Forget the brochures – this tour takes you deep into the life of Ľudovít Winter
the man who turned a sleepy Slovak town into a world-class spa destination
The functionalist Eva swimming pool in Piešťany
plays host to an international water polo tournament each October
for off-season visitors to the pool this year it wasn’t the water polo players in their caps who were the stars of the show
but actors in period costume who slowly walked from the indoor pool building to the diving boards above the athletes
Water polo fans – wrapped in autumn jackets by the outdoor pool – watched in surprise
a small group of tourists wearing headphones were listening intently to the final chapter of a story about Ľudovít Winter
the businessman who turned Piešťany into a world-renowned spa town
I liked the outfits,” said a young woman from Florida
speaking to The Slovak Spectator after the performance
a town just one hour by train from Bratislava
named after a local water polo player and world champion who migrated to the United States during the communist era and later founded a successful aquatic equipment company in Australia
The short scene that the American visitor had just witnessed, from the “Piešťany According to Winter” (Piešťany podľa Wintera) walking tour
which has been held regularly in spring and autumn since 2022
Belgica expressed an interest in attending the full tour in the future: “The story sounds interesting,” she added
after reading a leaflet about the tour in English
with a refundable deposit of €20 for rental of the audio headset
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Wrapped in a rich cultural history and surrounded by breathtaking vistas
extensive cycle paths and storybook architecture
Piešťany has been a favorite holiday destination along Slovakia’s gleaming spa circuit for centuries
Situated 80 km from Bratislava in the lush Váh River valley
hiking trails and historic landmarks to thrilling water sports and wildly popular music festivals
are its famous medicinal thermal waters – and unique sulfur mud
particularly in regard to lingering rheumatic and arthritic diseases
the Piešťany hot springs will rejuvenate your mind
one of the longest covered bridges in Slovakia.
The art nouveau hotel is connected to the Irma Spa House
which is built directly above the Piešťany hot springs
whose thermal waters bubble up from 2,000 meters below ground
You can choose from more than 60 different treatments
underwater massages and other treatments recommended by the onsite physician
Thermia Palace has welcomed its fair share of notable guests
The celebrated Czech art nouveau master is said to have created many sketches for his historic “Slavic Epic” during his long stays with his young daughter
As part of the Mucha Trail, Piešťany is once again hosting an exhibition of Mucha’s work. Mucha and Photography: a Personal Vision
featuring 120 photographic works by Mucha as well as posters
can be viewed at the exhibition hall in the Napoleon II building on Spa Island through Oct
Thermia Palace guests will be able to enter the exhibition free of charge.
A medieval monastery and a small mammoth ivory statue known as the Moravian Venus
which was unearthed near the neighboring village of Moravany nad Váhom and dates back to 22,800 BC
there are quite a few paths to explore in and around Piešťany
with the town itself located along the well-traveled Vážska cyklomagistrála cycling route
the Váh rafting season is not to be missed
You can also enjoy a boat cruise on the river or head over to the Sĺňava Reservoir for a bit of windsurfing
Let’s take a closer look at one of Spa Island’s most celebrated hotels
Built between 1909 and 1912, the three-winged Thermia Palace’s spectacularly designed facade resembles an open book
Covered from top to bottom in nuanced detail
15-suite property – the first five-star hotel to open in Slovakia – features an impressive staircase and lovely stained glass windows as well as numerous statues of ancient deities in the well-manicured garden.
The hotel’s luxurious Irma Spa House offers guests 60 different kinds of treatments that can be supplemented by various wellness and beauty procedures
In addition to its balneotherapy and physiotherapy programs
the spa house’s therapeutic mud treatments are also very popular
A great remedy for musculoskeletal disorders and skin diseases
Cafe Alexander serves fine coffee specialties
delicious desserts and piano music in the evenings
The Grand Restaurant displays an original Mucha artwork
was thought to have been his model for the customized work
Blessed Fountain of Health,” which he gifted to the hotel in appreciation for the girl’s treatment and recovery
with the thieves cutting it from its canvas before escaping through a window and across the hotel’s garden
Your morning coffee deserves a great companion. Why not enjoy it with our daily newsletter? News from Czechia, curated insights, and inspiring stories in English.
FM Pawel Sowinski (POL) and GM Tomas Laurusas (LTU) scored an unbeaten 7/9 each at Slovaki Open Piestany 2024 in Open A (>2100)
Pawel won the tournament on tie-breaks and also scored a GM-norm
IM Moksh Amit Doshi and IM Filip Haring (SVK) scored 6.5/9
They were placed third to eighth respectively
The total prize fund in Open A was €10350
FM Adarsh Tripathi and FM Senthil Maran K scored an IM-norm each
This was Senthil's final IM-norm and he also got 2411 published rating in August FIDE Rating list
it makes him India's latest International Master
IM Aradhya Garg is the only other to make a top ten finish
Slovakia Open Piešťany 2024 was another successful event for the Indian players
It has always been a great event to score norms
FM Senthil Maran K earned his final IM-norm which helped him to become an International Master
Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy and Adarsh Tripathi earned their maiden IM-norms
The total prize fund offered combining both groups were €13350
The combined total participation in Open A and B were - 193
19 IMs and 5 WGMs took part from 20 countries across the world in this nine-day nine round Open A (>2100) tournament
It was organized by Slovenska organizacna at Balnea Palace in Piešťany
The time control of the event was 40 moves in 90 minutes + 30 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move.
Details
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Instead of adding resistance to your stroke
Anti-Paddles create a slip through the water
forcing swimmers to focus on a full arm catch and proper leverage
The concern focuses on the planned west building; a new structure critics say remains too big and disruptive to the Aquatic Center after three revisions
8x Olympic medalist Regan Smith graces the cover of SwimSwam Magazine’s 2025 Women In Swimming Issue
This new chapter in the relationship includes Speedo supplying all DSV athletes–from youth to senior level–with high-quality swimming apparel and equipment
October 18th, 2023 Industry, International, News, Water Polo
Courtesy of Anti Wave
The annual ‘Anti Kajlich Masters Cup’ water polo tournament was held in Piestany
Slovakia on the 28th and 29th September 2023 – the over 35-year-old Master’s polo event celebrated its 23rd year with teams from around the world
The event is named after Anti Wave company founder and former professional water polo Goalie Mr Anti Kajlich
who has a long a celebrated history in the sport of water polo around the world
a picturesque and historic natural spa town and Anti’s home town
This was the first year that the competition included an astonishing U81 team
Above: Anti Kajlich Masters Cup ‘Golden Oldies U81 team’ 2023 – Piestany
made a surprise last minute 30,000km round-trip with his wife back to his hometown of Piestany to compete in the competition and share a beer and beef goulash with his old polo mates from twelve countries around the world
Prague and Bratislava and was held over two days of competition in the historic ‘Eva Pool’ in Piestany
which is a regional hub for aquatics and offers natural thermal hot pools in the facility
Team Budapest were the winners of the competition in the U60 division
while Piestany were the winners in the U81 Golden Oldies division
despite his own reservations as to the transparency of the decision
Anti Kajlich has been a driving force in the development of performance swim and water polo equipment around the world since 1974
when he developed and patented the original Anti Goal – the world’s favourite water polo goal
Above: Anti Goal 1974 Patent Anti Goal today (Anti in Goal) Anti Wave Racing Lanes
This was followed shortly after by the development of the now world famous patented Anti Wave Performance Racing Lanes
known and loved globally for their innovative wave calming capability
The Australian family company Anti Wave is now proudly run by Anti’s son Anton
also a former Australian Youth Polo Goalie
with over 20 years experience in the sector
with keen focus on continuing the rich history of key product innovations and expanding global availability into new markets and regions
Anti retains the role of Chair Emeritus and lead product designer for Anti Wave
and continues his long-standing polo career with appearances in the goal at Master’s Polo competitions around the world
Today Anti Wave continues to maintain the leading edge in the performance aquatics sector through their ongoing original product innovations
as well as increasing global availability around the world through a widespread network of Authorised Distribution and Licensed production
Above: Anti Kajlich in his younger years
Anti Wave remain firmly grounded in their sporting roots and continue to design and supply top performance aquatics products with their long standing focus
‘top performance equipment with best global availability by athletes for athletes!’
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Canadian and Soviet players fight during the second period of the world junior hockey championships in Piestany
Back in the spring of 2002 I was sitting next to Shawn Simpson, then a scout for the Washington Capitals
watching a game at the world under-18 championships
cryptically: “It sort of takes you back.”
The wheels were turning slowly and then I put it together
We were sitting in the Zimny Stadion in Piestany
This was the site of the 1987 world junior championship
site of probably the most famous and certainly the most infamous moment in the history of the WJC
Canada and the USSR met in the tournament’s final game
the game was never played and the two teams never even made it to Piestany
The Canadian and Soviet teens engaged in a bench-clearing melee that wasn’t ended by either officials shutting down the lights or soldiers coming out onto the ice with guns and dogs—the on-ice officials simply left in the middle of it
Leading them in this retreat was referee Hans Ronning
an over-matched Norwegian ref who was working in his first game of this magnitude and his last game at any level
The only thing that put the fight to an end was pure exhaustion
and in the aftermath the guys in the blazers punted both teams out of the tournament
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXUh0l5dXx8
The WJC followed a round-robin format back in those days
Canada needed a clear win for a gold but was guaranteed a bronze even with a loss
They were leading the Russians 4–2 but wound up not even credited with a defeat
Shawn Simpson was centre stage in the melee
He was the back-up goaltender and squared up with the Soviets’ back-up
Simpson pinned him to the ice and wailed away
He had started out the tournament as the No
suffered an injury that put him on the bench and took out his frustrations on Privalov at centre ice
I asked Simpson how often people asked about that game and that fight
His words were faintly redolent of resignation
It was at that moment I knew I had to write a book about it
It took a few years for me to find a publisher who shared my opinion but eventually one did
When the Lights Went Out: How One Brawl Ended Hockey’s Cold War and Changed the Game
came out in the fall of 2006 and you might be able to find a copy of it
I will never see another dollar from the book.)
