of psychiatric medication
Serious physical problems and medication that must be taken regularly
According to the booking form also: diabetes, epilepsy, nervous and mental instability, depression, high or abnormally low blood pressure, heart and vascular disease, conditions after a heart attack or surgery, respiratory diseases, pulmonary embolism, pregnancy, allergies and digestive problems
They do not recommend going into the dark to prove something to someone, or if you receive the retreat as a gift and do not really want it yourself
Other conditions
Arrival from 12:00 at the earliest; you usually enter the dark on the first day between 12:30 and 13:00; departure on the last day by 12:00 at the latest.
On the last day you come out of the dark in the morning or late morning, and you need to spend at least 4 hours in the light before leaving.
Each space is for one person only; partners can come on the same dates, but each in their own space without physical contact.
The retreat is voluntary from start to finish: the door locks and unlocks from the inside, and you can switch on the light or leave at any time.
The centre keeps a quiet regime without alcohol, tobacco and other intoxicating substances; the booking form includes a health questionnaire and a declaration of honour, and the stay is at your own risk.
Do not bring electronics, music players or musical instruments; your mobile phone should stay switched off the whole time.
Bring: comfortable and warm clothes to change into, your own towel; optionally a notebook with a paper clip, paper and crayons, sunglasses.
The lights are there to help you settle in at the beginning and to return gradually to the light at the end.
A meditation dark retreat is only possible after at least one standard retreat with guidance, and a detox one only after at least one standard retreat with meals.
The dark retreat can be combined with a solitary retreat in nature before or after it (a separate offer of the centre).
Guide
Roman Miesler and Katka Mieslerová – a married couple who have been guiding dark retreats since 2013 and have themselves spent 8–14 days in the dark every year since 2012.
Roman: more than 30 years of meditation practice (Hinduism, Advaita, Theravada, Tibetan Buddhism, elements of psychology), has led meditation courses since 2003; phone +421 907 860 168.
Katka: has guided groups and individuals for more than 20 years, and darkness and solitary retreats in nature since 2014; draws on Tibetan Buddhism, the Christian tradition and psychological-energetic cleansing techniques, works with emotions through the body, breath and visualisation; phone +421 908 489 933.
The guide comes once a day with food (even on a stay without meals they come to check you are all right); whether you talk is up to you – just say you do not need anything.
Guidance includes sharing, consultations on your own topics and specific techniques; it is paid by voluntary donation.
The retreat can also be done without guidance (indicate this in the booking form).
The website does not mention formal therapeutic training; they rely on their own practice and many years of work with people.
Information taken from the operator's website centrumlong.sk, last checked 8. 10. 2026. Prices and conditions may change; please confirm them with the operator before booking.. Texts are translated from Czech.
Getting to Centrum Long Zaježová:
Location: a hut on the grounds of a family retreat centre in a scattered hillside settlement Train: 8 km Bus: 0,5 km
Centrum Long Zaježová on the map:
Do you own this centre and would like more photos or a different description here? Contact us at info@pobytvetme.com.
Centrum Long ZaježováSKLocation: a hut on the grounds of a family retreat centre in a scattered hillside settlementTrain: 8 kmBus: 0,5 kmPrice: ≈ 1,098 Kč/night45 € per day including meals (arrival and departure days both count, 7 nights = 8 days = 360 €); without meals 35 €/day; guidance by donation
Centrum Long ZaježováSKLocation: a hut on the grounds of a family retreat centre in a scattered hillside settlementTrain: 8 kmBus: 0,5 kmPrice: ≈ 1,098 Kč/night45 € per day including meals (arrival and departure days both count, 7 nights = 8 days = 360 €); without meals 35 €/day; guidance by donation
How to book Centrum Long Zaježová
Book directly with the operator: website centrumlong.sk, phone +421 908 489 933 (Katka), +421 907 860 168 (Roman), email info@centrumlong.sk.
If they are fully booked, you can use these free dates at Léčba tmou near Kutná Hora. These are not dates of Centrum Long Zaježová, but of the centre in Lomec near Kutná Hora (Czechia):
