Running, hiking, biking

Category: hike

  • Paradajs, Tanád

    Paradajs, Tanád

    A few days before Christmas, it was a foggy days, so we looked for the sun. This time above Banská Štiavnica, I parked my car in the parking lot near Hájovna in the Červená Studňa saddle.

    There is also a pond of the same name (at an altitude of 787 m above sea level). It was built as a taich in 1759 according to the design of the inventor Jozef Karol Hell, so that the drive ditch from it brought water to the Amália shaft to drive the water column pumping machine as well as to other mining works. The length of its dam is 117 m. It is the last built and still preserved Stiavnica tajch – six years after its construction, James Watt invented the steam engine.

    Ont he way to Paradajs

    We continue along the nature trail to Mount Paradajs (939 m.a.s.l.). It is the second highest peak of Štiavnické vrchy, it is interesting that further south along the ridge is the high Tanád hill. Paradajs has a flat unforested peak that provides wonderful views of Štiavnica (today it only provided us with menhirs emerging from the fog:) On its top there is also a newly built semi-circular shelter where you can have a great picnic.

    Dávid on one of the menhirs

    We continued through the foggy forest to Tanád, where we finally managed to climb out of the fog into the sun for a while.

    Finally above the fog
    Sun on Tanád

    From Tanád, we turn onto the yellow road and descend steeply, then we turn onto the green educational path of Milan Kapusta, past the old tunnels and the Ottergrund tajch.

    We always found something, that makes it worth it

    Tajch Ottergrund is the highest artificial reservoir in Štiavnické vrchy. It is small, but it has one big advantage.Banská Štiavnica is right in the palm of your hand from here, including the iconic calvary (but of course it couldn’t be fog:D). The Tajch began to be built in 1751 and served as an energy source for the nearby mine shafts, as well as a source of drinking water for the city and a fire tank. Fortunately, it has been preserved to this day, it was recently renovated and a safety spillway was built here. The current depth is 6.6 meters.

    Today we finish in Hájovňa in the saddle of Červená Studňa, where we warm up nicely after a foggy and wet day. As a reward, we treated ourselves to cappuccino and Dávid to sausages and juice.

    7.78km, 3h, 321 m ascend

  • Caste Šomoška

    Caste Šomoška

    I have wanted to visit this castle for a long time, but the distance from Banská Bystrica discouraged me. Now, however, a new section of the highway has finally opened and it shortened the journey to an acceptable hour and a half, so on Saturday, December 5th, we set out to explore the border castle and its surrounding area. And there is so much to see!

    You cannot miss the parking lot under the castle, the road to it is perfectly marked, and to my surprise, right next to the parking lot is a new and large playground and a buffet (which, however, is only open in season).

    There is also a map of the nature trail by the parking lot, or just a shortened version to the castle and back.

    nature trail map šomoška

    We decided to walk the entire nature trail in the direction of the quarry first, then the castle 🙂 The path to the quarry was made special by the forest stairs and the former school building. It is a ruin of a medium-sized building from which the walls, a few old doors and fallen windows have been preserved. The rest is slowly but surely being reclaimed by the forest.

    The quarry is called Mačacia and was founded in 1880. At its peak, up to 1,500 people worked there. A mining settlement with a school, dormitories, a shop and two financial guard buildings gradually grew up around it. Basalt was mined here and cat’s heads were made from it, and the raw material was exported to many European countries.

    Former shop building

    Above the quarry there is a lookout tower with a beautiful view of Šomoška Castle and Šalgó Castle behind it (which is now in Hungary).

    From the lookout tower

    From the lookout we return along the nature trail past the shop building and then past the financial guard building. We descend into the valley, cross the bridge and then the climb to the castle awaits us.

    Before we climb to the castle, we still have to see a sea of ​​stones and a basalt stone waterfall. David likes it very much, he would love to climb it all day long 🙂

    Stone waterfall

    The castle itself was founded in the late 13th or early 14th century by the Kačič family. It was built from basalt blocks, which were quarried directly from the castle hill. During the construction, a famous stone waterfall was also discovered. In 1310, it became the property of Matúš Čák.

