Discover Šintava: the Váh, hillfort and wine

Šintava lies on the left bank of the Váh and combines a multilayered local history with riverside scenery, rowing, cycle paths and wine traditions. An Iron Age settlement has been documented at the Šintava site near the crossing of the Váh. A Great Moravian hillfort centre protected this crossing and formed the basis for the later medieval water castle. If you would like to combine culture and activities on the water in western Slovakia, Šintava offers several clearly distinct points of interest.

Hillfort, church and exhibitions

Šintava Castle was first mentioned in a document in 1042. A description from 1423 recorded it as having two concentric walls and three towers. The present-day Church of St Martin is a Baroque-Classical building from the second half of the 18th century. The parish of St Martin is already documented for 1234; the church existed by the latest in the 12th century. The site’s religious history therefore goes further back than the present church building.

The Church of St Martin stands at the highest point of the former hillfort. Its terraces can still be seen along Hradná, Sereďská and Dlhá streets. The history of printing is also part of Šintava’s heritage: under the protection of Július Salma, a printing house was established at the castle in 1573 and is described as the first in Slovakia.

For a closer insight into the local past, two museum exhibitions are located in the meeting room of the municipal office: ŠINTAVSKÁ IZBA and ŠINTAVSKÍ KOŠIKÁRI. Both are located in Šintava and are open during office hours. On the last day of April, the tradition of Stavanie mája is also celebrated every year: accompanied by the Šintavanka brass band, local recruits erect a maypole in the village square.

The Váh, rowing and leisure activities on the water

The Lodenica complex, Šintava’s leisure and sports centre, lies on the banks of the Váh. The boathouse of Veslársky klub Šintava is also located directly on the Váh and is well equipped for rowing. In addition to children, the club welcomes adult rowing enthusiasts. For leisure activities, it has two dragon boats, each with room for 20 people, as well as a helmsperson and a drummer.

In the western part of the cadastral area, the Váh meanders through the landscape. There are also bodies of water created by gravel extraction, which are currently used for informal recreation. Bagrovisko Šintava is an 8.8-hectare carp fishing lake where fishing is permitted year-round, subject to individual closed seasons.

Cycle route and wine traditions

Cyclists can take a 21 km leisure route between Hlohovec and Šintava, which runs along the left bank of the Váh. Another route has an educational character and forms part of the eastern branch of the Hradná cesta through the Trnava Region. Around Šintava, both the riverside landscape and historical orientation along a regional route are therefore central features.

Recurring wine events are part of the local annual calendar. The Svätourbanská koštovka takes place on the grounds of the Šintavan winery, where visitors can taste 20–30 wines. At this event and at the Burčiak Party, there is also an opportunity to visit the winery’s production areas. Šintavské vinobranie combines a harvest festival with an allegorical procession, cultural performances and exhibitions of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

More destinations: Sládkovičovo, Dolná Streda, Šalgočka, Horné Saliby, Pusté Úľany, Sereď, Košúty, Šoporňa.

For the broader travel overview: Galanta.