Discover Holíč: Castle History, Water Landscape and Hotels

Holíč combines a castle of medieval origin with Baroque-Classical manufactory buildings, megaliths, churches and a water landscape. The town features historic evidence from different eras alongside viewpoints, castle gardens and preserved buildings.

Culture and History

Holíč Castle was built in the mid-13th century as a fortress to protect the so-called Bohemian Road between Hungary and Bohemia. In 1970, it was declared a national cultural monument. The Baroque-Classical buildings of the Holíč manufactory complex date from the second half of the 18th century. A renovated part of the castle houses the Municipal Museum of Holíč. It focuses primarily on the life and work of the Habsburgs in Holíč and also includes a collection of Holíč faience.

The Holíč City Gallery is located in part of a former faience manufactory building. The megaliths of Holíč are also among the older traces of the town. They originate from a prehistoric rondel with a diameter of 60 metres and include 22 surviving cult stones. The preserved stone windmill of Holíč is a three-storey, basement-level building dating from the 1880s. It can be visited individually; upon request, a guide explains the site.

The Baroque Granary was probably begun in 1757 and put into operation in 1761 as the central granary of the imperial estates. Today, it is a national cultural monument.

Castle Grounds and Water

The Holíč viewing platform is 12 metres high and offers views of the town, the surrounding area and the panorama of the White Carpathians. The Holíč herb garden continues the tradition of growing kitchen plants and herbs in the castle grounds. The castle gardens also include an educational trail focused on water, with information panels.

The Café Zámocká is located in the Tabačiareň building. The Holíč Tourist Information Centre is housed in the reconstructed Koniaren building. At Zámocký rybník, the waterfront area offers lawns for leisure, picnics and relaxation. The footbridges serve as viewpoints for observing the water and Holíč Castle.

Churches and Memorial Sites

The Church of St. Martin with its monastery was established to meet the spiritual needs of the ruling couple. The Orthodox Church of Holíč was built between 2013 and 2018 in the classical Orthodox style and consecrated on 28 and 29 April 2018. The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was built in 1397 in the Gothic style. Its former dedication to Saint Martin was later replaced by its present dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Loretánska Chapel stands on the foundations of a 13th-century church and is considered the oldest architectural monument in Holíč. It is currently not open to the public. The Jewish Cemetery of Holíč was probably established in the second half of the 18th century. Its gravestone inscriptions are in Hebrew; in the 18th and 19th centuries, they appear in Hebrew and German, and after the establishment of Czechoslovakia, also in Slovak.

Paths and Floodplain Forest

The Maria Theresa Cycle Route begins at Holíč Castle and leads through the Bažantnica area towards Hodonín. Valša is an access point to the Holíč floodplain forest and has a rest area for pedestrians and cyclists near a former branch of the Chvojnica River.

Further Points of Interest

The historic water mill of Holíč is privately owned and not open to the public. At the same time, it retains most of its mill equipment from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Holíč Calvary has been documented since 1801 and was renewed in 1995 as a group of three wooden crosses.

Holíčsky štamperlík is a traditional tasting of spirits held to open the tourist summer season in Holíč. The associated Sladká sobota includes the tasting and sale of homemade cakes.

Further places: Kopčany, Kátov, Skalica, Lopašov, Vrádište.

To the higher-level travel overview: Skalica.