Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Marian Hubinsky

Trenčín Castle was built in the 10th century. Since 11th century it was the royal castle, which not only withstood Tatar invasions, but also served as a fortress against the Turks. It was gradually rebuilt and expanded, but the castle burnt down in 1790. Its reconstruction began just after 1945.

Trenčín Castle is accessible all year-round except for Mondays. You can get there directly from the city centre by following the street leading from the main city’s square (Mierové námestie). The castle is nicely illuminated at night.

Various events are held on the castle during the summer, such as folk exhibitions, fencing tournaments, live music concerts and more. One part of the castle serves as a gallery where you can see oil paintings of local nobility, emblems and seals.

The biggest attraction of the castle is 80 metres deep well, called Well of Love. The well is excavated into the hard rock and it is said that the well was built by Turkish Omar Pasha. Stephen Zápoľský held in captivity a beautiful girl Fatima, loved by Omar, and Zápoľský promised him that if he sink a well at the castle, he will let her go. The works lasted three years and then Fatima and Omar could really leave the castle.

In Trenčín you can also find many other historical sites. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Slovakia and certainly worth a visit.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Janos Korom Dr.

I am talking about Vlkolínec, which is now a part of the city of Ružomberok. It lies at an altitude of 718 m in Revúca Valley, south of the rocky mountain massif Sidorovo, also called Žiar (1099 m asl), which belongs to the mountains of Veľká Fatra.

Vlkolínec is in fact a reservation of folk architecture, a kind of outdoor museum of medieval village with wooden houses, that are typical for the mountain areas. This is the best preserved, most complete and most original collection of folk buildings in the Slovak Republic, spreading on an area of ​​797 hectares.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Janos Korom Dr.

Archaeological findings confirm the existence of a fort on the hill Sidorovo already 2,500 years ago. The name of the village is supposedly derived from the ancient presence of wolves in the area (these animals can be still seen here). The first written mention of Vlkolínec dates from 1376, where is mentioned as one of the streets of Ružomberok. Originally, there were just a few houses, although the number of houses and population gradually increased.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Janos Korom Dr.

At present, there are 73 listed buildings, 55 residential houses. Of these, 18 are now permanently settled with 35 inhabitants. Owners of other houses are here just seasonally. Everything is built of wood, including a local landmark – a two-storey wooden belfry from 1770.

Interesting is also a timbered well from 1860, previously the only source of drinking water for the whole village. One of the few brick buildings is a local Classicist-Baroque Church from 1875. Also the local cemetery is worth a visit.

The whole complex is rare also due to the fact that it was not affected by any new constructions. Already in 1977 the village of Vlkolínec was declared the Reservation of Folk Architecture Monuments, and in 1993 inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Prešov features Observatory and Planetarium where you can enjoy a variety of audio-visual programs, lectures, video projections, exhibitions, but also observing the evening sky with a telescope.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Janos Korom Dr.

Prešov region was already inhabited in prehistoric times. Settlements have been here already at the time of the Roman Empire. Slavs migrated here in the 6th century. The first written document about the city dating back to 1247, and in 1347 Prešov was a free royal city. During this period, the major trade routes crossed here, so the city grew up. Its first decline came around the 16th to 17th centuries. Further development of the city came with the establishment of Czechoslovakia.

The historic city centre is a national cultural monument, where are situated all architectural landmarks of Prešov. The most significant historical landmark of Prešov is undoubtedly the Church of St. Nicholas, which is also the oldest and only surviving Gothic building in the city. During the 18th century, its interior was completed with several Baroque fragments.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Janos Korom Dr.

Neptune Fountain is the only surviving original urban tank. It has a statue of Neptune with a trident, surrounded by sea creatures, whose author is a stonemason and sculptor from Košice – Vincet Staviarský (1784 – 1847). The statue of Neptune was ordered in the early 19th century by Jewish businessman Mark Holländer as an expression of gratitude for the city council allowed him to settle and do business in Prešov.

