A historic landmark of Ilava is Ilavský hrad Castle. It was probably built to protect trade routes, the important and, for a long distance, only ford across the Váh, as well as the town of Ilava.
Renting a holiday apartment is one possible option in Ilava.
Culture and history
The Ilava bell tower is part of the town's historic appearance. It originally had one storey and a square floor plan measuring 7 × 7 metres. During its Baroque remodelling in 1758, a second storey with a bulbous Baroque roof was added. The Church of All Saints of the Trinitarians retains original Baroque pews and a wooden polychrome pulpit.
The Baroque, single-storey inn and customs house in Ilava was built in 1764 and is now known as Hotel Moravec. The Gábor Baross crypt in the Klobušice district of Ilava was completed in 1895. The old Jewish cemetery of Ilava commemorates the local Jewish community that lived there for several centuries until the Second World War. In its upper section are the graves of Rabbi David Lewin (1838–1908) and his relatives. The cemetery chapel is dedicated to the veneration of the Virgin Mary and was built in 1906.
Near the town bell tower stands the former Catholic parish house in Ilava, originally a single-storey Renaissance building from the end of the 17th century. The Marian column is a polychrome stone statue of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculata type, erected in 1752; the original statue was destroyed and replaced by a smaller one in 1992. The building of the ecclesiastical Roman Catholic school in Ilava was built between 1841 and 1844 and has an adjoining chapel. The building of Ilavský pivovar is protected as a monument.
The traditional Bartolomejský jarmok fair in Ilava celebrates the end of summer and the rich harvest. The life and artistic work of the important painter Joža Uprka are associated with Klobušice. Svätá Helena is a church in the wider region around Ilava.
Nature and landscape
The Klobušice district of Ilava includes an English landscape park by the former manor house of the Sipekyovci family. The park covers approximately 7 hectares. The mountains of Stupici, Vápec, Bulkov and Slimáčkova are located in the area around Ilava.
The Ilava–Vápeč–Homôlka route leads to the Vápeč National Nature Reserve, which is considered a limestone-dolomite rocky dominant feature. From the summit of Vápeč, there is an unobstructed 360-degree panoramic view of the Malá Fatra, Martinské hole, Strážov, Mojtín, Manín, the Vršatské bradlá and part of the Veľká Fatra. The Ilava–Vápeč–Homôlka route is suitable for hikers arriving by public transport.
Getting around and activities
The marked Ilava–Sokol–Vápeč hiking trail leads from Ilava railway station via Sokol and the Háj settlement to Vápeč. A guided tour of the Ilava Town Museum can include a visit to the crypt in the parish church. A guided tour of the Ilava Town Museum can also include a visit to the Gábor Baross crypt in Klobušice.
The PEREJ water sports section of TJ Sokol Ilava also offers activities for people without experience in water sports. From 1996 onwards, it organised public river trips. The activities prepared by the PEREJ section during the holidays included river trips on the Váh from Ilava to Nemšová.
Other destinations include Dubnica Nad Váhom, Borčice, Nová Dubnica, Pruské, Sedmerovec, Bolešov and Dulov.
