I vividly remember that pleasant autumn evening and how tired I felt after visiting a few tourist attractions in the town of Bojnice. Feeling very tired, I decided that the best place to relax was the zoo of the town and it turned out to be an inspired choice.

The Bojnice Zoo lies in the middle of a beautiful natural park, near the castle with the same name. Even though the zoo is not a spectacular one, it gained its popularity because it is the oldest zoological garden in Slovakia. The Bojnice Zoo was opened to the public in 1955 and a huge number of tourists have visited it over the years.

Covering an area of 42 hectares, the zoo is home to 390 species and 2630 creatures. The pavilions with monkeys and elephants, the aquarium and the terrarium are in my opinion the most interesting areas of this zoo. There is also a 7-meter tall observation tower, which gives the children the possibility to get close to the animals. If they go down a slide, they will find themselves surrounded by many domestic animals. This aspect makes the zoo a perfect place for families with children, who want to have fun and relax.

I also enjoyed the peaceful vibe of this place and the few hours I spent there went by so fast.  It was a real pleasure to enjoy the company of those lovely animals and to relax after an exhausting day. In case you ever get to Bojnice, my advice is to add this zoo to your trip list, because it is the type of place that will help you recharge your batteries.

If I haven’t convinced you to visit the Bojnice Zoo yet, maybe the following pictures will do a better job.

The post The Bojnice Zoo in pictures appeared first on HikerTips.

I am talking about the Sightseeing Tower (Výhliadková Veža Bojnice), which is the newest tourist attraction in the beautiful town of Bojnice.

This 30-meter-high tower has recently been built by a local investor with the purpose of increasing tourism in the area. This unique construction is situated in a large forest, on the outskirts of Bojnice. If you are wondering what makes this tower so special, the answer is simple. The image of this spiral tower which stands on a steel structure seems to be unreal. At least, this was the feeling I had when I saw it displaying its silhouette among the crowns of the trees.

I stared hard at the construction and I admired its architectural design, trying to find the answer to a question. No matter how much I tried, it was really difficult to make a connection between the image of the tower and the fairytale houses situated nearby.  A few seconds before I saw the tower, I had passed by a few small colored houses, which were lying at the bottom of the tower. Their image seemed cut out of a fairy tale and created a strong contrast with the modern image of the tower.

Even though I was puzzled, I paid the entrance fee and I started exploring the tower. Thanks to a solid wooden walkway, it was easy to reach the top of the tower. Once I got there, the surprise was huge. A panoramic terrace was lying in front of my eyes and I had the opportunity to admire incredible views over the Bojnice Castle and the surrounding areas.

I really enjoyed the moments I spent there and all those wonderful panoramic views. I tried to capture the beauty of those images in dozens of pictures which I’m going to share with you. I hope these pictures will convince you to add the Sightseeing Tower to your trip list, in case you ever get to this part of Slovakia.

The post The Sightseeing Tower – a unique construction in Bojnice appeared first on HikerTips.