Bojnice castle - Bojnice cave - Lookout Tower in Bojnice

Route: Banska Bystrica - Bojnice castle - Bojnice cave - Lookout Tower in Bojnice - Banska Bystrica
Duration: 6 h
During this tour we will discover the city Bojnice. The gem of Bojnice is the ”fairy-tale” Bojnický zámok Castle, one of the most visited and most beautiful castles not only in Slovakia, but also in central Europe. The Castle stands on a large travertine monticule on the site of medieval castle from the 11th century. In the past, the most famous Hungarian noble families owned it and the last of them was the family of Pálfi. Count Ján Pálfi had the  structure reconstructed by the architect J. Hubert from Budapest at the end of the 19th century following the pattern of romantic castles of the Loire in central France. The typical silhouette of the romantic image of medieval castle is enhanced by steep roofs of the palace, chapel and towers. Collections of artistic and historical museum are concentrated in the interior of the castle.  The most valuable item of national importance is the Late-Gothic altar of Bojnice made by Nardo di Cione Ortagna, artist from Florence in the mid-14th century. An extensive park and landscape park are the inseparable parts of the castle area. The 600-year old lime tree of Bojnice of the King Matthias with 12.5-m trunk circumference stands in front the castle entrance. Next we will visit to the natural cave located in the tufaceous accumulation on which the castle is built. The diameter of the cave is 22 m and its height is 6 m. It is located 26-m below the level of the fourth courtyard with a water well. The cave was created as a result of atmospheric rainfalls of water which flew in here throughout the crater and surface rifts into the middle of the tufaceous accumulation. Water disintegrated and washed away the travertine, whereby it created the current circle-shaped space of the cave with the decoration on the walls. There are two lakes (8 to 12 m deep) in the cave that are most likely connected with the others in other underground spaces in which this tufaceous accumulation is abundant. Next  we will visit to the Lookout Tower in Bojnice is located in the mountains above the town of Bojnice and offers an unforgettable view of the surroundings. The unmistakable building with an elevation of about 30 meters has a steel structure and a wooden footbridge. From the tower you can see not only Bojnice castle but also the far side of the town Prievidza. Next to the lookout tower there is also a small village from the fabulous Šmolko houses, which you have free access to. After we return to Banska Bystrica.
Price: per person