Nitra Castle (source: VaGa)
He used to chill here and gaze upon the valley.
This view, from the only hill rising above the lowland, was amazing! Brave and strong was the Slavic knight Zobor.
And he really loved this place, until his dying breath. He was executed here, having lost in battle.
Later, rulers Mojmír I, Rastislav, and Svätopluk I found peace in this very romantic place in the forest, after they established the Great Moravia, the first Slavic state formation.
Benedictine monks lived here in a monastery.
The oldest in Slovakia
They wrote texts, some more secret than others, that were reminiscent of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose.
And they wrote the Zobor letters, the oldest written Slovak documents.
There is a town located under this mountain - the oldest town in Slovakia.
A town with a castle, a Calvary, an exhibition, Agrokomplex, and the Museum of Mead. According to a legend, mead is older than mankind. It was drunk by ancient Gods, Romans and Slavs.
A path for meditation
The Zobor Mountain.
Its name was probably derived from the Slovak word "zubor". "Zubor" is the European bison, "a close relative" of the more famous North American buffalo.
This big animal used to roam wild in our forests. Now the bison, the biggest mammal, which can reach 2.7 meters in width and 1.9 meters in height, live free only in Poloniny National Park. They can also be found in the Topoľčianky Bison Park.
Nearby is the picturesque Classicistic manor house in Topolčianky, a favourite place of the first Czechoslovak president Tomas Garrique Masaryk.
The blue-marked hiking path to Zobor Mountain is pleasant, meditative. You can also meditate in front of the Saint Svorad cave, where this saint and hermit camped. A footprint in the rock is proof of his presence here.
Along the path, you'll come across a mixed forest full of curved trees, fallen leaves, withered flowers, until you find yourself at a height of 587 m, on the deforested and windy summit. And you will have the entire mystic Tríbeč mountains at your feet.
Once a 7-metre high wall was situated here. Now only a rocky path, covered by small stones and colourful leaves, remains.
A Slavic settlement, where the Slavs felt closest to the Gods and Goddesses, once stood here too.
Like an Eiffel Tower
The continuing green marked hiking path will lead you to the tiny Romanesque Church of St Michael the Archangel or the Dražovský church. This romantic stone building from the 12th century is one of the oldest sacral buildings in Slovakia. And it really does look old.
Below this old place a new one has arisen, the modern production site of Jaguar Land Rover.
And if you look back to the Zobor Mountain, you will see the modern broadcast tower.
It looks like the Eiffel Tower.
The 324-metre high Eiffel tower was constructed in 1889 in Paris. It was the tallest building in the world, a symbol of innovation and the new era.
The Zobor tower is 64-metre high, only half as tall as the tallest Slovak building, the Nivy Tower, but still, it is one of the most modern antennas.
It broadcasts a signal, and information and knowledge.
The legacy of Great Moravia
The Byzantine missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius did the same in Great Moravia, but without innovations and progress, we would stagnate.
Great Moravia was a form of progress too along with the writing of the "Apostles to the Slavs", Saint Cyril and Methodius introduced to our territory.
The ancient city of Rome was built by Romulus and Remus upon Palatine Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome.
The oldest Slovak town, Nitra has its "Seven Hills of Nitra".
And one of them is Zobor.
VaGa Agency is an incoming company concentrating on active, adventure, bike and sport tours in Slovakia, in the unique, authentic and safe country, far away from mass tourism; offer undiscovered and amazing places, tailored-made solutions and very professional individual guiding. For more information please visit: Vaga.agency.
