Horná Nitra is a region that is perceived by the public mainly due to the strong mining industry. It has been mined underground for more than 100 years, and Nováky is one of the cities with a brown coal seal. However, it is time for a gradual decline in mining and the associated transformation. One of the ways in which this region can choose is greater development of tourism. There is definitely no shortage of interesting stops.

The part of the Trenčín region between Novák and Partizánsky is not one of the typical tourist destinations. The views of the two districts often include the chimneys of industrial enterprises. However, the villages located on this route do not lag behind the rest of Slovakia. The Tribeč and Vtáčnik mountains are full of interesting trails, which are intended for more demanding tourists, but also for families with children. The individual villages, in turn, hide several remarkable buildings that can please every lover of history. Fans of thermal bathing will also enjoy themselves in Chalmová.

The first written mentions of most villages in this region appear in the 13th or 14th century, but Nováky is mentioned under the name Nuovac in the Zobor Charter in 1113. However, this area was inhabited much earlier, as evidenced by several discovered mounds, garbage cans. cemeteries or jewelry. In addition, the region had a strategic position - it used to be an old road that led from the south through Požitavie, through the Tribeč Mountains through Skýcov to the so-called gate between central and upper Ponitrí. Today, it is reminded only of the remains of castles and forts, which were supposed to protect the inhabitants of that time from enemy invasions.

In addition to agriculture and pastoralism, several crafts have developed here over the centuries. The predecessors of today's miners were skilled sitarists, shingles, millers, tanners, and the people of Kamenčany even worked in handicrafts for more than 200 years. However, the first place within the former Tekovská stolica belonged to Oslan. At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, they boasted the largest number of craftsmen in terms of area. In 1786 there were up to 151 of them registered here.

Further development was taken care of by several important families, after which monuments in the form of various mansions and manors remained. You will find them scattered on practically every part of the road from Partizánské to Novák. While you can enter some of them and enjoy their decoration, others gradually turn into ruins.

photo: Ľuboslav Kurinec