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Western Slovakia means much more than Bratislava and the Small Carpathian wine region. Within an hour or two by road, there is a wealth of fascinating attractions, including the ancient towns of Nitra and Trencin and the world famous Piestany Spa. Piestany, located on the Vah River, is a renowned spa center with splendid, early 20th century Art Nouveau spa buildings integrated into a modern complex with state of the art facilities. The spa’s symbol − a man breaking his crutches − can be seen on the Spa Bridge.

Nitra is one of the cradles of Slovak culture. In 828, the Slavic prince Pribina had the first Christian church in the country consecrated here. Later, the principality of Nitra became part of the Great Moravian Empire, and Nitra’s castle became one of its central strongholds. In the 9th century, a Benedictine monastery was established above the city on Zobor Hill − Slovakia’s oldest written documents originate here. Valuable Romanesque churches have been preserved in and around the city, and the castle is now home to the local bishop. Nitra today is a bustling city, site of an important annual international agricultural fair - Agrokomplex. The town is home to the Slovak Agricultural Museum, which employs a steam railway train to transport visitors around its compound.

Trencin lies further up the Vah Valley. Founded in ancient Roman times, it was the northernmost spot reached by Roman troops, who established a military camp here called Laugaritio. A memorial plaque chiseled in 179 AD on the cliff face below Trencin Castle illustrates the site’s strategic importance. Likewise, in the Middle Ages, a powerful oligarch named Matus Cak − referred to in folklore as the “Lord of Vah and Tatras” − established his residence at the Trencin Castle. With its with sweeping views of the river valley and White Carpathian Mountains, the castle is one of the most popular historic monuments in Slovakia.

The Vah River, Slovakia’s longest waterway, has a particular place in Slovak history and folklore. It rises from springs in the mountain valleys of the High and Low Tatras and flows through the historic regions of Liptov and Turiec and the cities of Zilina, Trencin and Piestany Spa. For centuries, its valley has been an important trade and communications route, protected by proud castles on high rocky cliffs. Raftsmen once floated down the Vah bringing loads of timber from the mountains. This halted, however, during the Communist era, when the river was regulated by a chain of dams constructed along its course.