Banka: Hiking, Winter Sports and Nature at Sĺňava

Banka combines trails at Kopec Ahoj, the waterscape of Sĺňava and a varied local history. Kopec Ahoj is considered the birthplace of grass skiing; as early as 1980, grass skiers competed there for the Czechoslovak Spartakiad Cup. Today, Kopec Ahoj offers year-round opportunities for hiking, winter skiing, grass skiing, downhill riding and mountain scooter riding.

Sports and Trails

The Ahoj Bike Park comprises six trails of varying lengths across three difficulty levels. A lift is available to riders there. The Ahoj ski area has two slopes, each with a lift; the total piste length is approximately 700 metres. This means that clearly distinct cycling and winter sports facilities are located side by side on the same mountain, without equating their respective routes and operating formats.

Havran Pass can be reached quickly via the route through Červená veža and the Bacchus Villa, and forms a junction of several hiking trails. A blue-marked hiking trail leads from Benátky Guesthouse behind the Krajinský Bridge over Červená veža Hill and past the Bacchus Villa towards Havran Pass. There is a viewpoint on Červená veža Hill at 240 metres above sea level. The Bacchus Villa itself is a former lookout point located a few minutes’ walk from Banka through Červená veža Forest Park.

The Banka educational trail was opened to the public at the end of 2007. It has four information boards and two shelters for resting. Its route follows the same course as the yellow-marked hiking trail through the Spa Island and along Domin Alley to Obrázková hora, a place also known locally as Picture Hill. Along the Sĺňava dam, there is also a twelve-kilometre paved route for pedestrians, inline skaters and cyclists.

Water and Nature

Banka is bordered from north to south by a branch of the Váh and later by the Váh with the Sĺňava reservoir. The reservoir offers favourable conditions for various water sports and fishing. Sĺňava is included on the list of rare European bird areas. The artificial island of Čajka serves as a nesting site for large colonies of common terns and gulls.

Culture and Local History

The Church of St Martin (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. In 1963, the Church of St Martin was declared a national cultural monument. Every year at the Feast of Corpus Christi, the women and children of Banka wear traditional costumes.

Musical and historical connections are also part of the local character. The Inovčanka brass band has performed at various public events, celebrations and promenade concerts, including in the music pavilion in Piešťany. During the time of Austria-Hungary, a regular ferry connected Banka with the Spa Island. The Bacchus Villa (Bakchus Vila) is traditionally associated with Ludwig van Beethoven’s composition of the “Moonlight” Sonata.

Viticulture and winemaking have a long tradition in Banka and the surrounding municipalities of Radošina and Ratnovce; the first mentions date back to the 17th century. The longest Upper Palaeolithic scraper in Slovakia was discovered in Horné farské role. A workshop for producing stone tools dating from around 23,000 BC was also uncovered near Banka. An abandoned clay-mining site contains graves of the Lusatian culture from the Bronze Age, as well as remains of a medieval settlement dating from the 11th to the 13th century.

More Destinations

The wider local network includes Krakovany, Moravany Nad Váhom, Pistian, Ostrov, Ducové, Rakovice, Sokolovce and Vrbove.

For the broader travel overview: Piešťany District.