IIHF officials including the Norwegian ref and eyewitnesses
The Canadian forward line on the ice at the time was fairly representative of the myriad directions I had to go to find the stories behind the stories
I get asked about that game—not as often as Simpson but more often than any game I covered live
At one point I was approached about developing the book into a TV movie and—my hand on a Bible—the producer was the brains behind Trailer Park Boys
But just as the Canadians went home without a medal
I went home without a broadcast-royalty cheque
I was recently asked by a reporter in Montreal if I thought a fight like the one in Piestany could ever happen again
we’re not going to see a bench-clearing brawl at the WJC again
And the fact is we’d never seen it before the Canada-USSR game in the former Czechoslovakia
It’s hard for younger hockey fans to process the idea (and it requires visiting long-closed corridors of the memory bank for those in their 50s and 60s) but the culture of the game was very different three decades ago
you’d go to a Flyers game and come away disappointed if there wasn’t at least a line brawl
Looking through old newspaper clippings in advance of the ’87 WJC
I found a story of a game between the Oshawa Generals and Peterborough Petes
The bench-clearing brawl in that game was mentioned for the first time in the 16th paragraph and the coaches coming to blows was not much more than a footnote
would be dropping their gloves and looking for the nearest Soviets in Piestany
Fighting in hockey is on the way out today but the place of fighting in the game today in no way resembles what it was in ’87
Piestany was not just the nadir but a last gasp—within a couple of years the NHL and major-junior leagues effectively legislated bench-clearings out of existence
back in ’87 virtually everyone could fight
Of course the impossibility of Piestany 2.0 goes far beyond the culture of the game
The game was played in a now-extinct nation then under the sphere of Soviet influence
The Canadians were playing against a team they knew nothing about
The Soviets regarded the Canadians pretty much the same way
although they had to envy the fact that their opponents would have a chance to play in the NHL while the best any of them could hope for was a spot on the Red Army roster
If you’d told any of the guys in the Canadian lineup that they’d one day be teammates with any of the Soviets you’d have drawn a blank look
If you told any of those on the Soviet team that they’d someday play in the NHL
maybe it would register with Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov
Now you’ll see Russian teams on tour every season
You’ll see them at the Quebec peewee tournament
And some Russians will have their rights assigned to the same NHL teams as the Canadians
there’s really one hockey world now and the players of all nations share in it
the most frequent question of all remains the same: How did the brawl in Piestany happen
Canada needing nothing less than a win for a gold
Did the Soviet coach send his players off the bench and over the boards when the line brawl with Fleury
but the likeliest candidate was Evgeny Davydov
who had a limited NHL career and no rep at all as a tough guy
Did coach Bert Templeton and his assistant
lose control of the Canadian team or throw gasoline on the fire
I’m not going to speak ill of the dead but having talked to both over the years and to others who knew them well
but Burns was able to move well past it to the Stanley Cup and Hockey Hall of Fame
I conducted more than 100 interviews for When the Lights Went Out and only one principal told me he thought the brawl could have been avoided
but he was entirely credible: Peter Pomoell
a veteran Finnish linesman who worked that game in Piestany
He maintained events would have played out very differently if the IIHF had selected a referee other than Hans Ronning
who had been handpicked by the IIHF’s head of officiating
Pomoell told me that he knew they were sitting on a powder keg but Ronning seemed oblivious to the danger ahead
“If Ronning had spoken to the captains and coaches before the game or during the game… maybe it could have been avoided,” Pomoell said
lots of world junior and international games
Canada versus the Soviets… those two teams produced the best hockey
but they were also the toughest games to work
Maybe it was pride… he might have thought that I was telling him that he wasn’t good enough or that he wasn’t ready
Maybe it was the fact that he was working in front of the IIHF executives and the supervisor of the [on-ice] officials
I thought something bad could happen—just the situation of one team having nothing to play for and a big rivalry… the way that this Canadian team was playing
But I had a worse feeling once the game started
Right away on the first face-off you can see a big cross-check
The puck hit the ice and the Canadian player cross-checks a Soviet
And that’s how it was that whole first period
I don’t know that he called many in the first 20 minutes.”
Pomoell said that Ronning was crestfallen in the officials’ dressing room
Then Rene Faisel came in and he is shouting
Pomoell stayed involved in Finnish and international hockey on and off the ice for two decades after Piestany
He told me he spoke to Ronning after the 1987 WJC
“I’ve never heard from him,” Pomoell said
I spoke to members of the Norwegian hockey federation and none of them even knew of Hans Ronning
No Hans Ronnings were listed in the national phone directory
As it turned out there were seven Hans Ronnings in Norway and I tracked down six of them before finding the ref from Piestany
Ronning disputed Pomoell’s version of events
I didn’t referee another game internationally,” he said
“I did referee another two seasons in Norway
I thought that this tournament was probably going to be my last or one of my last international [assignments].”
Ronning blamed the coaches and the players
“It is the coaches’ responsibility to have team discipline in place,” Ronning said
“The coaches should have kept their players on the bench
And they should have told the players on the ice not to fight… or to stop fighting
I think that maybe this could only happen with teenagers
Professionals have discipline and they know what is their job—some things they will not risk
What the players did was not a mature decision but a reaction—impulse is the word
They were innocents under a lot of pressure
Ronning also had a view shared by no one and in complete contradiction of video evidence
“It was the Canadians who left the bench first,” he said
“It was their fault that the fight happened
And I have no idea why when they still had a chance at the gold medal.”
Ronning accepted no blame for the brawl in Piestany
then it should be in my hands,” Ronning says
There is nothing that three officials can really do
We tried to do what we could with the fights that were going on
But really there was nothing that could be done by us when the benches cleared.”
I wasn’t surprised when Ronning told me that he had never talked about the brawl in Piestany until I had called almost two full decades after the fact
I didn’t bother to tell him that Shawn Simpson had to talk about it every day
Ronning didn’t deserve to get off easy but did
Simpson and so many others weren’t as lucky
but at least he could manage to laugh about it
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Excavations ahead of a new Billa store revealed pottery
A new Billa store will soon rise on an archaeological site in Veľké Kostoľany
western Slovakia—where the past is still making itself known
A five-week excavation unearthed 53 artefacts spanning from the Neolithic (6000–3300 BC) to the Early Iron Age (1200–450 BC), confirming the site’s long history of settlement, writes My Trnava
Archaeologists discovered several pits of unknown purpose and a rare residential structure from the Early Iron Age
where the most significant finds emerged—including pottery fragments
and a clay children’s rattle that still makes sound
“This is a rich archaeological site with traces of settlements from multiple eras,” said Peter Grznár from the Monuments Board of Trnava
favoured for its fertile soil and water access
Billa plans to highlight the discovery with an information panel and display select artefacts in-store
The exact details are still being finalised
IF you're looking for a relaxing getaway this summer
Located in the Trnava Region in the western part of the country is a gorgeous spa town
The thermal resort of Piešťany is highly regarded as one of the hotspots in Slovakia
It's the most visited thermal resort in the country
Its location allows for ideal natural conditions for year-round recreation
And it's temperate climate means that the weather remains lovely year-round
It is home to many prestigious hotels and spas, with gorgeous architecture.
There's a Thermal Park with stunning gardens, paths, and outdoor thermal swimming pools.
Here you can find a stunning park, and a lake with water lilies which is home to different fish including a rare African Victoria Regia.
a pint will set you back between €1.80 and €3
there is a range of museums to spend time in
which is the main historical zone in the town
which is housed in the old military building at Piestany airport
it focuses on aircraft and vehicles used in the Czechoslovak army between 1945 and 1992
different Sukhoi aircrafts along with T-34
The Balneological Museum is the largest and most popular in the town
The building is made in a Classical style with walkways and picturesque statues
you can see samples of the flora and fauna of the area
archaeological finds and the reconstruction of the old peasant house of Piestany
you can also see an exhibition on German composer Ludwig van Beethoven
It is the longest covered bridge in Slovakia and has many precious art objects
restaurants and activities - making it the perfect day out for the little ones
On the slope of the mountains in the resort is Povazhsky Inovec
a curious karst cave - a recognized natural monument
Many archaeological discoveries were made inside the cave
which showed traces of ancient settlements
Ryanair offers flights to Bratislava from €25
which takes approximately two hours and 40 minutes
The NHL lockout has been in effect for more than three months now
we’re going to link to a different hockey video every day until a new CBA is reached
Today: the infamous bench-clearing brawl between the Canadian and Soviet junior teams
The World Junior Championships are underway in Russia, and today we look back at one of the more infamous incidents in the tournament’s history. During the 1987 World Juniors in Czechoslovakia, the Canadian and Soviet Union teams took part in a bench-clearing brawl that became known as the Punch-up in Piestany. The CBC’s website has lots of details about the fight
which began when Pavel Kostichkin of the Soviet Union slashed Canada’s Theo Fleury
was one of a handful of players from that game who went onto star in the NHL
Others included Brendan Shanahan and Valdimir Konstantinov.) Players on the ice began to brawl
and eventually they were joined by teammates from both benches
“When you are 17 years old your testosterone is at a high
Our players at the WJCs in 1987 were born in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s
What was happening in the world at that time
the government and the media for breakfast
And what do you think the Russian students were taught
The evil Westerners want to take over the world
North America and the Soviet Union were starting to make nice
but that did not erase years of suspicion and tension.”
The fight got so out of hand that officials tried turning out the arena lights to put an end to it
(The Soviets had no chance at a medal at this point in the tournament
but Canada — which led 4-2 at the time of the fight — was assured of at least bronze.)
And so on Day 103 of the NHL lockout, we paraphrase the title of a book about the brawl and look back
on the night the lights went out in Piestany
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The populist wave that has swept Central Europe — fueled by a backlash to the refugee crisis — is affecting even this pampered cocoon of transnationalism that depends utterly on well-heeled visitors from abroad
Slovakia — Why so many wealthy Arabs have chosen Piestany
as a vacation destination is something of a mystery
when aspiring pilots from the Middle East came for flight training at the nearby airport
Others point to a Slovak soccer coach who went to Qatar decades ago and inspired visitors
The town’s spas stretch along a narrow island opposite the city center
the grandest of the venues and once host to European royalty and Indian maharajahs
Now it is more likely to attract a Kuwaiti princess
as the town’s central pedestrian strip has turned into an unlikely panorama of Muslim women in traditional dress and men smoking hookahs outside kebab shops
The hint of menace has unnerved and surprised regular visitors
has been bringing his Kuwaiti family for years to Piestany
where the summer nights feel deliciously cool compared with the furnace back home
“We like it here because of the peace and the quiet,” said al Mekhyal
her eyes peering from a narrow slit in her face-covering niqab
as his wife was stocking up at the local Tesco superstore
that a furious young man began harassing her
There had never been an ugly incident involving his Muslim customers
as he gently sliced off juicy shards of shawarma at his shop
a local 22-year-old walked up and began berating the Muslims at the outdoor cafe tables
who moved to Slovakia from Turkey when he was 34
“He got into a fight with one of the customers
the guy came back and smashed all my windows.”