If you spend more than just a day in Prešov, you can visit Sigord, which is the best known holiday resort and a good starting point for hikes in Prešov surroundings. Not far from Prešov, you can also visit extensive ruins of Šariš Castle, which is one of the largest Slovak castles.

Prešov is also a birthplace of many famous Slovak singers and bands, like Ivan Tásler (I.M.T. Smile), Katka Knechtová (Peha), Peter Nagy, Chiki Liki Tu-a, Komajota and others.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Janos Korom Dr.

The largest and most visited monument and landmark of the city is Nitra castle (Nitriansky hrad) built on a rocky hill over the Nitra river. It is a huge building and was the seat of many princes and bishops. Today, visitors can admire its newer form, because it has undergone frequent repairs, the last of which changed its look to a Renaissance-Baroque style. Nitra castle contains of the cathedral, the episcopal residence and a system of fortifications. The interior is full of paintings from the 18th century, there are also the tombs of bishops, marble altar and baptismal font. Nitra Castle is currently the seat of the bishop’s residence and the Archaeological Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences.

The so-called Lower Town (Dolné mesto) is now a lively center of Nitra. From the Theatre of Andrej Bagar which is located at Svätopluk’s Square leads the pedestrian zone. You can find here also a Romanesque St. Stephen’s Church from the 12th century, the Baroque Piarist monastery and the church of St Ladislav from the 18th century. On the hill in the southern part of the city you can walk up to Nitra’s Calvary and enjoy a nice view of the Old city.

Botanical Garden in Nitra is currently a place of Slovak University of Agriculture and its competence is a research and cultural-educational activities. The garden was founded in 1982 as a facility of the Agricultural University in Nitra. The actual area of ​​the Botanical Garden has an irregular shape in the middle of which is an artificial lake and several walking paths.

It boasts over 6,400 kinds of tropical plants. There are over 2,000 botanical species and 3,000 orchids, which come from all tropical regions of the world.

Besides the major attractions and institutions in the city like Nitra’s Public Gallery, museum of Nitra, Slovak Agricultural Museum, and others, tourists can also visit many places in the neighbourhood. Nitra is also the starting point for the tours around Ponitrie Protected Landscape Area, where is the network of marked hiking trails.

Directly from Nitra you can take the first part of cognitive Zobor pavement with 8 stops with a length of almost 4 km. The trail leads along the ruins of Zobor castle, Svorad’s cave and spring, which proves the presence of St. Svorad in this area.

In almost all parts of Nitra and its surroundings you will find a wide range of accommodation.

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During the reign of Hungarian kings Kremnica was a free royal mining town. Gold and silver were mined here from the 10th century. Kremnica ducats – one of the most valuable coins in Europe were minted here, as well as Czechoslovak and then Slovak coins, but also for many countries around the world.

Mint in Kremnica is significant because it works continuously since its founding in the 14th century until today, as the only one in the world. Mint in Kremnica offers its visitors the opportunity to see the interesting exhibits of coins, and walk through the old mint from 1881-1889. There is a preserved area with part of the historical plant and machinery.

Mint in Kremnica is open from Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 16:00. And on Saturday from 9:00 to 11:30.

Admission for adults is € 2.66 and € 1.49 for children. Museum of coins and medals is managed by the Slovak National Bank

Other sights in Kremnica
Kremnica is really rich in historical monuments. The dominant feature of the town is Kremnica Castle from the 13th century and its defensive system. There you can see also St. Catherine Castle from the mid 15th century, Charnel of St. Andrew from the 13th century (Romanesque rotunda with preserved charnel-house) and a small clock tower from the 14th century.

Since 1970, the castle complex is a national cultural monument. Also noteworthy is the Town Hall of 14th century, Mining bastion, the Immaculata sculpture from the years 1760 – 1765, town house dating back to 1441 and the Roman – Catholic parish from the 14th century.

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In the town of Bardejov there are lots of historical monuments.

Major attractions include the Gothic parish church of St. Egidius from the 14th century. In the middle of the square there is the former Town Hall built in Gothic Renaissance style in 1511. Today it is a museum. In 1903 Saris Museum was founded there, where you can see numerous historical, natural and ethnographic exhibitions, and even the museum of icons.

