Klacno: Kľak, the Nitra Source and Culture

Kľak, the Nitra Source and Historical Traces

If you are looking for a place where river landscapes, mountain nature and older cultural history come together, Kľačno offers several clearly distinct points of interest. The municipality lies in the northern part of the Upper Nitra Basin on both sides of the Nitra River, at an elevation of 360 to 460 m above sea level. The Nitra River rises below Reváň. At its source there is a footbridge and a covered seating area with benches.

Landscape around Kľak

Kľak is a 1,352 m-high peak. The Kľak State Nature Reserve was established in 1966 over an area of 86 ha. Protected plant species grow on the dolomite rock of Kľak, including škarda sibírska, timotejka sibírska, soldanelka karpatská, žltohlav európsky, prilbica pestrá and zvonček karpatský. The Kľacký Waterfall is also located below Kľak. The settlement and the peak therefore mark two distinct elevation ranges: 360 to 460 m in the settlement compared with 1,352 m at Kľak.

For a hike, a marked trail leads from Kľačno to Kľak. The marked hiking trail Cesta hrdinov SNP runs along the Kľak ridge. A route description for Kľak lists Kľačno, Fačkovské sedlo as the departure stop and Fačkov, obchodné stredisko as the destination stop. A route from Fačkovské sedlo to Fačkov is 11.7 km long and is classified as a summit or mountain hike lasting 4 hours and 30 minutes. This allows you to distinguish between starting in Kľačno and the specifically described route via Fačkovské sedlo.

Further Activities and Winter Options

Horseback rides are offered in the Osada Dallas settlement. The Fačkovské sedlo ski arena has seven slopes with a total length of 5,500 m. Ski and snowboarding schools for children and adults are offered there. In addition to the marked trails to Kľak, the surrounding area reviewed here therefore also offers horseback riding and dedicated skiing and snowboarding options.

Church, Chapels and Local History

The church was first mentioned in writing in 1464. It has an Early Gothic origin; a parish already existed at this site in the 13th century. The Marian Column was erected in front of the church in 1749 and declared a cultural monument in 1966. One chapel was built in 1824 and the Lourdes Chapel in 1931.

The former local name is also part of Kľačno's history: Until 1948, the municipality was called Gajdel and was renamed Kľačno afterwards. Historically, Gajdel was known for dried plums, which were also sold in Vienna. If you take local historical connections into account alongside the landscape and trails, the topics here therefore range from the church mentioned as early as the Middle Ages to regional food history.

Explore More Destinations

For further orientation, you can also visit Valaská Belá, Temeš, Nitrianske Pravno, Ráztočno, Radobica, Sebedražie, Poruba and Kamenec Pod Vtáčnikom.

For the higher-level travel overview: Prievidza.