The incident was striking enough to make the national news in Slovakia
all my Slovak and Czech customers called me,” he said
One local man planted a “tree of tolerance” just outside the kebab shop
“People are feeling more and more emboldened,” said Eva Bereczova
“They are unashamed to say things in public they would have been ashamed to say before
Slovakia regularly ranks near the bottom in European Union polling of discriminatory attitudes toward foreigners and other ethnic groups
has two members of Parliament from Piestany
chairman of the Islamic Foundation of Slovakia
said many Slovak politicians were eagerly fanning the anti-Muslim flames
“The only thing they want is to win the election,” he said
They got a signal from the politicians that it’s OK.”
Piestany is one of the few places their presence is felt
More than half of the 619,262 overnight stays last year in Piestany were by visitors from other countries
which operates the town’s health facilities
broke down by nationality the guests who stayed at its resorts last year
nearly 12,500 involved residents of Saudi Arabia
There were 1,674 more visitors from “other Asian countries,” which spa officials said were nearly all other parts of the Muslim world
“There is not a problem with people from Israel and people from Arabic countries being side by side,” said Monika Koborova
the guest relations manager for the Hotel Thermia Palace
clicking through a series of photos on his cellphone of some of the 300 camels he owns in Kuwait
said his family would probably continue to make Piestany part of their regular European idyll
The green hills and vaporous forests still call to them
“It’s a little too quiet for me,” she said
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This was effectively a memorial tournament for Gyula Breyer, who had died the previous year. Just before his death he’d suggested reviving the Bad Pistyan tournaments, which had been a feature of the pre-war chess landscape
Bad Pistyan was Bogoljubow at his best — a long tournament with a field of mixed quality in which his fighting qualities could come to the forefront
Bogoljubow is a good player to study for those with a slightly sociopathic disposition
never to not be looking to inflict the maximum amount of pain on his opponent
That could lead to his overextending himself
but more often than not it resulted in the sort of savage attacking games that he showcased in this tournament.
The tournament was largely a race between Bogoljubow and Alekhine
with Bogoljubow's +12 score narrowly eclipsing Alekhine's +11
while Bogoljubow kept up steady pressure against Max Euwe and finally crashed through with an attack
Rudolf Spielmann had a strong late run (5.5 out of 6 down the straightaway) and caught Alekhine to tie for second place.
The tournament takes its place in chess history primarily for literary reasons
Richard Réti employed several of its games for his player biographies in Masters of the Chessboard: for many chess players
Bad Pistyan is their introduction to Bogoljubow
possibly the most famous chess fiction ever written — and maybe even the most famous chess book — the critical plot point hinges on a position taken from the Alekhine-Bogoljubow game in this tournament.
Tartakower and Tarrasch had setbacks — which was more surprising for Tartakower who was coming off a string of successes
Grünfeld continued his run towards the world’s elite — earning himself a spot in Masters of the Chessboard with his fourth place finish
who hadn’t been heard from in over a decade
finished with an impressive positive result
Piešťany – with its magnificent Neoclassicist facades
and ancient hot springs – is Slovakia’s biggest and most popular spa town.
A mere 50 km from Bratislava along the D-1 motorway
the front doors of Piešťany’s famous thermal pools are easily accessible via train
A weekend (or week-long) retreat across the border has never been more enticing.
the town has been attracting international visitors by the thousands for centuries – including its fair share of VIPs
Alfons Mucha and his young daughter were frequent spa guests
The celebrated Czech art nouveau master is said to have created many sketches for his historic “Slavic Epic” during his long stays.
In a nod to the artist’s deep ties to Piešťany, the town is hosting an exhibition of his work to help kick off the busy summer spa season. Alfons Mucha: Flower Worlds
can be viewed at the newly opened exhibition hall in the Napoleon II building on Spa Island from May 10 through Oct
from the ruins of a medieval monastery to a small mammoth ivory statue known as the Moravian Venus
which was unearthed near the neighboring village of Moravany nad Vahom and dates back to 22,800 BC.
Modern architectural wonders include the functionalist Colonnade Bridge. One of the longest covered bridges in Slovakia, it connects Piešťany to Spa Island and is adorned with many unique objects d'art
putting it in line for inclusion on the World Heritage List.
Piešťany takes its music festivals and cultural events seriously, and this summer’s lineup is quickly filling up.
a U-shaped complex of buildings built directly over the town’s hot springs
to the 50-meter Eva thermal swimming pool on Spa Island
there is no shortage of places to have a dip
Piešťany is home to a number of top-shelf spa accommodations run by Ensana Hotels
providing guests not only with a number of wellness options
but are also within walking distance to the town’s key sights.
This five-star Art Nouveau hotel and its adjacent Irma Mud Kitchen are true architectural treasures. Covered from top to bottom in nuanced detail, the 118-room, 15-suite Thermia Palace features an impressive staircase and lovely stained glass windows as well as numerous statues of ancient deities in the well-manicured garden
There is a luxurious onsite wellness center
The hotel’s mud kitchen offers guests 80 different kinds of treatments.
Its Grand Restaurant happily displays an original Mucha artwork
The thief was never caught.
Situated in a beautiful park environment, the four-star Esplanade Hotel is connected by a corridor to the center of the Balnea Health Spa
the Water and Sauna World as well as the Congress Centre
The hotel features an outdoor and indoor swimming pools
The outdoor pool includes benches with massage jets
A special jacuzzi with a water temperature of 36 degrees Celsius is located in one part of the pool
This modern three-star hotel complex is located on Spa Island near the golf course and is directly connected to the impressive Balnea Health Spa, which offers a wide range of unique healing and relaxation treatments. Splendid offers 258 rooms
including 15 suites as well as a cultural program
The two-star Hotel Pro Patria boasts a long tradition and a rich history
making it one of the oldest buildings in the spa town
situated in the southern part of Spa Island in the immediate vicinity of the thermal mineral springs
Thanks to the short distance between the hotel room to the treatments
Pro Patria is particularly popular with guests with severely limited mobility
Its mud kitchen is equipped to offer 108 treatments per day.
The property originally served as a treatment room for soldiers wounded in World War I
the hotel has more than 104 comfortably furnished rooms
Two restaurants offer a varied selection of dishes
while the Cafe Franz Josef is a great place to enjoy a morning or afternoon coffee
This article was written in cooperation with the Ensana. Read more about our partner content policies here
The sculpture by Alexander Trizuljak was first displayed in 1970 in front of the Thermia Palace hotel
A sculpture by famous Slovak sculptor Alexander Trizuljak
known as In Honor of the 9th symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven
will return to the spa island in Piešťany after being hidden in a deposit for half a century
With the Trnava region travel guide in hand
you will discover that “Little Rome” is larger than life and ready to welcome you with open arms (and a glass of mead)
The 22-tonne and six-metre-tall sculpture will be installed on the green area near the entrance to the local swimming pool Eva
executive director for the district tourism organisation in Piešťany
the 100th anniversary of Trizuljak's birth was celebrated in May
The sculpture made of iron ingot was first displayed at the Piešťany Sculpture park event in 1970 in front of Thermia Palace hotel
Many of the sculptures presented at this event remained displayed in Piešťany
but the one by Trizuljak had become less acceptable for the regime and had to be removed
"The sculpture together with the basis was stored in the technician spaces of the spa
which is how it remained intact," said Klement Trizuljak
The sculpture was rediscovered during a project for the Sculptures of Piešťany: The City as a Gallery publication
The book was published by the Black Holes civic association that is also financing the relocation of the sculpture
The association chose a new space for the sculpture together with the Piešťany spa and the regional monument board in Trnava
A local company known as Raving will have to transport the sculpture in parts with technology intended for heavy lifting
The town of Piešťany has already seen the return of the Woman's Torso sculpture to the park as part of the City as a Gallery project
The upcoming stage of the project is bringing eight sculptures made by Trizuljak to the local park on a long-term lending basis
"The placing of his sculptures is symbolic," said Linda Blahová from the City Cultural Center in Piešťany
Piešťany hosted its first showcase of artwork outdoors that was organised by AlexanderTrizuljak in cooperation with architect Ľubomír Mrňo."
the tradition of the Sculpture park event continued
"This is a unique event given the fact that in Slovakia
sculptures from various localities tend to disappear," said Klement Trizuljak
A helping hand in the heart of Europe thanks to the Slovakia travel guide with more than 1,000 photos and hundred of tourist spots
A detailed travel guide to the Tatras that introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains
Lost in Bratislava? Impossible with our City Guide
Chess events happen across Europe all throughout the year
Some countries are very active with the number of tournaments that they hold
Serbia and many of the Eastern European countries. One country that is does not organize too many events where Indian players participate is Slovakia
But the country has a growing chess culture and the Piestany Open is being held in the picturesque town of Spa Piestany
Know more about Slovakian team coming to the Chess Olympiad 2022 and also about this strong event
The entire chess world will be coming down to India in July for the Chess Olympiad 2022
But before that Indian players are travelling all across the world playing in their events
When it comes to tournaments outside India
Europe is the place where most Indian players visit. One of the strong open tournaments that is going to take place in the next few days is the Piestany Open 2022 in Slovakia
Slovakia has a good chess culture and their team is seeded 34th out of the 188 teams participating at the Chess Olympiad 2022
Announcing the Slovakia Open Piestany 2022
taking place at the Palace Ballroom on the gorgeous Spa Island in Piestany from 11 July 22 to 18 July 22
Contact of the organizers: +421 949 364 826
Download the circular and get details of the tournament
The defence minister claims the perpetrators are former soldiers and their activities are organised
A group of maskless men blocked shoppers in two supermarkets
they blocked one shop in Prievidza (Trenčín Region) for three hours and police powerlessly watched it
When maskless people wanted to do the same last week in Piešťany (Trnava Region)
intervening when they refused to put on their masks and cooperate with the police
The spokesperson of the Trnava police Zlatica Antalová said that the police repeatedly called on members of this group to cover their airways or leave the shop to allow other customers to finish their shopping in peace
These men refused to cooperate and the conflict became physical when the police were forced to use coercive tools
Two police officers and one protesting man were injured
the police arrested three people and one was taken into custody
The remaining two people will be prosecuted at large
they could be imprisoned for one to five years
Čierne Diery initiative organising guided tours of the iconic building
The work of architect Ferdinand Milučký in Piešťany has been approved for the title of national cultural monument after three years since the proposal was first filed
As a celebration of gaining the title of the national cultural monument, guided tours of the building are organised June through October. Tours take place in Slovak language. More details can be found on the Facebook page of Čierne Diery.
