Inovec

Inovec (Polish Inowiec) is the highest summit of the Považský Inovec range in western Slovakia, at 1,041 m (more precisely 1,041.6 m). It lies in the northern part of the range, in the Vysoký Inovec subunit, above the village of Selec, about 12 km south of Trenčín. Around it are Selec to the west, Dubodiel and Trenčianske Jastrabie to the east and Mníchova Lehota to the north. Inovec is a broad massif visible from afar and was once the highest point of the former West Slovak Region. According to Polish sources it is the westernmost summit of the whole Carpathians above 1,000 m.

How to get there / routes

Several marked trails lead to the summit, as well as a paved road used to reach the cottages and the military transmitter (do not count on driving to the top; plan on walking).

• Red along the main ridge: from the north from Mníchova Lehota railway station past Chata pod Inovcom and Jastrabské sedlo; from the south via Krželnica (968 m) from Panská Javorina.
• Blue: from the east from the village of Dubodiel.
• Green: from the village of Selec via the Pod Inovcom junction, or from Mníchova Lehota station.

On the north-eastern slopes, at about 790 m, there is a small tourist centre with several cottages and a ski tow; the best known is Chata pod Inovcom.

What you can see from the summit

The top itself is covered by continuous forest, so there is no view without the tower. Since the mid-2010s a 21 m steel tower called “Helena” has stood here, with a viewing platform at 16 m offering a 360° panorama. You can see the Považský Inovec, the Strážov Mountains, the Lesser and Greater Fatra, Vršatec and Veľký Lopeník in the White Carpathians, and towns such as Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Trenčín and Topoľčany. In exceptional visibility observers have spotted the Western Tatras, Babia Góra, Veľká Rača, Praděd in the Jeseníky, Králický Sněžník and even the Schneeberg in the Austrian Alps and Hungary’s Börzsöny hills.

Nature and history

The mountain is built of crystalline schists — mainly mica schist and gneiss. To the north a saddle separates it from Jarabský vrch (795 m), to the south from Krželnica. Steep, massive western slopes drop into the Selec basin, while gentler eastern slopes descend to the Bánovce Upland. Water from the western and northern slopes flows to the Váh, and from the east via the Svinica and Inovec brooks to the Bebrava.

Snow lies on the summit for about 80 days a year. The south-western part of the top is taken up by the Považský Inovec nature reserve with well-preserved natural beech forest. The ridge is partly deforested, and besides natural mixed forest there are spruce plantations; the woods at the foot are popular with mushroom pickers. The summit has telecommunication transmitters, a signpost, a shelter and two wooden crosses.

Safety, season and rules

The routes to Inovec are easy and usable all year, but in winter the ridge is snowy and in fog it is easy to lose the path in the forest. Do not enter the fenced transmitter area and respect the reserve boundaries. Slovak Mountain Rescue (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300); emergency number 112.

Interesting facts

• Inovec has a large prominence of about 690 m, so it is visible from the whole Váh valley.
• The “Helena” tower serves not only as a lookout but also carries meteorological instruments.

Photos: Pelex, CC BY-SA 3.0; Pelex, CC BY 3.0; Pistal, CC BY-SA 4.0; Michal Jakubský, CC BY 3.0; Michal Jakubský, CC BY 3.0; Erika Gašparová, CC BY 3.0; Michal Jakubský, CC BY 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.