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Wonders of Slovakia

Spiš castle and Tatra mountains, Slovakia
Spiš castle and Tatra mountains / Traveltipy, Flickr / CC BY 2.0

WorldBlue  Highlights

This little and charming country has a good share of beautiful landmarks – both natural and man made. The most amazing wonders of Slovakia are:

  • Historical towns – Slovakia has many picturesque towns with well preserved medieval centers. Some of the most impressive ones are Levoč and Bardejov. Not less impressive are the smaller villages with traditional architecture such as Čičmany.
  • Castles – in Slovakia are located several very impressive and enormous castles, such as Spiš and Orava castles.
  • Caves – few caves in the world can compare in their beauty to Slovakian caves. There are many caves in the country and it is hard to single out the most beautiful ones but some are unique, especially Ochtinská Aragonite Cave.

Map with the described wonders

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WorldViolet Top 25 wonders of Slovakia

Geological wonders

Demänovská cave

Žilina

The most visited show cave and longest cave in Slovakia. The total length of the cave system is 40,380 m and only a small part is available to tourists. The cave is very beautiful, with up to 41 m high cave rooms. Contains gours and many other very impressive cave formations.

Dobšinská ice cave

Košice

An impressive ice cave with ice thickness reaching up to 26.5 m. Length of the cave is 1,483 m.

Baradla (in Slovakia – Domica)

Košice

26,065 m long cave system. Domica cave part is 5,140 m long. The beautiful cave contains also gours with water.

Gours in Domica cave, Slovakia
Gours in Domica cave / Jojo, Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Ochtinská Aragonite Cave

Košice

The best-known aragonite cave. It is covered with very unusual crystals. The cave is only 300 m long.

Helictites in Ochtinská Aragonite Cave, Slovakia
Helictites in Ochtinská Aragonite Cave / Traveltipy, Flickr / CC BY 2.0.

Archaeological wonders

Havránok cult site

Žilina

Cult site of Celts in an important oppidum – prehistoric hill fort. In the 1st century BC, there was built a wooden shrine and very tall wooden column. At least seven people have been sacrificed here during Druid rituals.

Architecture wonders

Banská Štiavnica

Banská Bystrica

Historical city in the caldera of an ancient volcano. The medieval center of the city has been preserved completely, without significant changes, and includes impressive Renaissance palaces. Under the city are located ancient mines that can be visited also today. Around the town was developed a sophisticated water supply network with a network of channels.

Bojnice castle

Trenčin

Visually impressive “fairy tale” castle, originally built in Gothic style in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 19th – 20th centuries.

Kremnica

Banská Bystrica

Well preserved medieval city in mountains, built above gold mines. Here is located the oldest acting mint in the world, working since 1328 or earlier. An important structure in the city is the enormous castle that includes numerous buildings. A 20 km long aqueduct was built in the 15th century.

Orava castle

Žilina

One of the most impressive castles in this region, built on the top of a cliff in the 13th century.

Orava castle, Slovakia
Orava castle / Leszek Młodzianowski, Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0
Vlkolínec

Žilina

Historical village with well-preserved planning and folk architecture. The village is known since 1376 and has more than 45 log houses as well as a wooden belfry from the 18th century.

Vlkolínec, Slovakia
Vlkolínec / Thaler Tamas, Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Bratislava castle

Bratislava

Massive castle on the cliff above the Danube. The construction of a stone castle started here in the 9th century. Castle towers are up to 47 m high. Building with huge historical importance.

Čičmany

Žilina

Oldest folk architecture reserve in the world, protected since 1977. Traditional wooden houses here are adorned with specific white patterns creating unique sights of the built environment.

Spiš castle

Košice

Ruins of one of the largest castles in Europe. This castle was built in the 12th century on the site of an earlier fortification.

Levoča

Prešov

Historical city with an exceptionally well-preserved medieval center. Here are located many outstanding buildings in the Renaissance style. Most of the fortification walls have been preserved. Levoča St.James Church (14th century) contains the largest and tallest Gothic altar in the world – 18.62 m high.

Trenčín castle

Trenčin

Massive, well-preserved castle on the top of a mountain. A stone rotunda in the castle might be preserved since the times of Great Moravia (7th – 8th century) but most of the castle was built in the later centuries.

Bardejov

Prešov

This town has a well-preserved medieval core and a Jewish district. Most buildings in the town are in Gothic and Renaissance styles. The old town is surrounded by fortification walls – some of the most sophisticated city walls in the 14th – 15th century.

Bardejov, Slovakia
Bardejov / Arkadiusz R, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Košice St. Elisabeth Cathedral

Košice

One of the easternmost Gothic cathedrals in the world and the largest church in Slovakia. Construction of the present church started in the late 14th century – 1508.

Brhlovce

Nitra

A rural village where many buildings have been excavated in the soft volcanic rock in the 16th – 17th centuries.

Most SNP

Bratislava

Iconic bridge – the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge with one pylon. This pylon is slanted, with a UFO-like structure on the top, 84.6 m high above the Danube. Built in 1967 – 1972.

Most SNP in Bratislava
Most SNP in Bratislava / JoJan, Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0
Spišská Kapitula

Prešov

Group of ecclesiastic buildings – Spišsk St. Martin’s Cathedral, former monastery buildings, and other structures, all surrounded by a wall. The cathedral is one of the best examples of the Romanesque style in Slovakia, with many details in the Gothic style.

Kežmarok church

Prešov

A beautiful wooden church that was built in 1717. Church has beautiful frescoes and woodcarvings. It is spacious and can host more than 1500 people.

Tvrdošin church

Žilina

An iconic building – an old wooden church that was built in the second half of the 15th century and then rebuilt in Renaissance style in the 17th century. The interior is adorned with frescoes – there is a painted sky with stars.

Kostoľany pod Tribečom church of St. George

Nitra

A small and simple stone church, built in the times of Great Moravia, in the late 9th or early 10th century.

Strečno castle

Žilina

Impressive castle ruins at the top of 103 m tall cliff. The stone castle on this site is mentioned since 1316.

Hervartov church

Prešov

This wooden church was built around 1500 and is the oldest wooden church in Slovakia. One of the rare wooden structures with Gothic features.

WorldYellow Recommended books

Slovakia: The Bradt Travel Guide


Slovakia is one of the last of Central Europe’s secrets to be discovered by travelers, and having joined the European Union in 2004, is now in a better position than ever to show what it has to offer. Impressively situated on the Danube, the capital, Bratislava, boasts stunningly restored Baroque, Rococo, and Art Nouveau buildings.

Slovakia – Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture


Slovakia has struggled with a low international profile. Often overlooked as the Czech Republic’s little sister, it is a young country with an old culture and history, and a people who are proudly Central (not Eastern) European. Although for much of the twentieth century Czechs and Slovaks lived together in one state, there are important differences between them, differences that ultimately contributed to separation in 1993 and the rebirth of a sovereign Slovak state.


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