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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The river Arno flows through Florence and the bridges connect its banks in the narrowest point probably since Etruscan times. In ancient times Florence was situated on an important route the Via Cassia connecting Rome with the main cities of the north. Bridges were the only way to get across the river Arno. However due to flooding they had to be frequently renewed, but did not survive anyway and were torn down by floods completely. The present bridge was built in 1345 and Florentines gave it the name of the Ponte Vecchio, which means “old bridge”. They wanted to distinguish it from another one – Ponte alla Carraio. Although this bridge is much older (built in 1218), they already called it the Ponte Nuovo, the “new bridge”.

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Ponte Vecchio was built by an architect Neri di Fioravante, who created an elegant building with three arches. Today, the Ponte Vecchio is also known as “The bridge of jewelers” because on its both sides you can find plenty of shops and boutiques, mostly jewelry. The first shops were open here in the 13th century, but originally there were fish traders, tanners and butchers. The river served them as an excellent dump. Above the second arch, in the middle of the bridge was therefore a small space available, through which they could throw garbage straight into the river. Fortunately this free space does not serve to its original purpose any more, but it allows a nice view of the river and other neighbouring bridges.

In 1593 Grand Duke Ferdinando I. kicked all the existing traders off the bridge and replaced them with jewellers and goldsmiths. About 50 of them settled in wooden shops and thanks to them the bridge got its distinctive character. Above the shops there is a Vasari Corridor which was built in 1564 by order of Grand Duke Cosimo I, who wanted to have sheltered and safe walkway from Palazzo Vecchio square to Palazzo Pitti. In the middle of the bridge you can see a bust of one of the most famous Florentine goldsmith, Benvenuto Cellini (1500 – 1571), created in 1900 by sculptor Raffaello Romanelli.

Ponte Vecchio can boast the title of one of the most famous symbols of Florence or the most beautiful bridge in the world.

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Hochosterwitz castle is very old. It was first mentioned as early as the 860th. The castle was heavily damaged by frequent incursions of Turkish troops at the turn of the 16th and 17th century. In 1541 it was a site of of Emperor Ferdinand I. Later in 1571, it was bought by Baron George Khevenhüller. Since then the owners of the castle is still the Khevenhüller family. Under their rule in 1570-1586 the castle was extended to large fortification system, which was at that time quite unique in its scope.

The access road is over 600 meters long and you have to pass through 14 gates. According to the legend, Hochosterwitz castle has never been conquered. Inside the castle there is a chapel with wall paintings or the tank of water 13 meters deep. In the interior there is a museum exhibition and a restaurant.

Hochosterwitz castle is privately owned but it is open to the public in the period from Easter to October.

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Domaša lake / P.matel

Optimal climate and water temperature of around 23 °C provide pleasant swimming in clean water from June through mid September. Domaša is ideal for lovers of water sports and recreation. Its shores are lined with nice hills and ridges, which offer a unique scenery and a nice view of the water surface.

Its right western side is forested, which creates a paradise for mushroom pickers, hunters and lovers of long walks.

Water surface and its shores are characterized by variety of waterfowl. You can see the black stork, bitterns, plovers, various species of ducks, swans, herons, raptors from the kite, white-tailed eagle and others.

Fishermen will find a beautiful, quiet nooks, with the possibility of hunting different types of fish – carp, perch, pike, ache, catfish, bream, eel, chub. Rich fishing is also provided by a buffer tank adjacent to small towns of Malá Domaša and Slovenská Kajňa.

If you will be looking for an accommodation, there are several hotels, pensions, cottage resorts or campings around the lake. The best time to visit Domaša is, of course, the summer, when several summer festivals take place here. Some of the best known and most popular include Miss Domaša or a music festival, Domaša Fest.

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