Following the initiative of the Čierne Diery (Black Holes) civic association
the Dom Umenia (House of Arts) building in the western-Slovak spa town will be protected from any unwanted significant changes
while the statute could help to fund some delicate renovations on the building
Dom Umenia plays an important role in modern Slovak architecture
“It is comparable with the best works of functionalism
standing proudly alongside architectural works known worldwide,” Peter Szalay
an architectural theorist from the Slovak Academy of Sciences
Milučký’s work could be compared to Helsinki’s Finlandia Hall by Alvara Aalto or the Berlin Philharmonic by Hans Scharoun
The artist behind Dom Umenia used to visit Piešťany regularly
Mike Valek features on this week’s Spectacular Slovakia to talk about his second home
with a population of no more than 30,000 citizens
lying on the Váh River: This is Piešťany in a nutshell
which has grown into a paradise for bikers due to its long cycling paths
Not only because Slovakia's longest river
but also because of the Sĺňava water reservoir
Piešťany was also discovered by people from the Muslim world
Slovakia's spa resort has gone on to be a favourite summer holiday spot for people from Kuwait
The Piešťany Spa Express is not just for spa guests; anyone can buy a ticket
Slovak spa Piešťany will offer a new service as of September 5 – the Piešťany Spa Express bus line
It will commute twice a week from the spa town Piešťany to Vienna and back
The Piešťany Spa Express will commute every Thursday and Sunday until October 31
collecting clients with purchased tickets right in front of the hotel they are staying at
The bus will reach Vienna at 12:15 at Hauptbahnhof Südtiroler Platz
The bus then departs from Hauptbahnhof Südtiroler Platz
while it is scheduled to arrive in Piešťany at 15:45 in front of the hotel where the guests are accommodated
the bus line is not just for spa guests; anyone can purchase the ticket
Mammoth bones have recently been found near the spa town
the Colonnade Bridge and the hotels were built
local people came to bathe in the health giving thermal springs that arise in what is now Piešťany
other visitors used to warm themselves in the sun here
reindeer and other Palaeolithic creatures searched for these springs in ages past
when they migrated in herds through the valley of the Váh River
Two-legged hunters with spears in their hands came with them
All they had to do was wait and watch for prey to pass right under their noses
The custom of devils coming down from the mountains before Christmas and punishing sinners has no roots in Slovakia though
a devils’ march called Krampus took place in Piešťany on the evening of December 17
a tradition going back hundreds of years or more in many European countries and is greatly attended everywhere
felt negative emotions and started a petition to ban the event
The Piešťany town council dealt with the issue as well
More than a thousand people called on mayor Miloš Tamajka to ban the march
arguing that this is not a becoming event during Advent
The organisers argued with the tradition of devils in Slovakia as well – in the St Nicholas entourage
for example – and with the Krampus boosting the attendance and programme of the Christmas market
attracting around 10,000 people to Piešťany
“We are enthused – the participation exceeded our expectations,” organiser of the Slovak Devils’ March
“We counted on an attendance of about five thousand or more
but according to the first estimates there were about 10,000 of them.”
about 40 figures in devils’ masks paraded in a limited area
The only problems were caused by transport and a lack of parking space before the event's start
which organises the Christmas markets in Piešťany and is also behind the Devils’ March
risks worsening relations with the local self-administration
”They can decide whether they want this town to be full of life
or they can decide whether there will be nothing,” Románek said
The company faces fines for violating the law on cultural events and for the unauthorised occupation of public space
Piešťany spokesperson Eva Bereczová told Sme
The tradition of devils’ marches originated in the Austrian Alps
they descend from the mountains to punish guilty people
WIM Isha Sharma continues her great form at Slovakia Open Piestany 2022
She completely outplayed the legendary GM Michal Krasenkow (POL) in the third round
made an interesting sacrifice in the opening which she used to her advantage quite well
she drew with IM Filip Haring (SVK) to take her score to 2.5/4
FM Shantanu Bhambure and WIM Savitha Shri B are also at the same score
GM Artem Omelja (UKR) has emerged as the sole leader 4/4
GM Alexander Donchenko (GER) in the third round
WIM Isha Sharma (2236) made an interesting sacrifice against GM Michal Krasenkow (POL
however a human can always appreciate it due to the fact that Black's attack free flows f5
The position was incredibly difficult to defend for White
After 28.Qc3+ Rf6 it was all over as White had zero counterplay left
29.hxg6 Rh8 30.Rg1 Qh4 31.Bxe3 fxe3 32.Qxe3 Nd3 and white resigned after five more moves
For more Round 2 and Round 3-4 photos
10 IMs and 3 WIMs are taking part from 13 countries across the world in the Category A (>2100) this eight-day nine round Swiss League Classical Rating tournament
The event is being organized by SK Modra and JAVES in Piestany from 11th to 18th July 2022
The time control of the event was 90 minutes/40 moves + 30 minutes + 30 seconds increment
Details
Details
This article was published more than 12 years ago
Today's World Junior Hockey championship opener against Germany in Ufa
These roots are the ones that won Team Canada its stranglehold on Canada's hockey fans in distant
obscure cities such as Ufa or Ostrava or Pardubice
Team Canada first impressed our nation as hockey Innocents Abroad
teenagers missing the Christmas holidays while they battled referees
the tournament has taken almost a permanent residence in North America
and something magical has gone out of the event for Canada
Puckheads still obsess over under 20 year olds wearing the maple leaf and their chances
But the old "against-all-odds in a foreign land" was more compelling
Some say the Canadian WJC fix started with Wayne Gretzky's stunning performance in 1978 in Montreal
the five consecutive golds for Canada's team in the '90s
But what truly cemented Team Canada to its fans were its campaigns overseas in the 1980s and '90s that fed Canada's underdog image
In the years when the WJC was a foreign affair, played abroad more often than not, no single moment spoke more to that put-upon feeling than the famous 1987 brawl in Piestany, Czechoslovakia
when the dastardly Soviets suckered Canada into a brawl that cost the Canadians the gold
When the IIHF officials turned off the lights in an effort to stop the fighting, it kindled a connection with Canadians that now has the annual WJC second only to the Stanley Cup Finals for TV ratings. Don Cherry piggybacked on the controversy as Canada was swindled of the championship
Neither he nor Team Canada Juniors have looked back from that moment
The time-zone demands (Ufa is 10 hours away from ET) also played into the mystique of Canada's WJC niche
Games were always early in the day as Canadians awoke
demanding that fans on their Christmas break wake with a start if they wanted to catch the games
The WJC popularity can't be teenage hockey
You don't see similar ratings in May when the same players compete for the Memorial Cup
Fans in Toronto yawned when the tournament was held in Mississauga last year
it's teenagers daring like Indiana Jones in a foreign land that works for Canadians
The next 10 days should provide plenty to scratch that itch
In keeping with another old Canadian tradition of the WJC, Oshawa forward Boone Jenner has been sent to the sidelines for a three-game suspension for injuring Swedish defenceman Jesper Pettersson. Jenner delivered a check on Pettersson that was oh, about a month late
leaving the young Swede with a broken wrist and a dislocated shoulder
What's most remarkable about Jenner's boneheaded play is how far Canada has gotten from the Piestany era when it was "good old Canadian boys" defending the flag by separating opponents from their faculties
Canada is now in remission from its bad old days
The Americans seem happier to wear the black hat lately
But Jenner apparently still saw merit in reminding those cheese-eating foreigners that there are still some red-blooded guys unafraid to nail a guy two seconds after he's let go of the puck
Let's hope that impression doesn't require more reinforcement from one of Jenner's teammates during the tourney
Not that the NHL has anything to learn from another sport Pt
Looking to make their Christmas schedule look unique
the NBA went with dazzling monochrome uniforms for all the teams that played Xmas day games
It was murder on broadcasters who had to see names and numbers
but for viewers it added to the guilty pleasure of catching pro sports on Xmas Day
Many still think it a travesty to play on Christmas
Which the NHL will do next year in one of its many grovelling moves to placate fans they've ignored during the lockout
dowbboy@shaw.ca / @dowbboy
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WIM Isha Sharma scored the biggest win of the first round at Slovakia Open Piestany 2022
She defeated IM Martin Neugebauer (SVK) by launching a clinical attack on the kingside
IM Raahil Mullick had GM Michal Krasenkow (POL) on the ropes
Despite having an advantage for the better part part of the game
the Polish legend managed to escape his opponent's grasp and get away with a draw
FM Shantanu Bhambure and WIM Savitha Shri B were the other victors of the round among Indians
The total prize fund of the tournament is €7000
Top three prizes in the Category A are €1500
The legendary GM Michal Krasenkow (POL
2569) was in deep trouble against IM Raahil Mullick (2237)
Black needed to continue the attack 32...Bg4 33.Qe3 Nd5 and White would succumbed sooner than later
White eventually managed to salvage a draw
WIM Isha Sharma (2236) scored a win by launching an attack on his opponent
is a nice punctuation to White's attack
32...fxe6 33.Rf1+ Nf7 34.dxe6 Rxe6 35.Bh3 eventually White gained an exchange which was enough for a win
For more Round 1 photos, please click here
Details
Details
We're highlighting an unusual walking tour in Piešťany and a timeless Slovak specialty this week
at first hesitated to pose in front of a camera
but everyone passing by the Slovak National Gallery can now see her
The picture of the mother sitting in a pink satin dress and breastfeeding her naked baby
taken by Slovak photographer Šymon Kliman
is exhibited in the art gallery window at Esterházy Palace in Bratislava
The photograph will be on display until April 10
“The photo is reminiscent of the classic depiction of the Madonna
a traditionally revered symbol of motherhood and love,” curator Lucia Almášiová said
Find out why Kliman’s photographic series, Krásni ľudia/Beautiful People, is unique in its depiction of Roma people in Slovakia
Library: The Week of Slovak Libraries will run next week
This year’s topic will be “ECO libraries”
and Bratislava Castle were the most visited museums falling under the Slovak National Museum in 2021
winter is more than just a season that inspires one to spend a little more time in hot
the town’s “Piešťany by Winter” walking tours are back
which take place twice a day on Saturdays until March 26
visitors can learn more about the town's spa by following in the footsteps of local businessperson Ľudovít Winter
Winter died in 1968 as a poor pensioner because his spa complex had been nationalised
Read more about one of the town’s more famous spa-goers and the tours that honour his memory
The trdelník capital of Slovakia has a scrumptious history
Skalica is notable for being one of the oldest towns in Slovakia
but most people know it for it’s absolutely delicious speciality
How to describe a singular beauty like Banská Štiavnica? The truth is
it’s tough to describe this former mining town without being mawkish
Elizabeth Báthory’s tenure at Čachtice Castle was only a short episode in its history
but her name draws thousands of tourists every year
Slovakia produced the best-quality films in the sixties
so it is expected that experts have selected a production from this era as the film of the century
a 1969 psychological drama directed by Dušan Hanák
was voted the most exceptional Slovak film by 11 movie scientists and critics
The Film.sk monthly decided to put together a list of 20 outstanding Slovak films from the past 100 years on the occasion of the centenary of Slovak cinematography, which the country marked last year. Click here to embark on a Slovak film odyssey.
