Discover Banka: Hello, trails and local history

When planning a trip to Banka, you can consider active pursuits, the waterside landscape and local history as distinct areas of interest. At Kopec Ahoj, the focus is on the bike park, hiking and winter sports. At Sĺňava, the scene is shaped by a paved route, water sports and birdlife; St Martin’s Church and archaeological finds offer insights into the village’s history. Depending on which of these appeals to you, you can plan your stay accordingly.

Ahoj: Trails and sporting history

Kopec Ahoj offers opportunities for hiking, downhill skiing, grass skiing, downhill biking and riding mountain scooters. Ahoj Bike Park has six trails of varying lengths across three difficulty levels, and a lift is available to riders. The Ahoj ski area has two slopes, each with a lift. The total length of the ski runs is about 700 metres.

The history of grass skiing is also part of this mountain: Kopec Ahoj is considered its birthplace. Grass skiers competed there for the Czechoslovak Spartakiad Cup as early as 1980. Today’s sporting opportunities at Ahoj thus sit alongside a documented local sporting history.

Choose hiking trails by destination

The Banka nature trail opened to the public at the end of 2007. It has four information boards and two shelters for resting. Its route follows the yellow-marked hiking trail through the Spa Island and along the Domin Alley to the place locally known as Obrázková hora (Picture Hill).

A blue-marked hiking trail starts at the Benátky guesthouse behind the Krajinský Bridge and leads over Červená veža Hill and the Bacchus Villa onwards towards Havran Pass. Several hiking trails intersect at Havran Pass. The viewpoint on Červená veža Hill is 240 metres above sea level.

Bacchus Villa (Bakchus Vila) is a former viewpoint, a few minutes’ walk from Banka through the Červená veža forest park. Ludwig van Beethoven’s composition of the “Moonlight” Sonata is traditionally associated with it.

Sĺňava: Water, trails and birdlife

Banka is bordered from north to south by an arm of the Váh and, further south, by the Váh and the Sĺňava Reservoir. The reservoir offers favourable conditions for various water sports and fishing. A 12-kilometre paved route for pedestrians, inline skaters and cyclists runs along its dam. It differs substantially from the hiking trails described above in length, surface and the activities mentioned.

Sĺňava is listed among Europe’s Important Bird Areas. The artificial island of Čajka serves as a nesting site for large colonies of common terns and gulls.

St Martin’s Church, archaeological finds and local traditions

St Martin’s Church (Kostol sv. Martina) consists of the original, so-called old church and a new church. Archaeological finds indicate that the original church was built no later than the 13th century. St Martin’s Church was declared a national cultural monument in 1963. The presumed early date of the older church and its later monument designation can therefore be understood as distinct historical reference points.

Archaeological finds also tell of different eras: the longest Upper Palaeolithic burin in Slovakia was discovered in Horné farské role. A stone-tool workshop dating to around 23,000 BC was found near Banka. 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 the 13th century.

Viticulture and winemaking have a long tradition in Banka and the surrounding municipalities of Radošina and Ratnovce; the first mentions date from the 17th century. Another recurring custom is the Corpus Christi celebration, for which the women and children of Banka wear traditional dress every year. The Inovčanka brass band performed at various public events, celebrations and promenade concerts, including in the music pavilion in Piešťany.

The connection to Spa Island also has a historical dimension: during the Austro-Hungarian period, a regular ferry connected Banka with Spa Island.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Moravany Nad Váhom, Trebatice, Ducové, Chtelnica, Prasnik, Sokolovce, Krakovany, Pistian.

Go to the broader travel overview: Okres Piešťany.