Zobor

Zobor (588 m) - a lime-stone hill in the most southern part of this mountain range, is 4 km from the town of Nitra. The remnants of an impressive ancient castle are in the forests below the top. The length of the mound reaches nearly three kilometers. An interesting view of the Pozitavie area , Ponitrie and the central section of the Tribec mountains is available from the rocky top of Zobor.
The nature reservation ZOBORSKA LESOSTEP forest-steppe is on the hill containing many carstic formations. It is part of the warmest and driest localities of Slovakia, and numerous rare plants exist there. Included are the cherry-tree Cerassis mahaleb, wartybark evonymus, spring adonis, low iris, Pusatilla grandis, Doronicum longifolia, Scorzonera austriaca, slovac pennycress, wood geranium and Dictamnus albus. Among many species of rare insects are the grasshopper Saga pedo, stag beetle, oak cerambyx, the butterflis swallowtails, Parnassius mnemosyne and additional butterflies of the genera Euphydrias, Eumenis, Zerinthia, Scolianthides, Polymmatus, Melegeria, Cupido, Hesperis and a variety of hawk-mothes. Among the reptiles living here are the tree ringed snake, common snake, and the green lizard (Lacerta viridis).