    The original appearance of the castle is not clear. It is assumed that it originally consisted of a small towerless layout, approximately triangular in plan. Later in the Middle Ages it was expanded with a Gothic palace in the east and also with an entrance tower. A major reconstruction took place in the 16th century, when it was expanded with two cannon bastions, a barbican and two buildings on the north and south sides. The interiors were equipped with carved shaped elements.

    On the way back to the parking lot, we were also impressed by the beautifully renovated ponds, which are supplied with water from a nearby spring. They are interconnected to allow for the migration of aquatic animals. David was 6 at that time.

    9.41km, 2:37 active, 3:17 total, 315 metre ascent

  • Považský and Lietava castle

    Považský and Lietava castle

    We love castles, and we especially like ruins that we can explore on our own, without a guide. And during our weekend in the Súľovské vrchy, we managed to see two such castles.

    Považský hrad is the ruin of a castle on a steep hill on the right bank of the Váh River. According to unverified reports, the castle was built in 1128 to protect the important Považský road. However, the first mention of it dates back to 1316, where it is mentioned as Bystrický hrad.

    Entrance to Považskéhý castle

    The oldest part of the castle was the tower, standing on the highest point of the rampart, and the Gothic palace. The large oval-shaped forecourt was surrounded by a castle wall, which was protected from the NE by two prismatic towers. The access road, leading to the castle from the NE, is still visible in the terrain today. The entrance gate was protected by a prismatic tower with a barbican.

    Preserved walls of the castle

    The walls of the palace, towers and fortifications have been partially preserved. Window openings are visible on the palace, in places with preserved Renaissance cornices. Of the former farm buildings built in the courtyard, only parts of the walls, or their foundations, are visible. In some rooms there are remains of Renaissance vaults.

    2.5km, 1h

    Lietava Castle is located 10 km from the regional capital Žilina near the Cibuľník hill on the eastern edge of the Súľovské vrchy mountains.

    Walls of Lietava

    In terms of its level of preservation, it is among the largest (1 hectare of built-up area) and most beautifully preserved ruins not only in Slovakia, but also in Central Europe.

    Lietava is pretty big

    The demise of the Gothic-Renaissance castle dates back to 1753 and the ruins were abandoned in the forest until 1999. That is when the Lietava Castle Preservation Association was established, which has been saving the buildings since 2003, through sensitive stabilization, conservation and partial restoration. The castle is still a freely accessible ruin.

    The castle proudly towers over the landscape and offers a wonderful view of the surroundings. The castle walls of the individual buildings still stand to a considerable height. They have preserved window openings, possibly entrances and architectural details, stone profiled consoles of the former bay window, arched attics, cannon and key loopholes, and in places parts of profiled linings. In the premises of the former chapel, the ramparts of stone Gothic ribs and the remains of plaster on some walls have been preserved.

    Entrance gate

    However, we couldn’t enjoy the views because it rained the whole way up and the castle was surrounded by thick fog.

    Lietava in its most famous times
    5.16km, 1h 30 min active time, 2h total
  • Manínska Tiesňava

    Manínska Tiesňava

    Since the Manínska tiesňava itself is very short and I didn’t feel like traveling from such a distance just for about 200 meters, we decided to take a circuit through the Partizánska cave and end at the Manínska tiesňava.

    We parked at the campsite below the Manínskov tiesňava, where the yellow tourist sign also starts. The campsite is great with a swimming pool, new kitchen and sanitary facilities, we plan to come back here next year and spend a few nights here:)

    View from switchbacks

    The sign after about a kilometer starts to climb quite steeply until it turns into switchbacks. Some of them offer a beautiful view of the Považský Castle and the valley in front of it. After climbing the switchbacks, we come to a resting place with a fireplace and prepared wood. However, we have nothing to grill, so we just quickly refresh ourselves and continue to the cave.

    Partizánska cave, at the end there is almost complete darkness

    Partizánska Cave is a freely accessible cave. It consists of a single passage, approximately 20 meters long. The cave itself is located on the rocky cliff of Veľký Manín and, despite the fact that it does not contain any karst decoration, it was very interesting for us. The last few meters to the cave lead along a rock with safety features. And Dávid loves that.

    View from the cave

    Apparently, just by the name, it will be clear to everyone what this cave was used for. It is a place where partisans hid during the SNP.

