Holiday apartment in Patince – thermal springs, the Danube and culture

Patince brings together thermal waters, the banks of the Danube and Slovak culture in a small area. The town stretches from the thermal park with its indoor and outdoor pools, through natural bodies of water and floodplain forests, to a historic church and a technical monument. There are also cycling connections along the river, excursion cruises on the Danube and events with a cross-border character.

Water

Patince Thermal Park has four indoor pools and two outdoor pools. The thermal spring emerges from a depth of 160 to 170 metres and reaches a temperature of 27 °C at the source. The pools at the summer thermal spa are filled exclusively with water from the Patince thermal spring; the water temperature there ranges from 24 to 33 °C.

Around the thermal spring lies a protected area of approximately 0.5 hectares known as Rímske jazero. The warm springs of Patince and baths from Roman times are already mentioned in written records from the 13th century. The Patince recreational area also includes a natural body of water used for outdoor swimming and boating. The 1.4-hectare Patince boating lake has small islands and is used for water sports, pedal boating and fishing.

Marina Patince regularly organises boat excursions on the Danube. The trips usually operate along the Patince–Moča route and back and last approximately one hour.

Nature

Patince lies in the protected Dunajské luhy bird protection area. This includes the main channel of the Danube and the floodplain forests on the left bank. The bird protection area's natural aquatic habitats provide suitable breeding conditions for the little egret (Egretta garzetta), the little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), the common tern (Sterna hirundo), the garganey (Anas querquedula) and the common redshank (Tringa totanus).

The location on the Danube can also be explored on two wheels. Green-marked cycle route 5111 is a short branch from EuroVelo 6 to Patince and the recreational area near the municipality. The Danube cycle route through Patince follows the Komárno–Iža–Patince–Radvaň nad Dunajom–Moča–Kravany nad Dunajom route and is part of EuroVelo 6. The section from Komárno to Kravany nad Dunajom is 30.34 kilometres long: 18 kilometres are on a developed cycling facility, while a further 12.34 kilometres are on a marked route.

On the banks of the Danube, a red post in Patince marks the southernmost point of Slovakia.

Culture

The Roman Catholic Church of St Vendelín is a stone, single-nave Romanesque church from the 13th century. In 1776, it was remodelled in the Baroque style. Its elevated chancel was partly built from reused building material dating from Roman times. In the Central Register of Monuments of the Slovak Republic, the Church of St Vendelín is listed under number 12 047/1.

Another testament to local history is the Patince steam pumping station. The unique technical monument was built in 1897 and retains its original machinery. The fully restored pumping station is open to the public and houses an exhibition on the history of water management in the region.

Events

Dni mostu priateľstva is an annual event held in summer. The Slovak host venue alternates among the participating municipalities. Dni mostu priateľstva includes an evening ritual during which candles float on the Danube. The celebration of the connection between the villages along the Danube has been held since 1996 and begins in Patince and Neszmély.

Other places: Svätý Peter, Bajč, Buc, Kravany nad Dunajom, Chotín, Nesvady, Bodzianske Lúky, Veľké Kosihy

To the higher-level travel overview: Komárno District.