As early as the 7th century Nitra was already a political and commercial centre of the Slav tribes north of the Danube. At the turn of the 8th century this area was an independent principality, ruled by Prince Pribina, the first known ruler of the Slavs. The Turks caused great destruction here in the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 19th century Nitra has grown into a sprawling modern city.

The old town’s dominant feature is the Castle , on a rocky ledge in the crook of the Nitra river. It is surrounded by 17th-century walls whose one gate is accessed via a stone bridge. The main building of the castle complex is St Emeram’s Cathedral  (Katedrálny Biskupský Chram sv. Emerama), consisting of three churches that were joined in the 18th century. They comprise the 11th-century Romanesque rotunda of St Emeram, the Gothic upper church, and the lower church built in the 17th century.

At the foot of the castle is the Upper Town. Its centre, Pribinovo námestie, is flanked by Baroque and Neo-Classical buildings. On the south side is the Grand Seminary , now housing the Diocesan Library (Diecézna knižnica) with its valuable collection of books and incunabula. Situated outside the walls is the Lower Town with a twin-towered Piarist Church  (kostol Piaristov), containing magnificent frescoes.

The striking 1991 Andrej Bagar Theatre  (Divadlo Andrej Bagara) overshadows the Neo-Renaissance town hall, which houses the Nitra Museum  (Nitranske múzeum). In the museum are displays on archaeology, history and the natural world.

Just east of the Nitra river is the Slovak Agricultural Museum  (Slovenské pol’nohospodarské múzeum), a fascinating collection of reconstructed traditional farm buildings, shops and houses, with original machinery.