Slovak-English singer Gigi Ann, 17, has released her first single Devil in Disguise
The music festival Love Stream has announced a new name to perform in Bratislava this summer
Zara Larsson will join Dua Lipa and Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ľudovít Fulla is one of Slovakia’s greatest artists
his work was stored in a gallery close to crumbling
A total of 67 of his oil paintings and other works on paper were removed from the Gallery of Ľudovít Fulla in Ružomberok in mid-February and taken to a national depositary where they will undergo restoration work and digitalisation
While it remains unclear when the gallery will display the pictures again – a project for much-needed reconstruction work has been completed but financing has yet to be finalised – museum officials say the incident is the culmination of problems with the gallery building dating back over 50 years and which were first raised by Fulla himself
Read more about its uncertain fate in Nina Hrabovská Francelová’s report
Frequent Middle East visitors make spa town one of Slovakia's most multicultural places
If Prime Minister Robert Fico truly meant his statement from November 2015 that Slovakia monitors all Muslims in Slovakia
the intelligence service has to have hard time in town of Piešťany during summer
As the spa draws clients from Arab countries looking to escape the heat of home
the streets in town are full of Muslims
“I remember from my childhood that people from Persian Gulf states were coming here and we never experienced problems with them,” lawyer Roman Kvasnica
The Muslim visitors and local community peacefully coexisted in the town for decades until several recent conflicts occurred
Therefore The Slovak Spectator visited the town to ask locals about life in what turns out to be one of Slovakia's more multicultural places
a Turkish native, has been living in the town for 30 years saying that he considers Slovakia as his own country
On August 17 a 23-year-old drunk man came to his kebab shop in the city centre vulgarly yelling at Perde’s customers to behave
slapped him twice and police had to detain a drunken man
Later that night someone broke all shop’s windows
The conflict happened two weeks after local online magazine Pnky.sk published story about adolescent Arabs who threw water on a girl who had rejected them
A rumour spread that mass conflict ensued resulting in injuries
Conspiracy theory websites began to write about Muslims harassing Slovaks in the town implying that this could be picture of all cities if government would accept refugees
A few days after first incident the Slovak paramilitary organization Slovenskí branci (Slovak Levies)
monitored by Interior Ministry because of their ties with extremists
Seeing that there were no conflicts they left a day later
Slovenskí branci and similar organizations try to increase their popularity among locals by such activities
who served as an Interior Ministry expert on extremism
“It is very bad and dangerous when atmosphere is created that there is a need for patrols of some self-claimed law enforcement authorities just because of some rare incidents,” Milo told the Aktuality.sk news webpage
Pieštany spas started to be popular for Arab foreigners during communist regime
Legends say that it is because of wealthy Arab prince who visited the town and enjoyed local thermal waters so much that he advised his countrymen to go there
Another story is that famous Slovak football coach Karol Borhy who went to Kuwait in the 1960s invited a local football team to Piešťany
The most famous spa town in Slovakia has attracted visitors for more than two millennia
is the kind of place you limp into and skip out of
Roman soldiers are believed to have first bathed in the healing water around the time of the birth of Christ
King Žigmund of Luxembourg travelled great distances to sample the waters for himself
Seemingly everyone who is anyone has been here
from Bulgarian Czar Ferdinand I to former PM Vladimír Mečiar
hockey star Jaromír Jágr to supermodel Claudia Schiffer
which bubbles up from the banks of the Váh and Rameno Váhu rivers
from nervous disorders to tendon and ligament ailments
But the water also works wonders on visitors hungry for nothing more than a bit of weekend pampering
After weeks of hiking and stumbling around the country
my left heel was so taut I could barely walk
those parts of my feet that had not already callused had blistered
and my ribs were still terribly sore from a little spill I’d taken off a ladder in Slovenský raj National Park
I hobbled straight off to the public baths (located on Spa Island behind the Napoleon spas)
After soaking for 20 minutes in the blissfully warm water
I spent the ensuing 12 minutes moaning in ecstasy as a stern elderly woman worked over my sore muscles
It was so heavenly that I almost went through the whole treatment a second time around
I instead staggered out into a brilliant spring day feeling fit to take on the world
Or you explore the serene city centre and river area
an Olympic silver-medal-winning swimmer from Piešťany
told for Spectacular Slovakia last year that “Piešťany has lovely parks and a very relaxed atmosphere
It is also famous as a city in which bicycles are the main mode of transport since the town is small and has many parks and pedestrian zones.”
So on the advice of the ‘Slovak Fish’ (as Moravcová was affectionately dubbed during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sidney)
Several grand hotels and spa houses create a sprawling complex offering an impressive 2,300 beds to visitors on any given night
The best part about the island is its parks
and a tranquil water garden all lend to the easygoing atmosphere
Further adding to the city’s sedate character is the weather
According to the book ‘Slovakia Spas - Health and Beauty Walks’
the town is in one of the warmest and sunniest regions in Slovakia
“The sun shines here for around 2,080 hours per year,” it reads
That equates into sunshine for nearly half of the daylight hours (4,380) in a year
Just north of the bridge that connects the city centre to Spa Island is a rustic suspension bridge leading to a secluded slice of land in the middle of the Váh
joggers and bikers find themselves lost in a tranquil river world
The only sounds are the gentle murmur of the water
I decided that I needed a tad more pampering
peddled into town and reserved my hotel room for another night
And now I can report that the bath and massage feel just as good the second time around as they do the first
A helping hand in the heart of Europe thanks to the Slovakia travel guide with more than 1,000 photos and hundred of tourist spots
Detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains
Lost in Bratislava? Impossible with our City Guide
The plague of the small airport in western Slovakia continues
it needs a private investor or an intervention by its current shareholders
The extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of the Letisko Piešťany joint-stock company that operates Piešťany airport on January 25 discussed a plan of consolidation with an outlook until 2020 and the proposals of the board concerning the possibilities of gaining capital sufficiency and a proposal to solve the liabilities of the company
The general assembly obliged the board to elaborate and file a plan for further operation of the airport by the next general assembly
The chair of the board and governor of the Trnava Region
Tibor Mikuš told TASR that the company is currently trying to find a strategic investor who could enable further operation but the negotiations are time consuming
He also added that the Trnava Region is the only one of the shareholders – the Transport Ministry is the second of three shareholders – who put in money for the operation of the airport
Mikuš assesses the sum at €1.6 million in the past few years
and the money is in the form of private loans
He added that they have addressed nine banks with a request for a loan and the only answer so far was negative
Mikuš slammed the city of Piešťany for not coming up with a plan for economic recovery
said that in the case that the company board addresses them with a demand for financial participation in the operation
he will file it for assessment by the city council
He stressed that the city also invested in the company and the airport
He repeated for TASR that the city representation is for the preservation of the airport
the Letisko Piešťany company faced the threat of bankruptcy
the general meeting that was supposed to decide its fate on November 29
learned of new circumstances and ruled to omit this issue from discussion
residing in Piešťany showed interest in investing
This means that the operation of the airport is only secured until the end of February
The world-famous spa in Piešťany marked an anniversary recently: the town’s art nouveau Thermia Palace Hotel celebrated its 100th year
Located on the landscaped Spa Island in Piešťany
this five-star hotel is directly connected to the Irma spa
Both facilities represent the architecture and art of the beginning of the 20th century
The world-famous spa in Piešťany marked an anniversary recently: the town’s art nouveau Thermia Palace Hotel celebrated its 100th year
Located on the landscaped Spa Island in Piešťany
The hotel was opened by Ľudovít Winter
the entrepreneur who founded the company that originally managed the whole spa resort
After Alexander’s death his sons Ľudovít and Imrich continued his work
Ľudovít approached Budapest architects Ármin Hegedüs and Henrich Böhm
who became the designers of the complex of buildings
Ľudovít was not completely satisfied with their design and only found the solution when he travelled on holiday to Switzerland and came across a satisfactory way to connect the buildings at a specialised architectural studio in Lausanne
he took out a loan to finance construction
both buildings – the hotel and the health spa – were completed in April 1912
and so on were supplied by renowned companies mostly from the Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Both buildings are decorated with all kinds of portable and fixed works of art
who visited the spa several times and whose daughter was healed here
in 1932 donated a large allegorical painting
granted pride of place above one of the main doors
shows a recovering girl – Mucha’s daughter – sitting in a rocking chair
Other precious artworks include a ceramic peacock on the façade made by Piešťany-born sculptor Valér Vavro
paintings by Slovak painter and graphic designer Aurel Kajlich; the coat of arms of a Nawab of Bhopal
It is said that the name Thermia given to the hotel was the idea of Alexander Winter’s wife Henrieta
and that Ľudovít then added the word Palace to symbolise the position of the hotel and its link to the spa
The hotel in its first decades accommodated famous celebrities of the time
including Czechoslovakia’s foreign minister – later to become president – Edvard Beneš
legendary Russian opera singer Feodor Chaliapin
One of the legendary events of those times
a competition for luxury cars known as the Concours d’Elegance took place annually between 1932 and 1937
The competition was the grand climax of car trips to Piešťany
and many famous spa guests and local doctors participated in the event in gleaming automobiles
This tradition was revived as a parade of vintage cars under the new name Golden Ribbons of Piešťany – Concours d’Elegance in 1991
But the hotel is marked by more than just its old fame and splendour
the Thermia Palace Hotel underwent a major reconstruction and reopened as the first five-star spa hotel in Slovakia
It continues to attract prominent guests including actors and actresses
moviemakers and athletes; the Thermia Palace Hotel also held a Visegrad Group presidents’ meeting in September 2008
and has accommodated UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and various foreign ambassadors
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founder of Brisbane-based aquatic sport equipment company
