Discover Banka: Trails, Sports and History

If you’re looking for a hotel in Banka, its trails, sports activities and historic sites offer a first impression of what could shape your stay. Ahoj is known for its various trails and activities; around Sĺňava, the landscape includes nature and a paved route. There are also archaeological traces and local traditions. You can tailor your hotel search to the things that interest you in Banka.

Ahoj: Trails and activities

Ahoj Bike Park has six trails of varying lengths across three difficulty levels. A lift is available to riders. Kopec Ahoj offers year-round opportunities for hiking, skiing, grass skiing, downhill riding and mountain scootering. The options therefore differ not only by route but also by activity and season. For winter sports, the Ahoj ski area has two slopes, each with a lift; the total slope length is approximately 700 metres.

The history of grass skiing is also linked to Kopec Ahoj: the hill is considered the birthplace of the sport. Grass skiers competed there for the Czechoslovak Spartakiad Cup as early as 1980. Alongside today’s trails, visitors interested in sports history can find a specific historical connection here.

Nature trail and hiking routes

Banka’s nature trail has four information boards and two shelters for resting. It opened to the public at the end of 2007. The trail follows the same route as the yellow-marked hiking path through the spa island and Domin Alley to the spot locally known as Obrázková hora (Picture Hill). If you’re planning a specific hike, it’s a good idea to check trail conditions in advance.

A blue-marked hiking trail leads from the Benátky guesthouse behind the Krajinský Bridge, over Červená veža Hill and past the Bacchus Villa, continuing towards Havran Pass. The pass is quickly reached via the route over Červená veža and the Bacchus Villa, and is a junction for several hiking trails. This makes it possible to include different marked routes and waypoints in your plans without treating them as one and the same route.

The Bacchus Villa (Bakchus Vila) is a former viewpoint, a few minutes’ walk through the Červená veža forest park from Banka. There is also a viewpoint on Červená veža Hill at an elevation of 240 metres above sea level. The Bacchus Villa is traditionally associated with Ludwig van Beethoven’s composition of the “Moonlight” Sonata. The former viewpoint and its reported connection to music history give the trail another local point of interest.

Sĺňava, landscape and birdlife

From north to south, Banka is bordered first by a side channel of the Váh and then by the Váh and the Sĺňava Reservoir. The reservoir provides favourable conditions for various water sports and fishing. A 12-kilometre paved route for pedestrians, inline skaters and cyclists runs along the Sĺňava dam. Its length, surface and intended users make it a different option for outdoor activity from the hiking trails at Ahoj.

Sĺňava is listed as a rare European bird area. The artificial island of Čajka provides a breeding site for large colonies of common terns and gulls. Thus, in addition to water sports and fishing, the reservoir’s landscape is also associated with bird areas and breeding sites.

Church, finds and local traditions

The Church of St Martin (Kostol sv. Martina) consists of the so-called old church and a new church. Archaeological finds indicate that the original church was built no later than the 13th century. The Church of St Martin was declared a national cultural monument in 1963. The distinction between the old and new churches is part of the character of the place of worship, as is its long history.

Archaeological finds from other periods are also associated with Banka. A workshop for making stone tools dating to around 23,000 BC was discovered near Banka. The longest Upper Palaeolithic scraper in Slovakia was found in Horné farské role. An abandoned clay extraction site contains graves from the Bronze Age Lusatian culture as well as remains of a medieval settlement dating from the 11th to 13th centuries.

Every year, the women and children of Banka wear traditional costumes for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Viticulture and winemaking also have a long tradition in Banka and the surrounding communities of Radošina and Ratnovce; the first mentions date back to the 17th century. The Inovčanka brass band has performed at various public events, celebrations and promenade concerts, including at the music pavilion in Piešťany.

A regular ferry connected Banka with the spa island during the Austro-Hungarian period.

Discover more destinations: Moravany Nad Váhom, Vrbove, Ostrov, Trebatice, Krakovany, Chtelnica, Prasnik, Rakovice.

For the broader travel overview: Okres Piešťany.