Kostolište

Preklad Kostolište
The village is situated near Malacky, about 45 km far from Bratislava in the lowland Borská. It is located in the middle of the lowland Záhorská which is stretching along the river Morava. The village had several different names prior to Kostolište. In the times of Great Moravia it was called Kyrielo and through Kyrillen – Kostolište was leading an important medieval trade route from Bohemia to Austria-Hungary. Until 1948 it was called Kiripolec.

The area has been constantly populated since the ancient times. Among important archaeological discoveries belong a Celtic round bin as well as Roman and Slavonic finds. The first written record of the village dates back to 1206. It was also mentioned in 1271 as property of the counts from Svätý Jur and Pezinok. Presence of the Slovak population is documented, too. Many armies swept through the lowland Záhorská: Tartars, Austrians, Czechs, Hussites, Turks, Napoleonic as well as Prussian and German troops fought with Soviet troops directly in the village. The village people were farmers and thanks to the rich forests they also worked as charcoal burners.
Roman-Catholic Church of St. Martin is a cultural-historical centre of the village. The village had its church already before 1397. This building was originally a Gothic one but in the half of the 16th century it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. You can see there a remarkable altar picture of St. Martin from 1930 which was painted by Martin Benka. He was born in Kostolište and is considered one of the greatest Slovak painters of the 20th century. His life and paintings are reminded by the Memorial room of Martin Benka in Kostolište.
The surroundings of Kostolište is very interesting, too. In Gajare you can see a Roman-Catholic church of Annunciation of the Lord with five chapels from the 17th century. In Malacky that are only 3 km far, you can find two Roman-Catholic churches from the 17th century. Really notable is a Franciscan church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary with Saint Stairs, replica of the stairs in Jerusalem up which went Jesus to Pilate. The underground crypts are open to public and hide the bodies of Pálffy family and monks Franciscans.

On the periphery of the village Veľké Leváre there is a peculiar monument reserve called Habánsky dvor. It is the greatest complex of the buildings of Habans in Europe. They were coming to Kostolište since the 16th century in order to avoid the religious persecution in Germany and Switzerland. The complex consists of 22 originally multi-storeyed houses from the 17th and 19th centuries as well as a square and a chapel. In one of the houses you can find the Museum of Haban crafts. If you want to enjoy relax, bathing and fishing, you can visit gravel lake Jakubov. Local ponds serve as a nesting site and migration locality of the swamp and water birds. There is a possibility to go fishing without a ticket, you just have to pay a daily fee.
Besides the attractions already mentioned Kostolište also offers an original kitchen from Záhorie region with tasty slaughter specialities and cakes.