Šaštín-Stráže: Pilgrimage, Culture and Gazárka

Šaštín-Stráže is home to the Basilica of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary, which is Slovakia’s national sanctuary. Šaštín is also a pilgrimage site where thousands of believers from Slovakia and Moravia meet every year. The religious significance of the site can be traced chronologically through the building itself. Construction of today’s Basilica of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary in Šaštín began in 1736. In 1964, Pope Paul VI elevated the Sanctuary of the Seven Sorrows in Šaštín to the status of a minor basilica.

Culture and history

The central square of Šaštín is part of the historic townscape. It has a triangular layout, and several historic houses with decorated façades also stand there. The Calvary of Šaštín is unusual as well: it dates from the late 18th century and is not situated on a hill, but on level ground. The synagogue in Šaštín dates from 1852 and is one of the older synagogues in Slovakia.

The history of the economy and remembrance is also visible at specific sites. The first Hungarian textile manufactory, known as “Kartúnka”, was founded in the former manor house in Šaštín. One of Slovakia’s largest Jewish monuments is located in the Jewish cemetery in Šaštín. Together with the basilica, the Calvary, the synagogue and the historic houses, this creates a broad range of architectural and commemorative traces within the town.

Nature and water

The Gazárka recreation area adds a landscape consisting of five lakes. They were created after sand extraction. The lakes of Gazárka have developed sandy beaches with gently sloping access to the water. In the recreation area, forest roads and paths enable hikers and cyclists to discover sights in the surrounding area, both nearby and farther afield.

Gazárka offers pedal boats and boating. Fishing competitions are also held there every year. In addition to the lakes and sandy beaches, the recreation area therefore includes specific activities on the water as well as recurring annual competitions.

Getting around

A cycling route almost 3.5 kilometres long in Šaštín-Stráže leads from the Basilica of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary to a cycling route running along the Myjava River. The route lies within the cadastral area of the city of Šaštín-Stráže. This makes it possible to connect the town’s sacred history with a clearly described link to the cycling network along the Myjava River, without separating the cultural and natural sites from one another.

To plan your overnight stay, you can view and compare various offers. Before booking, pay attention to the exact location, the type of accommodation and the permitted occupancy. Included services, individual price components, as well as booking and cancellation conditions are equally important. The respective offer pages provide the authoritative information for this purpose. This keeps the conditions transparent and allows them to be checked against your travel budget without making assumptions about individual accommodations in advance.

More local pages: Hradište Pod Vrátnom, Smolinské, Moravský Svätý Ján, Senitz, Podbranc, Osuské, Sobotište, Kúty.

To the higher-level travel overview: Senica.