Trenčín

The region

Get to know Trenčín

The Trenčín region occupies the middle valley of the Váh River and the upper valley of the Nitra River, between the White Carpathians on the border with the Czech Republic and the Strážov Mountains. It is an area of castles on rocky outcrops, thermal spa towns, and industrial cities such as Prievidza and Púchov.

Trenčín grew at the foot of the castle that has dominated the town since the Middle Ages. On the rock below it, a Roman inscription dated to the year 179 records the presence of a legion in Laugaricio, the place’s name at the time; it is the oldest known written text on Slovak territory. From the square, with the Piarist Church, covered stairways climb up to the parish church on the way to the castle.

Bojnice has one of the country’s most visited castles, rebuilt between the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Count Ján Pálffy, inspired by the castles of the Loire. Next to it are Slovakia’s oldest zoo and a thermal spa. In spring, the castle usually hosts the International Festival of Ghosts and Spirits.

Trenčianske Teplice, in a narrow valley near Trenčín, is a thermal spa with a 19th-century Moorish-style hammam. In the Váh valley, the ruins of Beckov and Čachtice castles sit on hills visible from the road, and the villages of the White Carpathians preserve music and embroidery traditions.