    From the cave we descend almost the whole time to the mouth of the Manínska tiesňava.

    Manínska tiesňava

    Just 100 years ago, the gorge had a completely different shape. Its rocks were not covered with vegetation, as they are today.

    The narrowest part was impassable for wagons, and the carters had to unload the load, disassemble the wagons and reassemble them after. This was the case until 1933, when part of the cliff was blasted away. At that time, a paved road was built across the gorge.

    One more cave

    After passing through the gorge, we turned to the cave under Černokňažník, which was smaller than the Partizánska cave, but we discovered a bat in it and the view was worth it.

    At the time of the hike, Dávid was just 6 years old.

    10.58km, 3h52min active time, 4h 25min total
  • Súľov castle

    Súľov castle

    Súľov Castle is located on a popular tourist route through the Súľov Rocks. Súľov Castle is built on a rocky cliff and offers beautiful views. The hike leads along an educational trail – it is an approximately 5km circuit with 17 stops.

    rock window

    The castle was built in the 13th century to protect a nearby road. It is also considered one of the most difficult castles to access in the area. The castle was built between three massive rock formations. The ruins still show how the foundations of the castle adapted to the terrain. The castle complex consisted of an upper and lower castle, with an estimated distance of 25 meters between the two parts of the castle, and a height difference of 14 meters from the level of the lower castle to the first floor of the upper castle. The height of the ruins is approximately 18 meters.

    to the castle

    The foundations of the buildings and traces of beams and anchors of the vault cut into the rock, as well as slight remains of walls with window openings, have been preserved from the constructions.

    In the lower castle, a part of the palace with an observation platform on its supporting rock is preserved, the entrance to the castle with an embrasure in the rock and a dug-out rock gorge before the entrance to the upper castle are also noticeable.

    In the upper castle, in the middle palace there is a vault and traces of a stone staircase, a rock pylon, which bears traces of a staircase and at which one enters the highest part of the castle with traces of a cistern and a lookout tower through a hole in the masonry and an iron ladder.

    path from the castle

    The path from the castle is quite slippery for the first few hundred meters and even though there are handrails, it is still quite an adrenaline rush. But we managed it without falling. At the time of the hike, David was just 6 years old.

    5,28km, 1h 58min active time, 2h 53min total
  • From Žarnovica to Nová Baňa

    From Žarnovica to Nová Baňa

    Our first big hike with David. Only me and him, the first time hiking, which could be called a ridge hike, without the possibility of shortening.

    It mainly required courage, patience, playfulness and a lot of food and water 🙂

    We start under the Calvary in Žarnovica and follow the blue hiking trail the whole time. As we climb, we enter the forest, where it is pleasantly cool, in some places we must climb over fallen logs – remnants of logging, in other places we stop to pick up lots of sweet blackberries.

    In a clearing under the power lines we managed to meet three small wild boars and a little further in the forest a deer. David even found a praying mantis, invisible to me because it was the color of dry grass.

    praying mantis

    A picnic in the meadow gave us strength and a bag of sweets helped us overcome the crisis 🙂 We refreshed ourselves in a spring below Ihanovo, where there was plenty of water despite the dry summer.

    well

    The highest point was hill Johan, which is also part of the Novobanské povesti educational trail. It also offers the most beautiful views.

    hill Johan

    The last few kilometers, Dávid made up games for us (now we can’t step on any stone…) and so it went by quickly. We ended the hike at the Zvonička in Nova Baňa, Dávid with a well-deserved popsicle and juice and I with a craft beer.

    Views from Johan

    Yes, it was long, sometimes challenging to motivate, and my legs were sore from standing and waiting, but it was also beautiful, and I am incredibly proud of him.

    He was freshly 6 years old at the time of the hike.

    15.59km, 582m ascend, 5h46 min active time, 8h 33min total
  • Skalka, Krahulský štít

    Skalka, Krahulský štít

    Dávid had wanted to go to Skalka for a long time, I don’t know why he chose this particular hill, but he mentioned it to me very often. So we decided to make this childhood dream come true.