We recommended to visit also a local spa together with the open-air Museum of Slovak village. Bardejov Town is on UNESCO World Heritage List since 2005. Today Bardejov has around 33000 inhabitants.

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The history of Banská Štiavnica has deep roots. Precious metals were mined here as early as ancient times, when Celts settled the area. The first written evidence of mining dates back to 1217. In 1238 Banská Štiavnica got the privilege of royal city, and already at that time there were two basilicas. From then until the 18th century the city and surrounding areas belonged to the most productive mining areas of silver and gold in Europe. The peak was reached in 1690, when it produced a total of 29 tons of silver and 605 kg of gold. Similar results also brought the year 1740 with 23 tons of silver and 600 kg of gold. However the worst years were 1442-43, when the city was attacked by troops of Bishop Šimon Rozgoň and was also damaged by a strong earthquake.

The city centre is full of churches and public buildings, but also rich houses of miners, merchants and craftsmen. Urban protected area, the original historic core of the city, now includes 360 buildings. Major attractions include the Plaza of St. Trinity with the plague column, rich townsmen houses, town hall and the church of St. Catherine, Kammerhof, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Old and New Castle, Piargská gateway etc.

In addition to architecture and culture Banská Štiavnica was a place of developing science, technology and education. In 1762 there was established Mining Academy, which became the first technically-oriented school in the world. To the mining was later added also forestry. Academy Buildings have been preserved until today.

Traces of mining we can find also in the surrounding countryside. There arose an interesting system of artificial lakes and canals used for drainage down and moving various devices. About 60 water tanks are now used primarily for recreation. Although ponds were created artificially, they fit remarkably well into the landscape. The surrounding Štiavnica Hills offer many interesting and outstanding tours with rich flora and fauna.

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It was back in the 12th century when the Bojnice Castle was first constructed. Back then it was nothing more than a wooden fort. However, within the next century, the wood would be replaced by stone. And in 1302 the first private owner, Máté Csák, with take control of the castle after it was given to him by none other than King Ladislaus V of Hungary. A century later it would be reverted back to King Matthias Corvinus later bequeathed to his illegitimate son.

Bojnice castle, Slovakia by Krondol

After the death of King Matthias the castle and all of the lands were sold to the Zapolya before finally falling under control of the wealthy Thurzos family back in 1528. It was under the control of the Thurzos family that Bojnice Castle, as well as many castles throughout Slovakia were reconstructed for the very first time. However, the current reincarnation of this picturesque castle can only be accredited to John Palffy, who completely reconstructed the castle back at the end of the 19th century.

Inspired by the beautiful castles of France, John Palffy undertook the passionate reconstruction of the Bojnice Castle. Every single aspect of the reconstruction was overseen by John and by 1908, when the construction was finally completed, the Bojnice Castle became one of the most beautiful castles in all of Slovakia; possibly the world. Over the centuries, the Bojnice Castle has been the inspiration of countless storybooks and fairytales.

Castle Bojnice, Slovakia by Pufacz

John Palffy’s heirs fought over control of the castle and much of its contents, and as a result much of the historic works that were once contained within the walls of the castle, were either destroyed or sold off. The property and all the surrounding land was then transferred to Ján Baťa in 1939 before being confiscated by the government of Czechoslovakia back in 1945.

It was while the Castle was under Czechoslovakia control back in 1950, that much of the castle was destroyed as a result of a huge fire. It was then that it was decided that the Bojnice Castle was to be restored to its previous glory and turned into a museum which was specialized in housing and presenting documents and other collections of the region.

On account of its beautiful and charming design, it is often considered to be a true fairytale castle. As a result it has been featured in countless movies over the last couple of decades and is also home to the annual Castle Fairytale Festival as well as the International Festival of Ghosts and Spirits. Today more than a quarter of 1 million people visit the Bojnice Castle every single year.

