Open Day at Martin’s Hill: History meets craft and creativity
📅 July 4, 2025
The first pilot event, the Open Day at Martin’s Hill, took place during the city-wide festival Nitra, milá Nitra. The day showcased the synergies between history, nature, and creativity.
Visitors had the opportunity to explore the Archaeopark operated by the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), experience interactive 3D archaeology, see demonstrations of Great Moravian-era pottery, and join in on children’s archaeological workshops.
The Zobor Bees NGO offered honey tastings, insights into urban beekeeping, and creative workshops for children. Simultaneously, the recently opened Nitra Creative Centre (KCN) presented its facilities and hosted practical workshops on upcycling, sewing, and DIY keychain making.
The event revealed how the Martin’s Hill area can become a multi-functional green and cultural space, accessible to all and rooted in both heritage and innovation.
Walking Through Martin’s Hill: Discovering Nitra’s hidden treasures
📅 August 2, 2025
The second pilot event, Walking Through Martin’s Hill, invited participants to explore the natural, historical, and cultural layers of this unique site.
Highlights included:
Beekeeping workshops and honey tastings by Zobor Bees,
Floral workshops led by local flower atelier Floral,
Guided tours of the historical inn building, now awaiting renovation,
A thematic walk through the natural and architectural landscape of the area,
Presentations of the Creative Centre’s development plans.
The event successfully demonstrated the local potential for community gathering, nature education, and urban exploration in a still partially hidden and underused part of the city.
Testing actions aligned with the IAP: Engagement, visibility, community-building
Both events were organized as official pilot actions defined in the Integrated Action Plan of the City of Nitra, part of the URBACT GreenPlace framework. Their goals were:
To put Martin’s Hill “on the map” as a space for public life,
To increase visibility of the Creative Centre and its potential as a local catalyst,
To involve a wide spectrum of local actors and communities,
And to explore future use models for the site through public events.
These actions tested how the site could serve not only as a cultural and ecological landmark, but also as a safe, accessible, and inclusive public space – all strategic objectives of the IAP.
Local partnerships driving transformation: ULG in action
The pilot events would not have been possible without the active participation of URBACT Local Group (ULG) members, who represent key institutions and stakeholder groups. These include:
City of Nitra – coordinator of the IAP, and operator of the Creative Centre and kindergarten,
Archaeological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences – main user of the site and operator of the Archaeopark,
Roman Catholic Bishopric of Nitra – owner of historical buildings under renovation,
Zobor Bees NGO – urban beekeeping and environmental education partner,
Association of Architects of Nitra, Faculty of Architecture and Design STU, Hidepark community centre, and others.
These organizations form the backbone of Nitra’s GreenPlace ULG – a participatory group committed to shaping the future of Martin’s Hill through co-creation, shared ownership, and open dialogue.
Looking ahead to 2030: A shared vision for Martin’s Hill
The City of Nitra’s IAP envisions Martin’s Hill in 2030 as a space that is:
Safe and accessible to all residents and visitors,
Rich in biodiversity and environmental value,
Preserving its historical identity through thoughtful revitalization,
Home to cultural, educational, and leisure activities,
And interconnected with the city’s wider green infrastructure.
The summer 2025 pilot events were concrete steps toward this vision, showing that change is possible when institutions, experts, and citizens work together.
Article written by Denisa Halajová on 05/08/2025