    We drove to Skalka by car and from there we walked to the red marked tourist trail – the path of the heroes of the SNP (and mommy, can we walk the entire path of the heroes of the SNP?) He really enjoyed climbing the rocks and was also fascinated by the via ferrata chimney on Skalka, where he also wants to go, of course:)

    Feratta Chimney

    We went along the ridge to the Görgely Tunnel. It was built in the 16th century and bears the name of the famous fighter for Hungarian independence, General Görgely Artur.

    Its origin is attributed to the period after 1498, when Thurzo, as an experienced entrepreneur (Thurzo-Fugger mining company), was aware of the costs associated with transporting metals along circular roads from Banská Bystrica to Kremnica. The connection between Kremnica and Banská Bystrica existed only as a lengthy detour along two roads. Thus, the tunnel in the Kremnické vrchy was, and even after the demise of the Thurzo-Fugger mining company, remained an important connection between Kremnica and Banská Bystrica.

    After World War II, the tunnel and its access roads fell into disrepair due to lack of interest, and in 1955 the tunnel was almost completely filled in. In an effort to save this unique historical monument and tourist attraction of the Kremnica Mountains, members of the Slovak Tourists’ Club from Banská Bystrica and Kremnica decided in 1996 to reconstruct and reinforce the tunnel with steel reinforcements. It is 30 meters long.

    View with Banská Bystrica in the background
    Viewpoint on the ridge of the Kremnica Mountains
    4.8km, 1:51 active, 166m ascend

    And since we had already been to this location, we also went to see the lookout tower on Krahulsky štít, it is about 2.5km from Krahule through fairly easy terrain. The lookout tower offers a beautiful view of Kremnica and the mountains in the background – Vtáčnik, Sitno…

    On its top floor we find signposts to well-known surrounding destinations with the distance as the crow flies, e.g. Center of Europe, Cottage Hostinec, etc. Directly below the observation tower is a wooden terrace with seating and a view of Kremnica. Wooden benches and tables are also located in the immediate vicinity of the observation tower.

    Marking to Krahulský štít
    View from lookout tower

    We stopped along the way to see the geographical center of Europe, but we were actually more interested in the church that is very close by. It has a beautiful blue altar and breathes history.

    4.36km, 1:16 active, 126m ascend
  • Sivý kameň Castle, Končita

    Sivý kameň Castle, Končita

    The ruins of the Sivý kameň Castle are located on an andesite cliff above the village of Podhradie near Prievidza. Although relatively little of the castle has survived to this day, the castle cliff provides a beautiful view of the surrounding landscape.

    Under the castle

    The remains of the castle from the mid-14th century are visible directly from the village. A short climb from the village center will soon take you to a dirt road. Here, a sign with the inscription Sivý Kameň will alert you to the right direction. The entire climb to the castle takes approximately 15 minutes.

    Nowadays, when visiting the castle, we can observe its small remains, which at least indicate its size and the remains of the masonry. From the inner Gothic castle, the perimeter walls of the prismatic tower have been preserved.

    Andessite cliff, on which the castle is build
    One of the few remains of the castle

    The Sivý Kameň Castle was built shortly before 1350 as a royal castle. The construction of the castle was necessitated by the circumstances that arose after the death of Matúš Čák in 1321. Since there was no other castle in the vicinity besides Bojnice Castle, the need arose to build another administrative center.

    Later the castle belonged to different families. In 1430 both castles reverted to the crown. In 1431 the king donated the castle of Sivý Kameň to Gregor Majthényi and his heirs. Since then the castle and the estate have remained in permanent possession of the Majthényi family.

    The castle began to decline in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In 1626, Gabriel Bethlen’s rebels attacked the castle and other Majthényi properties and thoroughly plundered them.

    The first decade of the 18th century brought further attacks on the castle, this time by Rákoczi’s soldiers. Soon the important estate became a ruin. The remains of the castle were subsequently dismantled by the inhabitants of Podhradie.

    Končitá

    Natural monument končitá

    From the cottage below Končita, in Gebňárova Valley, which we can reach from the village of Kamenec pod Vtáčnikom, an unmarked trail leads to the peak cliffs of Končita.

    Behind the stream rise the rock formations of Končita, to which a well-trodden path leads. Končita was declared a Natural Monument in 1973.

    In the vicinity there are smaller and larger rockeries covered with deep green moss. The Končitaj cliffs are dominated by a 30-meter-high andesite tower. From Končita, following the ridge to the left, we come to the Devil’s Paths. There are huge boulders also covered with green moss, rocky cliffs, windows and narrow gorges.

