Trenčín

Trenčín is dominated by a castle on a limestone crag that rises straight out of the town, one of the largest fortresses in Slovakia and visible from the whole Váh valley. On the rock below it, cut into the stone behind the hotel, is a Roman inscription of the year 179 recording a victory of the Second Legion, the northernmost Roman inscription in central Europe. A deep well in the castle courtyard is said to have been dug by a Turkish prisoner for his beloved. The old town square sits at the foot of the climb. The climb to the castle takes fifteen minutes.