Day Trip to Trnava, Slovakia
A perfect excursion from Bratislava can show you Trnava’s churches,
The town of Trnava is a great day trip from Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava. We interviewed local Trnava resident and enthusiast Peter Martinovic for the inside tips.
How long have you lived in Trnava, and why do you like it?
I’ve been living in Trnava my whole life. Here I spent my childhood as well as fell in love for the first time. In Trnava I attended school in Trnava and two years ago I graduated from Trnava’s Law faculty, and now I work as a lawyer for our city council. I love my hometown because all my recollections are connected with it, but also because Trnava is a very nice place. Despite having only 70,000 inhabitants, it is not a provincial city. In fact it’s a quickly developing city that’s an administrative, business and cultural centre of its region. What tourists highly appreciate is that Trnava gives an impression of a friendly city where you feel pleasant and comfortable. And one more advantage – Trnava is a compact city where nothing is too far.
What are the most popular sights to see in Trnava?
Trnava is among the oldest of Slovak towns and was the first one to be granted free royal privileges in 1238. For centuries Trnava was a seat of the archbishop and a university. It was the centre of the counter-reformation as well as the centre of Slovak National Revival. Of course, its rich history influenced its look. The most visited sights are the main square with the Town Tower and the Holy Trinity Statue, the building of the Town Hall, Olah’s Seminary, Archbishop’s Palace and the Synagogue. Trnava is also famous for having the longest conserved town fortification, many churches (St. Nicholas’, St. Joseph’s, the Ursulinian, Trinitarian, to name but a few) and monastery complexes.
Is there a secret/hidden attraction in Trnava that you recommend to visitors?
I’d like to recommend four places: the narrow medieval streets in the Old Town (St. Michael’s Street, Jericho Street, Jerusalem Street), a park called Calvary with stations of the Cross, the Stone Mill park on the outskirts of Trnava with a swimming pool and duck ponds and finally a beautiful functionalist building of the Law faculty.
For more information about traveling to Slovakia, Peter recommends checking the official Slovak Tourism site.
