Holiday apartment in Nováky: Reservoir, culture and mining history

At the Nováky Reservoir, also locally known as Novácke jazero, waterscapes, canoeing and the history of the town come together. Nováky is located in the Upper Nitra Basin, while the Nitra River flows through the western part of the town. An artificial lake, natural areas, sacred buildings and sites commemorating the town’s mining history all shape the character of Nováky.

Nature

The Nováky Reservoir, also locally known as Novácke jazero, covers 18 hectares. It was built in the 1950s to cool the technical facilities of the Nováky thermal power plant and to regulate the flow of the Nitra. Visitors use the shores for walking, running, canoeing, cycling and fishing.

In the vicinity of Nováky lie the Novácko-Košské wetlands between Nováky and Prievidza, near the Nitra and Handlovka rivers. They formed as a result of mining-related land subsidence, which has created bodies of water and wetlands since around 1985. Amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects, birds and various plant species have been recorded in the Novácko-Košské wetlands in the vicinity of Nováky.

The wider regional surroundings also add to the landscape: the Vtáčnik Mountains between Prievidza, Handlová, Nováky and Partizánske offer opportunities for hiking and mountain biking.

Location and routes

Roads I/9 and I64 run through Nováky. Railway line 140 from Nové Zámky to Prievidza runs along the edge of Nováky. These two transport routes are just as much a part of the townscape as the Nitra to the west and the reservoir with its various uses.

Culture

The Church of Saint Nicholas is one of the most significant sacred monuments in Nováky. The present-day Church of Saint Nicholas was built from 1700 to 1703 in the Classicist style on the site of an older church. The Chapel of Saint Juliana served as a burial chapel; it has a central circular floor plan and is vaulted with a dome.

A distinctive building is the Elekovská-Majtényiho kúria. It was built at the beginning of the 16th century in the Renaissance style as the residence of the lesser nobility. Since 1963, the Elekovská-Majtényiho kúria has been a national cultural monument and has been entered in the central register of monuments of the Slovak Republic.

The Monument to the Miners of Nováky commemorates generations of miners whose work played a major role in shaping the town’s development. The SNP Monument is located at Námestie SNP in front of Nováky Town Hall. Nováky has also been home to a monastery of the Order of Notre Dame since 1941.

Activities

The Nováky Racing Canoe Club is based at the Nováky Reservoir. Novácka päťstovka is also a traditional canoeing event; its 54th edition took place in 2026. Another way to explore the region’s mining history is Uhoľná stopa, an educational mining trail about the region’s mining history.

Other places

Other places in this area: Opatovce Nad Nitrou, Nedožery-Brezany, Radobica, Diviaky Nad Nitricou, Šútovce, Poruba, Klacno, Poluvsie.

For the higher-level travel overview: Prievidza.