Anti Wave Global Pty Ltd has advised of the success of the Anti Kajlich Master’s Polo Cup
held in the Slovakian city of Piestany last month
the over 35-year-old Master's polo event celebrated its 23rd year with teams from around the world travelling to Piestany
a picturesque and historic natural spa town and Kajlich’s hometown
a former professional water polo goalie who has a long and celebrated history in the sport
of water polo around the world took part in the event as a member of a U81 team - the first year that the competition included this category – with five members of his team
made a surprise last minute 30,000km round-trip with his wife back to his hometown of Piestany to compete in the competition and share a beer and beef goulash with his old polo mates from 12 countries around the world
Prague in Czechia and Bratislava in Slovakia and was held over two days at Piestany’s historic ‘Eva Pool’ - a regional hub for aquatics which also has natural thermal hot pools in the facility
Kajlich has been a driving force in the development of performance swim and water polo equipment around the world since 1974
when he developed and patented the original Anti Goal - the world’s favourite water polo goal
known globally for their innovative wave calming capability
user friendly top performance design and easy availability
His Australian family company Anti Wave is now run by Anti's son Anton
now with over 20 years experience in the sector
and continues his long-standing polo career with appearances in the goal at Master’s Polo competitions around the world
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Images: The ‘Golden Oldies U81 team’ at the Anti Kajlich Masters Cup 2023 in Piestany
the Anti Kajlich Masters Cup 2023 trophy (middle) and Anti Kajlich in goal (below)
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and adult beverages – truly the perfect summer holiday mix
Maybe throw in a bit of cultural heritage sightseeing and a classy wine festival or art exhibition
But there’s one small problem: your kids will be coming along
They want ice cream and other sweet delights
Don’t compromise. Go to Piestany.
Slovakia’s biggest and most popular spa town
just 90 km from Bratislava in the lush Vah River valley
will hit everything on your holiday wish list while offering plenty of family-friendly fare to keep your young entourage gleefully entertained for days.
you won’t have to break the bank to enjoy a week-long getaway that skillfully balances wellness
and family fun in one nicely wrapped package
This combination is even better than a traditional seaside vacation – starting with the family-centric Splendid Ensana Health Spa Hotel
which is currently offering a limited-time deal of 70 euros per person per night for a double room.
This covers all-inclusive access to the three-star hotel’s pools (including a sandy outdoor “beach”)
and theater performances as well as breakfast
Piestany has been attracting international visitors by the thousands for centuries
The resort is one of the largest balneotherapy centers in Central Europe
having completed more than a million treatments
Hotel Splendid is directly connected to the elegant four-star Esplanade Ensana Health Spa Hotel
The two properties offer an extensive range of amenities and activities
ensuring a seamless and enjoyable stay for families
Esplanade caters particularly to the adults in the group seeking relaxation and stress relief
offer a serene respite from childcare duties
After getting your wellness needs in check
Piestany has a lot more on offer than its famous mineral baths
You’ll need at least five days if not a week to soak it all in.
The town and its surrounding area are brimming with rich architectural gems, from castles and medieval monastery ruins to modern additions like the functionalist Colonnade Bridge. One of the longest covered bridges in Slovakia
it connects Piestany to Spa Island and is adorned with many unique artifacts
putting it in line for inclusion on the World Heritage List.
there are quite a few paths to explore in and around Piestany
with the town itself located along the well-traveled Vazska Cyklomagistrala cycling route
the Vah rafting season is not to be missed
If music festivals and cultural events are your jam, Piestany’s meaty summer lineup is filling up fast
There will also be a big wine-tasting event at Hotel Esplanade on July 22
The town is hosting an Alfons Mucha exhibition at the Napoleon II building on Spa Island through Oct
Your Ensana Hotel package will get you into Alfons Mucha: Flower Worlds for free
The exhibition features a total of 118 paintings by the Czech artist
The celebrated art nouveau master is said to have created many sketches for his historic “Slavic Epic” during his long stays in Piestany
In the Grand Restaurant of Thermia Palace Ensana Health Spa Hotel hangs another Mucha original
Blessed Fountain of Health,” which he gifted to the hotel in 1932 in appreciation for his daughter Jaroslava’s spa treatment and recovery
While its history is storied and culture inspiring
the town’s renowned attractions are its swirling thermal waters
there is no shortage of places to take a dip
the front doors of Piestany’s famous mineral pools have never seemed so near – or so enticing
This article was written in cooperation with Ensana. Read more about our partner content policies here
The spa town is ready to open the summer season
The popular Lonely Planet website for travellers made a rundown of some of Europe’s best hot springs
With Trnava region travel guide in hand
you’re sure to find that “Little Rome” is larger than life and ready to welcome you with open arms (and mead)!
The list of the 20 most stunning locations includes hot springs in Slovakia
The popular spa town Piešťany ended up on the Lonely Planet ranking
“It’s all about the mud at Piešťany
Slovakia’s largest spa town,” the Lonely Planet description reads
most of the thermal pools in this western Slovakian village
are contained in the lush surroundings of a wooded park known as ‘spa island’.”
after a two-year break due to the pandemic
they will open the summer spa season again in style
they are preparing a series of events in the well-known spa town
from concerts through various lectures to the traditional show of historic vehicles in Piešťany's Golden Ribbons - Councour d'Elegance
Slovakia is known for its spas where various diseases are cured, the spas also used to recover from diseases. It's possible to book a stay for ordinary people as well
WHILE Slovakia is not yet recognised as a popular destination for health tourism
its spas enjoy a long and highly-regarded reputation
Each year thousands of foreigners travel to Piešťany
Trenčianske Teplice or Bardejov and many of them return annually
to receive special treatments with various kinds of mineral waters
or just to enjoy the wide range of wellness procedures offered
Each year thousands of foreigners travel to Piešťany
Slovakia is rich in deep underground springs with varying thermal and mineral properties
Information on the healing value of these waters for various illnesses dates back to the earliest settlements in what is now Slovakia
Apart from treatments based on therapeutic mineral water there are also localities
Altogether there are more than 20 specialised resorts in the country providing professional spa treatments
The most popular spa destination for Slovak as well as foreign visitors is Piešťany on the Váh River
“The most sought-after spa in Slovakia is Piešťany,” Peter Salem
a travel agency specialising in well-being which regularly brings foreigners to Slovak spas
“Mostly clients from German-speaking countries and the Middle East come to Piešťany.”
His agency brings guests to spas in Slovakia from across Europe
By using the internet Avicenum is able to attract clients from around the globe
but he said his company’s experience is that growth of foreign visitors to Slovakia is stagnating compared with previous years
“There are several reasons behind this
but they are all based on the economic crisis and adoption of the euro after which Slovakia lost its attractiveness as a country with cheap services,” Salem said
“But the positive feature is that thanks to the drop in sales many businesses care more now about increasing the quality of their services and securing quality supplementary activities in culture
or sports because not only is the quality of the spa or the hotel itself important but so are the opportunities for spending free time
We believe that this stagnation is only of a temporary nature.”
He added that Slovakia's entry into the Schengen zone has helped the spa business because clients flying into Vienna now have easier access to Slovakia
Salem views positive references as the main reason for customers of his agency to choose Slovak spas
He sees as a disadvantage the failure of Slovakia to systematically build its image as an attractive destination even though it has an abundance of quality infrastructure
a high concentration of natural beauties and interesting historical sights
“Contrary to Austria or the Czech Republic
Slovakia has lacked an integrated concept for development of tourism which cannot be made from behind a writing desk but would also include involved businesses such as incoming agencies
the 200-year-old Piešťany spa is also the biggest spa in Slovakia
It owes its reputation mainly to its unique natural springs of thermal mineral water
These are the main ingredient in the formation of its curative sulphur mud
Treatments in Piešťany are mostly centred on Spa Island with its hotels
and an outdoor swimming pool as well as a golf course which all come under the umbrella of the Slovak Health Spa Piešťany company
Last year almost 48,400 people received treatment in Piešťany of which 24,750 were foreigners
The second most-visited Slovak spa is in Trenčianske Teplice: last year 13,045 Slovaks underwent treatment there
“The interest of foreign visitors in the spa in Trenčianske Teplice has not been decreasing,” Andrej Puček
sales manager at Kúpele Trenčianske Teplice company told The Slovak Spectator
“Last year we registered a moderate increase in foreign visitors
We recorded a drop in Czech and Polish clients that was connected with the adoption of the euro and the unfavourable development of the world economy
we registered an increase from markets in Austria
In Trenčianske Teplice the share of foreign customers has been hovering around 25 percent of the spa's total clientele
and the Netherlands are interested in classical treatments
Wellness and relaxation stays are less popular with visitors from these countries
Visitors from the Czech Republic are more balanced in their treatment interests and they are also more likely to come for shorter wellness and relaxation stays where the shorter travel distance plays a role
Puček sees the quality of Trenčianske Teplice’s thermal water as the key to foreign interest in the spa
adding that another important factor is the high-quality medical services available
He noted that the requirements of guests for high quality accommodation
food and services are also improving at the spa
The spa in Sklené Teplice which features a rare thermal cave steam bath called Parenica is also reporting growing interest among foreigners
“Foreign clients make up 19 percent of all guests,” Simona Schwarz from the marketing department at Liečebné Termálne Kúpele Sklené Teplice told The Slovak Spectator
“During previous years this share was lower because our spa was not yet reconstructed and was not as well known abroad as it is now
In 2008 we invested a not insignificant amount of money into the development of our spa facilities
Schwarz said Sklené Teplice receives the greatest number of visitors from the Czech Republic but guests also come from Germany and Russia
“Most of our clients are repeat visitors or they become so after spending a number of stays here,” she said
“They are drawn by our unique healing springs as well as our balneo treatment
or they just want to draw new strength in the beautiful environment of the Štiavnické Vrchy mountains.”
