Central Slovakia
30 lesser-known places in Central Slovakia, with history, curiosities, a map and tours nearby.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
30 places
Banská Bystrica Castle
Banská Bystrica · walled church and barbican above the square
Blatnica Castle
Blatnica · Gothic ruin with a tower you can still climb
Budatín Castle
Žilina · round-tower castle where two rivers meet
Bzovík Fortified Abbey
Bzovík · Romanesque abbey rebuilt as a bastioned fortress
Čabraď Castle
Čabradský Vrbovok · ruined castle that the Ottomans never took
Church of All Saints, Tvrdošín
Tvrdošín · Gothic log church with a painted ceiling
Church of St Catherine, Banská Štiavnica
Banská Štiavnica · Late Gothic church with a Last Judgement
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Žilina
Žilina · the twin-towered landmark, burnt and rebuilt
Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Pohorelá
Pohorelá · village church with a Coburg bench and organ
Divín Castle
Divín · Gothic castle ruin that spent 18 years under Ottoman rule
Fiľakovo Castle
Fiľakovo · ruined castle that was an Ottoman stronghold
Havránok
Liptov · Celtic hillfort and shrine brought back to life
Levice Castle
Levice · frontier castle of the Ottoman wars with a museum
Lietava Castle
Lietava · huge ruin saved by volunteers, a short hike from Žilina
Likava Castle
Likavka · Liptov's biggest castle, Hussite prize and county prison
Mária Valéria Bridge
Štúrovo · Danube bridge destroyed twice and reborn in 2001
Most Holy Trinity Church, Tvrdošín
Tvrdošín · Baroque church with a tower older than its walls
Muráň Castle
Muráň · mountain ruin of a robber knight and a legendary lady
Nový zámok
Banská Štiavnica · tower built against the Turks, now a museum
Orava Castle
Oravský Podzámok · rock castle that played Nosferatu's home
Považský hrad
Považská Bystrica · ruined eagle's nest of the Podmanitzkys
Pustý hrad
Zvolen · ruins of one of Europe's largest medieval castles
Sklabiňa Castle
Sklabinský Podzámok · ruined county seat revived by volunteers
Slovak Astronomical Clock in Stará Bystrica
Stará Bystrica · Slovakia's only astronomical clock, carved in wood
SNP Monument and Museum in Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica · brutalist memorial to the 1944 uprising
Šomoška Castle
Šiatorská Bukovinka · basalt castle ruin beside a stone waterfall
Strečno Castle
Strečno · cliff castle guarding the Váh gorge
Považská Bystrica Viaduct
Považská Bystrica · the D1 bridge that crosses a whole town
Wooden articular church of Hronsek
Hronsek · UNESCO Lutheran timber church built under the 1681 rules
Zvolen Castle
Zvolen · Anjou hunting castle with a painted ceiling and Rubens