Map: I

Povážská Bystrica and the upper bank of the goose-neck bend of the Váh. Now we are facing north-east: somewhat farther on the opposite bank we see the ruins of Považský hrad, and opposite it at the extreme right, the fringes of the Vel'ký Manín and the Malý Manín peak (812 m). The picturesque gorge Manínska tiešnava lies between the two. - Povážská Bystrica, a market town on the left bank of the Váh, was mostly inhabited by Slovaks. Its Gothic church was built in 1409 and came to be rebuilt several times. Here we find the sepulchral monuments of the Balassa, Mérey, and Podmaniczky families, among them the cover of Raphael Podmaniczky's sarcophagus, which portrays the knight in life-size form. Owing to its favourable location on the Trenčín route, Povážská Bystrica was an important trade centre and became famous especially for its regular cattle markets. - Bibliography: Divald, Krickel, Lovcsányi, Mednyánszky 1844, Mednyánszky 1981, Strážovské vrchy