The main philosophy behind the Sklené Teplice spa is to improve the health condition of its guests as well as their satisfaction
Constant efforts to remove shortcomings based on comments from clients and the individual attention of employees to clients
are also important elements of the spa’s philosophy
A foreign clientele has also discovered Dudince in southern Slovakia which can boast of being the youngest spa region in the country
Several individual facilities there provide treatment
Most of them are united under the Balnea Cluster Dudince
The Flóra Hotel registers visitors especially from the Czech Republic and Germany
“They come to Dudince either because of the mineral water or because of the quality of the curative and physiotherapy services
our relaxation programmes or other wellness services,” Bohuslav Beňuch
“New clients are arriving from the Czech Republic while from Germany there are mostly returning clients
some of whom have returned even for the 20th time
clients arrive from time to time as well.”
Beňuch said that foreign guests now account for about 80 percent of the clientele of the Flóra Hotel
mostly from the Czech Republic and Germany
“During previous years the share of foreign guests was almost 100 percent and almost completely German but now there is a declining tendency in foreign clientele
especially from countries other than the Czech Republic,” said Beňuch
which focuses especially on traditional spa treatments and seeks a close doctor-patient relationship
reports increased interest especially from Scandinavian countries – Norway
Denmark and Sweden – while it also has a stable and ‘loyal’ clientele among visitors from Germany and Austria
according to Lenka Záhorská from the marketing department at Slovthermae
foreign clientele made up about 30 percent of all the guests,” Záhorská told The Slovak Spectator
“Compared with previous years we registered a downward trend but we remain optimists.”
Záhorská said most of the spa’s clients are aged 60 or over and it records most interest in two- or three-week all-inclusive stays
was looking for a trademark for his company
A young man from the local printing house designed for him a figure of a man breaking a crutch
and later became the coat of arms for the city.The history of the Winter family is closely tied to the city of Piešťany and its spa
Alexander Winter rented Spa Island and its surrounding from count Erdödy in 1889
He invested all his savings into reconstruction
the building of hotels and the promotion of Piešťany as the most luxurious spa in Europe
EARLY Spa advert on display.photo: Courtesy of Balneological Museum
one of the founders of the Piešťany spa
and later became the coat of arms for the city
The history of the Winter family is closely tied to the city of Piešťany and its spa
Alexander Winter rented Spa Island and its surrounding from count Erdödy in 1889
the building of hotels and the promotion of Piešťany as the most luxurious spa in Europe
Winter was hoping that the enterprise would grow into a successful family business
and by employing his two sons František and Ľudovít
he wanted to ensure the continuation of the project
the family's destiny was changed by the outbreak of the second world war
were forced to sell all their property to a German consortium
Ľudovít Winter then moved to Bratislava
where he was subsequently rounded up by the Nazis and sent to the Terezín concentration camp north of Prague
and after the war returned as an old and broken man to Piešťany where he lived until 1968
LUXURIOUS Napoleon Spa is the oldest building on Spa Island.photo: Chris Togneri
The Winter family not only contributed to the city's economic prosperity but also established a museum society and in 1933 financed the founding of a museum presenting the rich history of Piešťany and its region
Today the old Spa Hall still houses the Balneological Museum
exploring the history of medicinal baths and including interesting and bizarre objects from archaeological excavations
expeditions to the far East and a replica of a farmer's house from the end of the 19th century
The museum also has a 'patriotic corner' with memorabilia of Milan Rastislav Štefánik
a leading Slovak politician and diplomat from the early 20th century and one of the founding fathers of the first Czechoslovak state in 1918
It commemorates famous people who stayed in Piešťany spa
such as Czech painter Alfons Mucha and Swedish writer Selma Lagerlöff
Rumour has it that Ludwig van Beethoven was also among the spa guests
"This has never been historically confirmed or denied
We are not sure but we like to count him among the important visitors," says Andrej Bolerázsky
The second building belonging to the museum is situated in Dr
Liska's villa on Štefánikova street and is devoted to the history of Slovak spas and spa treatment in general
Piešťany's healing water and mud
which bubble up from the banks of the Váh river
are said to cure a wide range of ailments from nervous disorders to tendon and ligament ailments
The upper floor of the museum houses changing exhibitions such as the current display of art nouveau advertising posters
THE TRANQUILITY of Spa Island has been enticing visitors for generations.photo: Chris Togneri
most of the architecturally interesting buildings in the city are also connected to the spa
such as the Colonnade bridge connecting downtown Piešťany and Spa Island
the Thermia Palace Hotel or the Kursalon Treatment Hall
They have all been recently reconstructed to serve their original purpose
The city seems to be slowly but surely discovering its own potential
A lot of construction work is going on and there are talks about building a golf course in the area
Piešťany is the most popular spa destination in Slovakia
rehabilitation and different types of massage are fully available to patients in the spa and partly to occasional visitors
To call Piešťany sleepy would probably be an insult
but the easy-going attitude of the spa guests is apparently very contagious and the city's inhabitants do not seem to worry too much about being in a hurry or stressed
The many parks give the Spa Island a very soothing atmosphere
and the relaxed people sitting in outdoor cafes and restaurants make a visitor feel like it is Sunday seven days a week
For further information about Piešťany region see 'What to do and where to go' on page 7
The regulation of the river Váh saved people from floods
Then a ship pulled it to the middle of Sĺňava
the island was detached from the ship and divers anchored it to the bottom of the reservoir
the island will not serve vacationers or other people
but birds that almost became extinct because of humans
"The floating bird island is intended for aquatic birds that have lived and nested on the river Váh for thousands of years
Shorebirds such as the little ringed plover and common sandpiper have also significantly decreased
Islands like this one aim to save them," says ornithologist Jozef Ridzoň
from the Slovak Ornithological Society/Birdlife Slovakia
Explaining why the floating island is bare
"The island imitates the original gravel islands that were once common on the Váh
the common tern needs such places without vegetation
Even its eggs are the colour of gravel in order to be inconspicuous."
After the regulation of the river Váh in the last century
with gravel islands either completely destroyed or overgrown
A historical map from 1950 shows many islands in the river section where the Sĺňava was built
Grape Festival will have to relocate elsewhere in 2021
This year’s Grape Festival will say goodbye to the spa town of Piešťany
where it has been held for the last ten years
“We want the last year at the airport to not only be a goodbye but also a bit of a carnival and celebration of life,” Ján Trstenský of the Grape Festival told The Slovak Spectator
the popular music festival was planned to be held at a location other than Piešťany airport in 2020 due to a rising number of charter flights in the summer
but organisers found a compromise with travel agency Happy Travel and the Trnava Self-Governing Region (TTSK)
almost 160 musicians from 22 countries played Grape Festival
artists have already been announced for the 11th edition
Britain is expected to request the extradition of three men suspected of links to the Real IRA
after their arrest and detention in Slovakia July 6.The three
two of whom have been named as Michael McDonald and Declan Rafferty
were arrested in the west Slovak town of Piešťany after what was believed to have been a joint surveillance operation involving anti-terrorist forces from Slovakia
Britain and other central and east European states
detained under warrants issued under Britain's Prevention of Terrorism Act
are thought to have been involved in plans to buy weapons for the terrorist organisation
and then ship them to the Irish Republic through central Europe
Slovak authorities have refused to comment on the case
other than to confirm that three men are being held
The Real IRA is believed to have been behind many terrorist attacks in Ulster and mainland Britain
British police clean up after an attack believed to have been carried out by the group.photo: TASR
after their arrest and detention in Slovakia July 6
were arrested in the west Slovak town of Piešťany after what was believed to have been a joint surveillance operation involving anti-terrorist forces from Slovakia
Official sources say that the request for extradition will probably be made on July 13 or 16
Slovakia's Justice Ministry said July 9 that it has 40 days in which to decide if it will grant the request for extradition
The Real IRA appeared in late 1997 after splitting from the Provisional
or mainstream IRA - the armed wing of the Irish republican political party Sinn Fein
A cease-fire in the conflict in Northern Ireland had been called by the Provisional IRA
The group is opposed to the current peace process in Ulster
and has been held responsible for a number of bombings in Northern Ireland and mainland Britain
including one in the town of Omagh in 1998 which killed 29 people and injured more than 200
The capture of the three men was welcomed by some politicians in Northern Ireland
Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson said: "I first raised this issue in parliament a number of months ago and provided evidence to the government of an arms smuggling operation involving senior members of the Real IRA and gun-runners from the former Yugoslavia," he said
the [combined security forces'] action will prevent further arms being imported to Northern Ireland."
