Píla – Nature Trail, Mill History and the Little Carpathians

Nature Trail Below Červený Kameň Castle

Píla combines a local history shaped by water with nature and cultural experiences in the Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area. This connection is particularly vivid on the nature trail below Červený Kameň Castle. It leads through the Píla valley and provides information at its stations about local sights and events from the history of the municipality.

The nature trail is 3 km long and has an elevation difference of 53 m. Visitors can refill their drinking water at two rest areas. Marked hiking trails lead directly to Červený Kameň Castle from two points along the nature trail. The route therefore combines information about the municipality with a clearly signposted connection to the castle. At the same time, the nature trail offers nature experiences in the Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area.

Water Power and Mills as Local History

Píla was established in the first half of the 16th century around water-powered sawmills that belonged to the Červený Kameň estate. This development can be traced through several historical remnants. The ruin of the grain mill is the remains of a manor mill that belonged to the Pálffy family; its core dates from the late 17th century. The former grain mill was powered by water, and its millrace has been preserved behind the building to this day.

Other former industrial sites are also part of this historical picture. The former copper hammer produced copper boilers until 1916. It was subsequently converted into a fluting workshop for grain-mill rollers and into a machine workshop. At the site of the former Upper Sawmill, parts of two millraces have been preserved. The former count's sawmill belonged to the Pálffy family of Červený Kameň and burned down toward the end of 1928.

The Brunovský family crypt is located in the cemetery in Píla. During the first half of the 20th century, the family operated a grain mill and a fluting workshop for rollers in Píla. A paper mill also operated in Píla from the second half of the 17th century. The paper produced there bore a watermark featuring the Pálffy coat of arms.

Church, Chapel and Named Landscape Features

Sacred buildings are also part of the local history. The present-day Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary dates from 1822; the original church was built toward the end of the 17th century. The building has a single nave, a polygonal apse and a barrel vault. A small roof turret covered by a pyramid-shaped roof sits above the gabled façade.

A small chapel stands near the confluence of the streams; it was built toward the end of the 19th century and most recently restored in 2005. Above Píla, a monument on the 403-metre-high Prostredník hill commemorates the Janka Kráľa partisan group. At Hučák, also known as Prielom Gidry, the stream squeezes between two rock walls and cascades over stone steps.

More Destinations in This Selection

Other destinations include Dubová, Slovenský Grob, Modra, Svätý Jur, Limbach, Bösing, Báhoň and Budmerice.

For the higher-level travel overview: Pezinok.