Mysterious castles near Bratislava

1988. In Holíč, in Czechoslovakia, 40km west of Bratislava, the construction of new panel houses has started. During the project, while digging, an old prehistory sanctuary is discovered.
60m around, consisting of 25stones, placed in two circles with a variation of small and wide “female” stones with tall and slim “male” stones.

Imagine Stonehenge. In miniature. Among the panel houses.
On these stones, standing here since time immemorial, children play by day, and men, in the moonlight proclaim their affections to women.

Let ́s take a road trip through Bratislava ́s outskirts along a winding road through the pine forest overlooking the gently rounded hills of the Little Carpathians.
Hidden among the landscape are mysterious castle ruins, perched on rocks whose ancient strength you can test while climbing and admire from above while paragliding.

Examine the ancient Celtic settlement Pohanská.
Harken to a story, a Slovak remake of the Trojan war, involving the kidnapping of a beautiful woman and the epic struggle to free her.
Wander enraptured among a sea of white snowdrops beyond counting will carpet your way.
Return to the past and feel time stop listening to the wind whisper through the blades of an historic windmill. Gaze awestruck before the oldest church in Central Europe, a Romanesque building standing alone in a field of wheat.

Ramble along the cobblestone streets in the westernmost royal Slovak city, birthplace of the best Slovak ice hockey player, a hero of the Slovak national sport.

Finally take the helm of your boat on the Bata canal. Does the name Bata ring a bell? Look to your shoes. Who was he? The Czechoslovak Henry Ford!

1 day:
* Skalica, the westernmost royal Slovak city, tasting the Skalický trdelník, an interesting pastry in shape of a roll with a hole inside * Holíč, the most eastern place with the presence of menhirs in Europe and with the oldest historic windmill in Slovakia * local brewery Wywar in Holíč * Kopčany, the monuments of Great Moravia, the church of st. Margita of Antiochia, the oldest church in Central Europe * mysterious castle Korlátko *

2 day :
* hiking to the third highest mountain of Little Carpathians, Vápenná with the most beautiful panoramic views * the ancient Celtic settlement Pohanská * the impressive Plavecký hrad castle, located on a steep hill at the western footprint of the Little Carpathians *

3 day:
* Driny cave, the one and only cave of the Little Carpathians * Smolenice, a birthplace of a parachute inventor * Smolenický castle with an amazing English garden * mysterious Molpir, a place where people of Kalenderberg culture used to live in 7th century BC * sweet mead tasting, known even in old Egypt, Greece, Rome, by the Celtic, Slavic or Germanic tribes *

Highlights :

* mysterious castles of the Little Carpathian mountains
* hiking to the most beautiful mountain of the Little Carpathian mountains * the most eastern place with the presence of menhirs in Europe
* Celtic settlements
* the oldest church in Central Europe
* sweet mead tasting