The town of Modra is located on south slopes of Little Carpathian Mountains. The first signs of settlement of this area date back to 3 thousand years B.C.. The beginnings of permanent settlement of this area in the 9 th century has been confirmed by well-preserved walls of the castle on Zamčisko in Modra-Harmonia, as well as the discovery of the burial-ground in the north-east of the town. The first written notice of Modra town dates back to the 12 th and 13 th century. Modra received a privilege of servile Royal Town by Hungarian monarch Ludovit I. in the year 1361. Modra has got more rights and freedom by the privilege of Maximilian II from the year 1569. The monarch Rudolph II promoted Modra to a Free Royal Town in the year 1607 and he has also conferred to the town its own coat-of-arms. Between the years 1610-1646 the town has built its own fortification with three gateways. Some parts of the fortification as well as gateway called Upper Gate (“Horna Brana”) are preserved up to the present. Modra has belonged between the most important towns in Hungary during the 17 th century, with a developed viniculture, forest management, guild system, educational system and culture.

Many historical and cultural sights are situated in the town area. The Church of St.Stephan King with the town tower at the square, Town Hall, where the museum of Ľudovít Štúr is situated, Lutheran churches on Dolna Street. The main square has kept the original appearance with the typical single-floor bourgeois houses and houses of the winegrowers.

Modra has entered the history also by influence of Štúr brothers. Karol Štúr has been a person of consequence of Modra’s grammar school, where he worked as a chancellor and a professor. After his election for the Lutheran Pastor, Ján Kalinčiak has replaced him. Karol’s brother Ľudovít came to Modra after his untimely death in 1851, to take care of his fatherless children. He has also devoted his stay in Modra to his literature work. However, Ľudovít Štúr dies on consequences of fatal hunting from January 12 th 1856. He is buried on Modra’s cemetery, next to his brother Karol. Many memorial places are connected with life, literary production and death of Ľudovít Štúr, codifier of literary Slovak language and a person of consequence during the period of national renaissance in the 19th century.

Wine route in Malé Karpaty goes through the towns of Bratislava,Svätý Jur,Pezinok and Modra and nearby villages of Bratislava,Pezinok and Trnava districts.Vineyard and winemaking traditions,a longtime history rich in ancient sights,surviving folklore and typical look of vineyard houses,cuisine specialites,interisting fauna and flora connected with relaxing oppotunities are the attractive goods to be offered to wide range of visitors who can be amusedand lectured at the same time.Malé Karpaty  area is rich in culture and historical sights.In the old centres of Svätý Jur,Pezinok,Modra and other towns there are stil typical wine maker's houses with large cellars. History of wine-growing in the region of Malé Karpaty is very rich.According to some historician the wine started to grow here already Celts.Its documented by archeological discoveries of knifes used usually by wine-grower in 7th and 6th century B.C.The real development of wine-growing was remarked in the time of Roma Impire at the beginning of our era.Roma's legies,settled along Danube river and on the southern foothills of the Malé Karpaty,were obliged,in the peace time,to grow up the vinegrapes.In the Middle Age became step by step one of the most important economical branches of this region.To the development of the wine-growing contributed also German colonisation.In the 13th century came to this region groups of German settlerers who practised winefarming. All the towns in the region have beautiful churches,mainly from the 13th and 14th centuries (Rača, Doľany Dolné Orešany,Modra,Svätý Jur,Šenkvice),chapels and cloisters (Pezinok,Svätý Jur),belfries (Smolenice,Svätý Jur,Viničné)and other historical buildings.A visit to Malokarpatské Wine Museum in Pezinok or School property in Modra is one of the attraction of Wine Route in Malé Karpaty. The exposition includes quality wine tasting from the area and bussines concats making or experiences exchange.Each town or village offers something intresting.The sensitive visitors to the region will definitely be interestedin the attractions,like the tradition of folklore culture in Vajnory with its characteristic folk costume,architecture,wall paintings and typical wind instruments music.Vajnory is the most characteristic part of Bratislava;it attracts tourists by folklore and Memorial House with expositions of Vajnory farmer and wine maker.State nature heritage Štúr with lake sediments,south forests with uniqe flora and fauna is situated in Svätý Jur.Svätý Jur offers the exhibition of castle base from Veľká Morava period (the 10th century),town fortification and Renassance Palfy's chateau from the 17th century,the ruins of Biely kameň castle from the 14th century and town preserved zone.  In Pezinok the town fortification and the castle from the 17th century are preserved.In the large ancient park of Pezinok there is a rebuilt Baroque chateau.Its interior is used for VIP receptions together with wine tasting in these days.                                                                                            The town of Modra offers the town fortifaction from the 17th century,preserved High Gate,bastion and town memorial zone.Slovak national hero Ľudovít Štur is buried in Modra;his memorial room and museum are very attractive especialy for Slovak visitors.Among the carfts the mos intresting in the china from Modra the most popular souvenir for Slovak in foreign tourists. Slovenský Grob is famous by partiyng with roasted goose offered in the people's houses.Slovenský and Chorvátsky Grob have preserved the traditions of embroidering and lace making as well as ornamental fireplace paintings.The walls of the houses are decorated with ornaments and the original ancient wooden crosses are kept in the graveyard.the cuisine offer stressed by taste of local wines typical for the area is also very interesting.In Budmerice village there is the 19th century chateau,the seat of the House of Slovak writers today.The huge castle from the 13th century called Červený Kameň is standing above the villages of PílaandČastá. Smolenice castle from the 19th century stands above the village of Smolenice.

 

Cellars Open Day

Every year "Cellars Open Day" takes place in November.The visitors can taste wines on the wine route from Bratislava up to Trnava. There are about 100 wine cellars on this route long about 50 km and people can visit them from Fiday afternoon till Sunday evening.

 

 

Wine harvest festival 

Every year there is a celebration „Malokarpatské vinobranie“(The Small Carpathians Wine Harvest Festival) organised on Malokarpatská Wine Route in Modra or Pezinok. This year it was organised in our town Modra from 22th – 24th September. It was great. This is the celebration of the good wine season and hard work of wine farmers. There is always the procession on Sunday; it characterises the villages of region, local habits, cultural traditions,crafts and other regional specialities. During this festival we have here a lot of roller coasters, traditional market, lot of exhibitions, concerts and a lot of fun. One of the most popular (of course only for adults) is fresh wine tasting from St.Florian fountain in a park. This event is just after the procesion.