The arrest is the second incident involving the detention of people in central Europe with suspected links to Irish terrorist groups
Croat police seized a shipment of arms including a rocket launcher allegedly destined for Dublin
Weapons used by terrorist groups in Ireland
have previously been traced to the Balkans region
Last September a warhead from an RPG18 rocket
believed to have been smuggled from the Balkans
was fired at the London headquarters of the top British Intelligence Service
British authorities said at the time that they believed the attack had been carried out by an Irish dissident terrorist group
Since the fall of Communism in the region at the end of 1989
western intelligence services and independent military experts have said that central Europe
and especially the former Czechoslovakia as one of the largest weapons producers in the world when part of the Warsaw Pact
were a particular area of concern for illegal weapons trading and shipping
The sudden and sometimes disorganised closure of many arms factories and the low wages paid to those controlling legal arms shipments
make it easier for illegal arms traders and runners to ship weapons to the West
which means I may get a commission for purchases made through these links
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There are wonderful day trips from Bratislava
But you can also go shopping or learn about history
Bratislava is an incredible city to travel to. There are so many fun things to do in the capital of Slovakia
you can see the historic center of Bratislava
And there are wonderful churches in the city
But another reason why the city is great is that there are amazing day trips from Bratislava
ViennaOne of the best day trips from Bratislava is Vienna
Even though it's in another country than Bratislava
You can get to Vienna by train and it will take you about one hour.
There are so many reasons why it’s amazing to go to this city for a day
One of the things you have to see in the city is the Schönbrunn Palace
The palace looks wonderful and the history of it is very interesting
the Habsburg rulers lived there when it was summer
And there are many other great things to see in Vienna
The church is there since 1160 which is very impressive.
You can find these gardens next to Schönbrunn Palace
The gardens and the palace are part of the UNESCO World Heritage list
You can also find many amazing photo spots in Vienna
Also, the museums in the city are amazing. For example, the Leopold Museum is very nice
There, you find a large collection of modern Austrian art. Another amazing museum is the Natural History Museum
So if you're looking for day trips from Bratislava with delicious food
That's because you can find the Prater amusement park there.
It's around 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Bratislava
You can get there by train and the journey will take about 1.5 hours.
This city has more than 50,000 inhabitants
One of the best things to see in the city is Trenčín Castle
This is a medieval castle and it's so impressive
It goes back to the time of the Roman Empire.
you can see exhibitions of the Trenčín Museum here
You can learn about the history of the castle and the area.
it's amazing to see the historical center of Trenčín
You can learn so much about the history there
making this one of the best day trips from Bratislava
you can visit the museum of wheels if you like to know more about wheels
And it's fascinating to see the old city gate
Budapest is also a great city to visit for a day
it will take about 2.5 hours to get there from Bratislava
So it’s a longer journey than most of the day trips
But it’s definitely worth it because it's one of the best day trips from Bratislava
the beauty of the city will definitely surprise you
It’s amazing to see all the wonderful architecture
One of the most impressive sights is the Fisherman's Bastion
The architecture of the Fisherman's Bastion is gorgeous
you have an incredible view of the city from there
And there's so much more to do when you're doing a day trip to Budapest
This is a very pretty cafe and it belongs to the most photogenic places in Budapest
many people know Budapest because of its thermal baths
visiting the Hungarian National Museum is great
Budapest belongs to the best day trips from Bratislava.
And you can attend an opera if you go to Budapest
The most wonderful place to do that is at the Hungarian State Opera House.
It's also great to see the Hungarian Parliament Building
The building looks impressive and the architecture is incredible
Another wonderful place is the Devín Castle
Devín Castle is one of the most incredible day trips from Bratislava
That's because it's a very interesting castle to see
One of the reasons why it's so interesting is that it belongs to the oldest castles in Slovakia
The first time that people mentioned the castle was 864
but it seems like it is in written sources
Slovakia found remains of a Roman tower from the first century
And they even found there was a settlement in prehistoric times
Slovakia also reconstructed some parts of it
there's an amazing museum in the castle as well
This makes visiting the castle even better
this is an amazing day trip from Bratislava!
Banska Stiavnica is a little town in Slovakia
This is a very unique place to visit because it’s a preserved medieval town
Banska Stiavnica and its surroundings are even part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site list
If you drive to Banská Štiavnica from Bratislava it will take about two hours.
There are many beautiful things to see in the town
There's also a medieval chapel which is very impressive
It's amazing to see all the medieval buildings in the city
And the atmosphere in Banska Stiavnica is great
there are some very beautiful viewpoints in the city.
this belongs to the amazing day trips from Bratislava
Trnava is also one of the best day trips from Bratislava
It's 29 miles (47 kilometers) from Bratislava and it takes about 40 minutes to drive there
The City Tower is one of the most amazing things to see in Trnava
It's the highest building in the old center of the town
It belongs to the most important historic sights of the town.
That's because there was a fire in the 17th century
you have a wonderful view of the city!
you can also see Saint Nicholas Church in Trnava
The church is old and it's beautiful from the inside and the outside
the city is an amazing place to spend some time
There are lovely restaurants and the architecture in Trnava is wonderful.
Brno is a city in the Czech Republic and it's perfect for a day trip from Bratislava
It takes about 1.5 hours to get from Bratislava to Brno by train.
The city is famous because of the modernist buildings
this is one of the best sights in Europe!
One of the best sights in the city is the Špilberk Castle
The construction of the castle started in the 13th century
This is a large square where you can see sculptures and beautiful buildings.
It's the second oldest museum in the country
there are more than 6 million things to see in the museum
The Little Carpathians are a collection of low mountains
Doing a day trip during which you see the small Carpathians is so much fun
It's definitely one of the best day trips from Bratislava
The small Carpathians wine route covers vineyards on the slopes of the mountains
You can ask them all questions you have about wine.
Nitra is the fifth largest city in the country
it's one of the oldest cities you can find in Slovakia
It takes about an hour to drive here from Bratislava
Nitra Castle is a beautiful castle from the 11th century
there are also beautiful churches in the city
you can find the cathedral in the area of Nitra Castle
So visiting both sights in a day is perfect!
One of the best museums in Nitra is the Slovak Agricultural Museum
This is definitely a great place to visit if you want to learn about agriculture
Čachtice Castle is a castle ruin very close to Čachtice
The castle belongs to the most fun day trips from Bratislava
This is a lovely village in Western Slovakia
The village is small and there live about 4,000 people.
Čachtice Castle is one of the most impressive castles in the country
That's because there are rare plants.
the castle is there since the 13th century
but people turned it into a Gothic castle.
it's an amazing tourist attraction and it's perfect for a day trip.
Lake Neusiedl is a fantastic place to visit
you can get there in less than an hour by car
The lake is on the border of Austria and Hungary
There are several fun things to do at the lake
Sailing on the lake is awesome and the views are wonderful when you're sailing there
Many people call the lake the "Sea of the Viennese"
That's because it's close to Vienna.
there are amazing cycling trails at the lake
you should definitely do that on the cycling routes
You will love the beautiful views if you're cycling.
This is one of my favorite things to see at Lake Neusiedl. And it's one of the reasons why it's one of the most dreamy day trips from Bratislava
The village is amazing to visit if you like history
That's because you can find incredible castle ruins near Beckov
Beckov Castle is very old as it's from the 13th century
people made the castle to protect the Kingdom of Hungary
That's also the reason why you can find the castle on a cliff.
There are examples of Renaissance and Gothic architecture
it feels a bit as if you're going back in time
you can visit the museum near the castle too
you can learn more about Beckov castle and its incredible history.
You don't always have to travel far for a day trip
You can also stay in Bratislava and enjoy great places in the city
A great place for your day of shopping is the Eurovea Galleria shopping mall
This is a shopping complex that is very close to the old town of Bratislava
You find here many shops that include both national as well as international brands
Examples of shops you find here are H&M
the whole shopping mall covers an area of more than 600,000 feet
you find here all kinds of other facilities as well
It is an amazing piece of nature to see and to visit for a day.
Devín is a borough of Bratislava where you can also find Devín Castle that I mentioned before
It's only about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the center of Bratislava
but it's also interesting to learn about it
People found many interesting objects here
you have a wonderful view of Devín Castle here
That makes the experience of visiting it even better
you can also see both the castle and Sandberg in one day
It's very fun to go hiking in the area.
this belongs to the best day trips from Bratislava for sure.
Another incredible day trip from Bratislava is Piešťany
It takes about an hour to go to Piešťany from Bratislava
One of the best things to see is the Museum of Military History
There are hundreds of interesting objects to see
It's so interesting to learn about all objects there
Another incredible sight is the House of Arts Piešťany
The building looks wonderful from the outside
It's definitely a great place to see in the town if you like architecture
Břeclav is a very nice town in the Czech Republic
and you can find it in the Moravian Region
There are about 25,000 people that live in Břeclav.
Getting to the town of Břeclav is easy to do
You can get there from Bratislava by car in about one hour
When you go here for a day trip there is much to do
There are lots of amazing sights in Břeclav
One of the best things in the town is John's Castle
This is a building that looks like an old castle
Another sight you have to see is the Temple of the Three Graces
This is a beautiful monument of white stone that is worth seeing
Interested in relaxing day trips from Bratislava? You can also go to the Piešťany spa for a day
This is one of the most amazing spas in the country
The spa exists for more than a hundred years
It's definitely the place to visit if you want to relax
there are treatments for many symptoms as well
But there are also beauty treatments and the sauna and steam rooms are amazing
And there are amazing body rituals and great massages
There's something for everyone's liking at the spa
Driny Cave is a place that's very impressive to see when you're in Slovakia
The cave is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Bratislava
It is a limestone cave that you can find in the Little Carpathians Mountains
And people explored about 630 meters of the cave
One of the reasons to visit this cave is that it looks incredible
And it's so interesting to learn more about the history of the cave
Locals already know about the cave for a very long time
It's a beautiful village in the western part of Slovakia near Bratislava
You can reach the village by car in about 45 minutes
One of the best sights in Budmerice is Červený Kameň Castle
This is an old castle from the 13th century that was part of the defense of the Kingdom of Hungary
Another interesting sight in Budmerice is the Budmerice Manor House
It belonged to Duke Jan Palffy and his wife
The architecture of the building is incredible to see
the interior of the place is beautiful and includes a monumental staircase
The English Garden of the Budmerice Manor House is amazing to see as well
It surrounds the building and is a great place for a relaxing stroll
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Hi there! I’m Dymphe, a travel blogger and content creator with a passion for exploring beautiful destinations and travel photography. I’ve been traveling for years and I decided to start this blog to help you do the same in Europe, the United States, and beyond. More about me.
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