    Devil’s Paths
    a cave in the stone

  • Bzovík

    Bzovík

    It is originally a Benedictine (later Premonstratensian) monastery rebuilt into a fortress (castle), near the village of Bzovík.

    The monastery in Bzovík was founded in the first half of the 12th century. The Benedictines were replaced sometime between 1179 and 1181 by the Premonstratensians from Olomouc, who spread spiritual culture and education, but also new economic knowledge and new methods of tilling the land.

    Outside walls

    The Romanesque double-towered church, to which a monastery building with a paradise courtyard and a cloister was later added after renovations, was one of our most important Romanesque architectural monuments. The church and monastery were often the target of attacks during the 15th century; the building burned down several times, after which it was immediately repaired and partially rebuilt.

    Sigismund Balaša expelled the monks from the monastery around 1530 and immediately began rebuilding the monastery into a manor house surrounded by massive fortifications. The walls were given massive shooting range and internal galleries. Dwellings for soldiers and farm buildings were added to them from the inside. The entire area was protected by wide moats and massive corner bastions.

    Object is in reconstruction

    In 1620 the monastery burned down, but at the end of the 17th century it was returned to the church. In 1678 it was conquered by the rebels of Imrich Tököli.

    The next period was already approaching its demise. After a short ownership by the Jesuit order and the Archbishop of Esztergom, the building began to fall into disrepair at the beginning of the 19th century. The final blow in the process of decay was dealt to it by the fighting during World War II and the subsequent destruction by the local population.

    The outer walls are better preserved than the inner structures.

    The former monastery complex is in ruins, except for the outer fortifications, which show signs of preservation and reconstruction. You can park right next to the building.

    Moat with water in it

  • Divín castle and Kalamárka

    Divín castle and Kalamárka

    Near the Ružiná reservoir in the south of central Slovakia lies the village of Divín, above which the ruins of Divín Castle rise.

    The castle was built at the end of the 13th century to protect the road to the central Slovak mining area. Especially in the second half of the 16th century, it played an important role in the defense system of central Slovak towns against the Turks. In the second half of the 17th century, it was unfortunately made famous by its owner Imrich Balassa, who raided and plundered the surrounding villages. After his death in 1683, the imperial army captured the castle and it has been in ruins since then. Only some of the walls, window openings and loopholes have been partially preserved.

    Caslte Divín

    The original castle, today’s upper castle, was built on top of a limestone cliff. The castle’s ground plan is elongated in a west-east direction. It is adapted to the shape of the top of the rocky cliff. A thick perimeter wall, which regularly bends according to the unevenness and irregularity of the terrain, formed the outer shell of the castle. Residential and farm wings were added to it inside. Between them was a small courtyard, on which a cistern can be assumed. The perimeter wall was not reinforced with bastions or other protrusions that would allow flanking – protecting the wall by shooting from the sides. The castle builders probably counted more on passive protection than active. Passive protection was enabled by a massive, about 2 m thick wall. Active defense was shooting through slit windows in the wall, which are still noticeable in places despite the latest brickwork.

    How the castle probably looked

    The tourist attraction of Kalamárka is one of the most important natural sites in Podpoľanie. What will enchant you in this location is the extremely rugged relief, which has a long climbing tradition, which is why it is called the andesite bastion of sport climbing.

    In addition to climbers, many tourists who crave adrenaline experiences from these rock walls also come here every year. The entire summit plateau on Zadná Kaľamárka is freely accessible to tourists. There is a prehistoric hillfort there – an archaeological site, where you can see a water cistern as a trace of the first inhabitants of Kaľamárka. For climbers, this andesite cliff offers two climbing sectors, namely the upper rocks on Zadná Kaľamárka and the lower rocks on Predná Kaľamárka, which are up to 20 meters high. There is also a viewpoint over the Detva Basin and one of the most beautiful rock climbing routes in Slovakia – Indián.

    A liitle bit of climbing can be done there with small children too
    Some of the paths has names there

    This is a very easy hike, as there is a parking lot very close to both.

    Divín, 2.36km, 1 hod
    Kalamárka: 1.6km, 40 min