Upper Nitra can be proud of several tourist gems. There is a zoo, Bojnice Castle, spas, several museums, but also a mining open-air museum, which will show you the beauty of the underground. The local natural resources, which have been taken care of since 2008 by the Ponitrie Protected Landscape Area (PLA), do not lag behind in anything.

The entire PLA area covers an area of 37,655 hectares, covering seven districts and three regions. The unifying element is the Nitra River, but it is definitely not a monotonous country. The PLA includes two different landscape units, which have a different geological structure, altitude, but also climate. They are the crystalline-Mesolithic mountain range Tribeč and the younger volcanic mountain range Vtáčnik. At the same time, both offer tourists unique natural creations, which they can also get to know thanks to the dense network of hiking trails.

In the case of Vtáčnik, for example, the Bystričanská valley canyon. The rock walls of Veľká Skala and Hrádek, the cylindrical volcanic chimney on Ostrovica Hill and the crumbling rock towers on the main ridge stand out on both sides. Tribeč, on the other hand, attracts with quartz mountains that line the mountains from west to east.

Differences can also be found in the realm of plants and animals. The Vtáčnik Mountains have a colder and wetter climate, so the flora here is mainly represented by mountain species. You can meet large carnivores such as the brown bear or the island lynx, the tree snake is remarkable, and the northern spider is rare. In the Tribeč Mountains, the warm mountain climate dominates, with the exception of its highest parts. It is therefore mostly covered by thermophilic plant communities. The deer and mouflon game is doing very well here at the same time.

photo: chkoponitrie.sopsr.sk