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The city of Banská Bystrica can be found situated along the banks of the Hron River. It was back during the Middle Ages when the city was first established and things to its ideal location along the banks of the river, it quickly flourished as an important trading point within the nation. And while trade provide an important part of the economy in Banská Bystrica, the city is most well-known for its mining industry; of which it is considered to be one of the richest mining towns in Slovakia.

Banská Bystrica main square, Slovakia by GSouthFace

Back in the early years of Banská Bystrica’s existence, its number one product was that of copper that was pulled on the ground in mines that are found throughout the surrounding countryside. However, as time went on the copper eventually dried up and as a result was replaced with the processing of both iron and the clear cutting of the surrounding forest.

However, for those living in Slovakia, the city of Banská Bystrica played an important part of the nation’s history on account of the fact that it was the centre of the 1944 Slovak National Uprising against Nazi Germany. It is also home to the Yugoslav Partisan War which occurred the following year. In order to immortalize the Slovak National Uprising, in the centre of town one will find a Monument as well as an open air museum dedicated to the Slovak National Uprising.

Of course there are countless other monuments which can be found throughout the city of Banská Bystrica. The best way to see everything that the city has to offer courses on foot. There is the beautiful Clocktower (Hodinová veža) which was built back in 1552 as well as the Thurzov house which is home to the popular Central Slovakia museum dedicated to the people and nature of central Slovakia. Of course the oldest landmark in Banská Bystrica is that of the Romanesque Church of the Virgin Mary which was constructed back in 1255.

Banská Bystrica, Slovakia by Civertan

Perhaps one of the most popular attractions in the city is the old town hall which is known as Stará radnica. It is here where the Praetorium tower was built back in 1500. For anyone choosing to visit the city there is a historical train that runs in or around downtown area which is known as the Praetorium Mini-train.

Once you are in Banská Bystrica, you could also pay a visit to nearby village of Špania dolina, which is well hidden among the surrounding mountains and offers great atmosphere of typical Slovak historic village. Banská Bystrica is situated at the foothills of Low Tatras and Veľká Fatra National Parks and therefore offers lots of hiking possibilities during the summer months as well as some of the best skiing opportunities in winter. One of the most popular is known as Donovaly, which is also one of the biggest and best equipped skiing areas in Slovakia.

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The Castle itself was originally built back in 1320. And although a number of additions have been added over the years, the original courtyard which can be found in the upper part of the Castle is the most well preserved part of the original construction.

Krasna horka castle, Slovakia by Janos Korom Dr.

During the times of the Turkish threat to Slovakia, several fortifications were added to the Castle including three canon bastions as well as a terrace. Then again in the 18th century, when the Chapel of Nativity of the Virgin Mary was constructed within the castle grounds, one of the canon bastions were also reconstructed.

Today Krásna Hôrka Castle is home to the Slovak National Museum which is dedicated to not just history but also the development of the Castle over the centuries. Anyone who chooses to visit the Castle will see just how rich and colourful history of the area actually is. There are sections of the Castle that are dedicated to the various aristocrats and owners of the property since the castle was first built back in the early 14th century.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the Krásna Hôrka Castle is its amazing collection of arms. There are countless medieval weapons exhibits which can be seen within the museum. There are also several modern weapons as well. One of the most popular attractions in this section of the museum are a pair of bronze cannons, which were built back in 1547.

Entrance to Krasna Horka Castle, Slovakia by Bubamara

Upon entering into the Krásna Hôrka Castle, many people will notice the medieval style catapult which is situated near the front gate. This catapult was built in the late 20th century and is used every single year during the annual Castle Games. Just outside the nearby village of Krásnohorské Podhradie, you will also find a Muslim, which contains the sarcophagi of two members of the Andrássy family who are one of the most popular and famous owners of the Castle.

The castle was damaged by fire in 2012, therefore it is still closed and you will only be able to see it from outside. However you can already plan your visit for next year, when the reconstruction works are planned to be finished or you can also visit other attractions in its neighbourhood such as Betliar Manor House, Jasovská Cave, Domica Cave or hike through Zádieslká tiesňava Canyon.

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