Half-day excursion

Nitra city and castle (price: 6 EUR)

Nitra is the oldest city in Slovakia, which chronicles mention as early as the 9th century. The first written mention came from the year 880, when Nitra was an episcopate of the Great Moravian Empire. Nitra is a city of extraordinary historical importance. The beginnings of its settlement are found in prehistory, as proven by archaeological digs in the city limits. Thirty thousand years ago, it was already a densely inhabited area. The area of the modern city of Nitra was an important location for the Celts (several centuries before Christ), later by Germanic tribes, and finally by Slavs. It was the seat of the first known rulers of the modern region of Slovakia – the Germanic tribe of the Quadi (about 396 AD) and from the 8th century until 1108, the seat of the Principality of Nitra.

The most famous relic from history, which also dominates the city's skyline, is an 11th century castle which was rebuilt in the 15th century and was still being renovated in the Baroque era. The castle was built on the site of a Slavic settlement from the 9th century. It is a national cultural heritage site. Today it is the headquarters of the archaeological department of SAV (Slovak Academy of Sciences) and of a bishop. Only the cathedral and the diocesan museum can be visited.

Full-day excursions

Note: You must choose only one full-day excursion, because they will take place on the same day (probably Wednesday, July 25th)

1. Bratislava (price: 25 EUR)

   Places to be visited: Devin castle ruins, Bratislava castle, old city, the Danubiana gallery of modern art, and more...

   Bratislava is the capital and the largest city in Slovakia (more than 425 thousand inhabitants). The head of state, the government, the parliament, and various offices and ministries are headquartered there, as well as several universities, theaters, museums, and other cultural and scientific institutions. Bratislava is situated on both sides of the river Danube, at the foot of the Lesser Carpathian mountains. The city is near the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary. It is the only capital city in the world that shares borders with two countries (Hungary and Austria)

   History. In the area of the city, signs of occupation have been found which date back to the stone age. From around 400 BC through 50 AD, Celts inhabited the area and built their fortifications there. From the 1st through the 5th century, the edge of the Roman Empire ran through the city. The first Slavs came to live in the area starting in the 6th century. In the year 907, the first written mention of Bratislava is found in the annals of Salzburg. From 907 through 1918, Bratislava was part of the Hungarian kingdom, and from 1536 through 1784, it was even the capitol of the Hungarian kingdom. The city as part of Czechoslovakia between 1919 and 1992, except during the chaotic war years of 1939-1945, when it was the capital of a Slovak puppet state under Nazi rule. Since 1993, Bratislava has been the capital city of independent Slovakia.

   Devín. Since 1946, the city of Devín has been part of Bratislava (8 km away from the center of the city). It is located on hills and slopes at the convergences of the rivers Danube and Morava. The village was mentioned once in the year 1237 in the form of villa Thebyn. In the 13th century, the Hungarian royal fortress was built on the site and received the name Dyven. In 1809, the army of Napoleon destroyed the fortress. Ľudovít Štúr began his national Slovak movement there in 1836.

   Source: www.wikipedia.org.

2. Topoľčianky (price: 25 EUR)

   Topoľčianky is not a very big municipality, but it has many worthwhile attractions (about Topoľčianky in Wikipedia). The first written mention of the village is from the year 1293. By the 6th-7th century, Slavs had settled the area. The excursion will have a diverse program, and will try to see everything worth seeing:

   • Horse breeding farm and horse museum: a national horse breeding farm is the only "living" national cultural heritage site in Slovakia;
   • Winery (with wine tasting): the Topoľčianky vineyard produces 5 million litres of wine annually, making it one of the largest wineries in Slovakia;
   • Hunters' castle;
   • A fortress from the 15th century: purcased in the year 1890 by the Habsburg family, who possessed it until the collapse of the monarchy. Joseph Augustus Habsburg came to admire the place greatly, so he improved the fortress's equipment, expanded the park, founded the stables and horse breeding facilities and the hunters' castle. After the collapse of monarchy, the castle was purchased by the government of Czechoslovakia and became the summer residence of Czechoslovak presidents. President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk regularly spent time there. The castle is a national cultural heritage site.
   • Bison breeding station: a bison breeding farm was founded in 1958, with the task of helping to save the European bison before it died out, because at the time of the farm's founding, only 150 members of that species were still alive worldwide. The breeding station has an area of 140 hectares. The European bison is the largest and heaviest land mammal in Europe. The European bison is a bovine mammal which lives in Europe, now mostly in Poland and Belarus, more specifically, in the primordial forest of Bialowieza.