Above the village Jelenec in the Tribeč Mts. in west of Slovakia, at the height of 514 m there are ruins of the originally Gothic Gýmeš Castle, built in the second half of the 13th century on the site of an older fort.
The castle was the centre of the estate Jelenec or Gýmeš owned by the noble Forgách family in the past. Although Turks conquered and damaged it, it was renewed and inhabited until 1865. It fell in decay afterwards. Only some of castle walls survived. The legend has that in past, the guests were welcomed with a “spade dance”. It consisted of four strikes by spade and an inscription in the book of guests.
Access: on foot from the recreation centre Jelenec-Remitáž following the red and yellow hiking marks (it takes about an hour), access is also possible from Kostoľany pod Tribečom following the red hiking marks.
The exceptionally valuable pre-Romanesque church of St George from the 10th century demonstrates the rich history and culture of the region of Ponitrie. Its architecture is the oldest complete pre-Romanesque one in the territory of Slovakia. Its interior contains the remains of the Romanesque and Gothic wall paintings from the 11th century (the oldest in Slovakia) and the Romanesque stone baptistery.
This 16th-century, Renaissance-style manor house in the village of Oponice, which lies near the city of Nitra in western Slovakia, is bound to attract scores of art and history lovers.
A neoclassical manor house, which is located in an extensive and quiet park in the village of Beladice - Pustý Chotár a mere few kilometres outside Nitra, is home to an extraordinary gallery.
The urban district of Nitra is Dražovce, an important archaeological site with Slav settlement and cemetery from the time of the Great Moravian Empire.
The village of Topoľčianky, which is located north of the western Slovak town of Zlaté Moravce at the foothill of the Tribeč Mountains, boasts an extensive English garden, which features a picturesque Classicist-style manor house that forms the southern wing of an old castle.
A visit to the Hippology Museum in Topoľčianky will show you the world of horses and people. It is the only museum of this type in Slovakia.
Nitra, everything that you have ever wanted to know about agriculture can be found here. An open-air museum, Nitra open field of railway and a library are also part of it. The museum covers an area of over 30 hectares.
The bishop Cathedral of St Emeram at the Castle of Nitra originated by joining three temples of different age. It consists of the church from the 11th century, originally the Gothic Upper church from the 14th century and the Lower church from the 17th century.
The dominant of the oldest Slovak town Nitra is the Castle of Nitra. It was built in the 11th century on the site of a bulky Slav fort, the seat of the Nitra Princedom and Great Moravian rulers. Today it is the seat of the Bishopric of Nitra.
