Walking and Hiking

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Walking and Hiking

People of the Forest

Duration: 1 h 45 m

Playground – Huncokár School – St Mary Magdalene Chapel – Huncokár Cemetery – Manor House – Jurčova lúka – Observatory – Tisové skaly – Swimming Pond

This route is very easy to walk and will be enjoyed by children as well as adults. The forests of the Small Carpathians are associated with the Huncokárs – forest workers, lumberjacks, medicinal herbalists. Follow the trail they used to walk, starting at the playground at Zochova Chata heading toward the German Huncokár school. It was originally built as an urban villa where holidaymakers could spend the night. On the ground floor was a flat for the forest workers – Huncokárs. They came to the Small Carpathians at the invitation of the Pálffy family, owners of the surrounding land, to introduce a modern and efficient logging method. The areas of Modra–Piesok, Pezinok–Rybníček, Kamenná brána, Zabité, Sklená huta, and the Záhorie region of Vývrat, Horáreň pod Vysokou, and many other areas became home to many forest people and their families. The largest population of Huncokárs was around Modra–Piesok, so a school was established in this area. After 1945, the mountain settlements in the Small Carpathians cleared out and most of the inhabitants were moved to Germany.

From the Huncokár school, continue on to the St Mary Magdalene Chapel; in summer it still serves people of faith. The route continues past the Huncokár cemetery, the Manor House, and Jurčova lúka, where it meets up with another educational trail with information about the forests of the Small Carpathians. You’ll find the first information about the forest habitat and the Protected Bird Habitat near the observatory. Go along Tisové skaly to get to the reservoir, where you’ll also learn more about the local flora and fauna. Along the way, you can enjoy the company of the Rosalia longicorn beetle (Rosalia alpina), a protected species of European priority, the common chaffinch, the European robin, the white-backed woodpecker, and the saker falcon, which is protected by law.

Zochova chata – Medvedia skala – Tri kopce – Vrch Kukla – Dubová

Duration: 3 h

Follow the red trail markers from the car park at Zochova Chata to Medvedia skala. This area attracts rock climbers as well as mining history enthusiasts, as the trail also follows along a part of the Mining Trail. From there, continue along the blue trail markers past Tri kopce until you get to the Kukla hill. The blue markers will take you to the Fugelka cottage and from there down to the centre of the village of Dubová. Stop for a glass of wine at the Elesko wine bar and gallery or for pastries at Hoštácka viecha restaurant.

Zochova chata – Rozhľadňa Alexandra Filípka – Čermákova lúka – Skalnatá – Čmeľok – Pezinská Baba

Duration: 5 h 10 m

The route goes from the car park at Piesok–Zochova Chata along the red trail markers leading directly to the Alexander Filípek Observation Tower. You’ll go past the reservoir, Tisové skaly, the Astronomical-Geophysical Observatory, and the hiking shelter. In good weather, the 2018 observation tower offers magnificent views of the entire area. Then follow the green trail markers that take you past Vápenka and Zbojnícke to Čermákova lúka. If you want to know how this meadow was named, just brush away the forest growth where you’ll find the gravestone of one Huncokár called Jozef Čermák. The meadow is a favourite spot for hikers, cyclists, and day-trippers, who take advantage of the shelter and the fire pit. From the meadow, follow the red trail markers to Skalnatá, one of the mountain peaks in the Small Carpathians with an elevation of at least 700 metres. Your reward for climbing up the trail is a truly beautiful view. After Skalnatá, continue along the red trail marker to Čmeľok. You will be walking along one section of the Cesta hrdinov SNP (trail of the Heroes of the Slovak National Uprising), which is an important hiking trail in Slovakia. It passes mostly through areas that played a significant role during the Slovak National Uprising. The trail will take you to Pezinská Baba, from where you can continue on to Pezinok or Bratislava.

Zochova chata – Rozhľadňa Alexandra Filípka – Štúrova lavička – Modra

Duration: 2 h 45 m

This moderately difficult route starts from the car park at Piesok–Zochova Chata along the red trail markers leading directly to the Alexander Filípek Observation Tower. You’ll walk along the reservoir, across the piste, around the Tisové skaly, the footbridge above the wellspring, and you’ll see the astronomical and geophysical professional scientific observatory.

Tisové skaly is a level 5 conservation area. These quartzite rocks were named after the yew tree that used to grow here. The jaggedness of the rocks makes them very photogenic with their many different shapes and figures. Not far from here is the observatory, where scientists measure Earth’s magnetic fields; they are equipped with a seismometer and two telescopes.

You can take a break at the hiking shelter below Veľká Homoľa, where we have created a space for rest and games. We recommend that you re-energise here to prepare for the final ascent up to the observation tower. It was named after Alexander Filípek, forester and founder of tourism in Modra. It was built in 2018 on the site of the older tower, as the location offers breath-taking views far and wide. You can then follow the blue trail markers past Štúrova lavička to Modra. Holombecká dolina was a place much loved by Ľudovít Štúr; he would come and sit beneath the giant chestnut. The first travertine monument was installed here in 1956. The place is still known as Štúrova lavička (Štúr bench) and it’s just steps from the town centre.

Zochova chata – Zámčisko – Modra

Duration: 2 h 15 m

This route offers a nice walk starting from the car park at Piesok–Zochova Chata along the red trail marker up to the top of the piste. From there it veers to the left, along the blue trail marker leading to Zámčisko. This is an archaeological site containing the ruins of a late 9th-century Slavic hillfort. It now offers a sitting area for hikers and magnificent panoramic views of the entire area. Below Zámčisko, there is an open access mine gallery that is 200 metres long.

The route then continues along the blue trail markers through Harmónia to Modra. At the once-famous Harmónia resort, you will still find historical villas that provided lodging and entertainment to guests from various areas of the Kingdom of Hungary and later Czechoslovakia. Facilities included a dancehall, summer bath, and later restaurants and a shooting range were added. Notable architect Dušan Samuel Jurkovič designed a sun bath for guests in the spot that is now home to the Hotel pod Lipou. We recommend following the red trail markers to the centre of Modra (starting at the Bowling restaurant).