Báb: Hotels, Nature and Historic Architecture

Báb is located in a loess hill landscape. Small oak and hornbeam forests grow on the slopes of a valley southeast of the village, while other parts of the area have been deforested.

Nature and Landscape

The Vodná nádrž Báb reservoir is located in the cadastral area of Malý Báb on the Bábský potok stream. It covers an area of approximately 18 hectares and is used for irrigation; its total usable storage capacity is 600,000 m³. At the same time, it is a 27-hectare carp fishing water for which local and special fishing permits apply.

The Natura 2000 site SKUEV0869 Bábsky les is a preserved forest island in an agricultural, gently undulating landscape of the Trnava Hills. It contains oak forests on loess, Pannonian oak-hornbeam forests and old, mighty trees. The Bábsky les National Nature Reserve was designated in 1966 and covers 30.39 hectares. The fifth level of protection applies within the reserve; the third level of protection applies in its 100-metre-wide buffer zone outside the reserve boundary.

Another protected landscape lies within the Veľký Báb National Nature Reserve. It preserves remnants of riparian forests on the broad floodplains of the Nitra and Žitava rivers. Pheasants, quail, hares and other field rodents and birds live in the so-called cultural steppe.

History and Architecture

The first known written mention of Báb appears in a document written in 1156 by Martírius, the Archbishop of Esztergom. The village is home to the Baroque church “Kostol sv. Imricha”, built in 1721 on the site of an older religious building already mentioned in 1559.

The church’s furnishings include a Neoclassical high altar with a painting of Saint Emeric before the Virgin Mary, Rococo side altars dedicated to the Pietà and Saint John of Nepomuk, and a Rococo pulpit from the mid-18th century featuring a relief depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The Báb Calvary consists of a man-made earthen mound with three crosses at its summit.

The manor house “Veľký kaštieľ, Alexandrov dvor” is surrounded by an extensive landscape park dating from the first half of the 19th century. The building in Báb was constructed in 1908; it is a Secessionist building inspired by Late Baroque architecture. The Bábsky park protected landscape area was designated in 1982 across an area of 4.22 hectares to protect the historic park surrounding the manor house.

Local Life

The local events calendar includes Bábska kotlinka, a recurring local event. Its eighth edition was scheduled for 2026.

The Sýpka u Ludvíka shop often offers fresh Cheesio cheeses, seasonal-fruit jams and eggs from its own hens. In autumn, it sells duck liver in its own fat; during the holidays, egg liqueur; and in spring, herb pesto.

More destinations

You can find more destinations here: Alekšince, Nové Sady, Nitra, Čab, Zbehy, Dolné Lefantovce, Rumanová, Jelšovce.

Go to the main travel overview: Nitra.