Topoľčany
Topoľčany | ||
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Town | ||
Car plate TO | | |
Website | www.topolcany.sk |
Topoľčany ([ˈtɔpɔʎtʂani] ⓘ; Slovak: Veľké Topoľčany before 1920; Hungarian: Nagytapolcsány) is a town in the Nitra Region of Slovakia. The population is around 25,000 in total. The town's population is nicknamed Žochári (singl. Žochár) (producers, or owners of "mosses").
The Nitra River flows through a wide valley between the two mountain ranges that are visible from the town: Tribeč (to the east) and Považský Inovec (to the west).
Name
The name Topoľčany was assumed to be derived from
History
Founded in the 9th century, Topoľčany was a regional market centre during the Middle Ages located on the western bank of the Nitra River and on a crossroads of trade routes.
Topoľčany Castle was built in the 13th century 18 km northwest of the town; this considerable distance was due to the lowland location of Topoľčany. The castle lies on the slopes of Považský Inovec.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, Topoľčany was owned by the
During the 16th and 17th centuries, there were a few large-scale fires that destroyed substantial parts of the town. Because the town was only 60 km north of the border between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy, Topoľčany was often raided by the Ottoman Turks during the Ottoman wars in Europe, notably in the years 1599 and 1643, when many citizens were taken into slavery. The town's population stagnated as a result. The town's location in a lowland thus proved a disadvantage in times of war as the town never grew big enough to erect city walls.
For most of its history, Topoľčany's population was ethnically mixed. While the rural population was almost purely
The Jewish (about 3,200 people) and German populations substantially decreased during
Population
Topoľčany is predominantly inhabited by Slovaks, with small minorities of
The majority of the population is
Sights
A large army
Industry
There are four main industries in Topoľčany: the Topvar brewery (owned by SABMiller), kitchen furniture producer Decodom, cableware producer SEWS (owned by a Japanese company), and the clothing company Ozeta (producer of suits and jackets). The large "ZTS" factory, a heavy machinery producer in neighboring Tovarníky, is no longer a major employer.
Education
The educational infrastructure is made up of
Sport
Slovak Bandy Association, founded in 2017, is organising and rink bandy sessions in various localities, for example Topoľčany.[5]
Twin towns — sister cities
Topoľčany is
- Luhačovice, Czech Republic
- Prilep, North Macedonia
- Jászberény, Hungary
- Küçükçekmece, Turkey
- Rybnik, Poland
- Artern, Germany
- Mazingarbe, France
Notable residents
- Henni Racik (born 1964), founder and creator of Velvet Evolution Universe Tour
- Mário Breška (born 1979), football player
- Robert J Büchler (1929–2009), historian and peace activist, escapee from Buchenwald
- Zuzana Dolinková (born 1983), politician
- Denisa Dvončova, model
- Robert Fico (born 1964), politician
- Miroslav Siva (born 1961), footballer
- Rudolf Sivák (born 1955), rector of Bratislava University of Economy
- Miroslav Šatan (born 1974), ice hockey player
- Viera Schottertova (born 1982), model
- Ľubomír Višňovský (born 1976), ice hockey player
- Auschwitz
- Tereza Mihalikova (born 1998), tennis player, 2015 Australian Opengirls champion
References
- ^ Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (www.statistics.sk). "Hustota obyvateľstva - obce". www.statistics.sk. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
- ^ a b c d "Základná charakteristika". www.statistics.sk (in Slovak). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ^ Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (www.statistics.sk). "Počet obyvateľov podľa pohlavia - obce (ročne)". www.statistics.sk. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
- ^
- ^ Instagram post from Slovak Bandy Association about a rink bandy session in Topoľčany
- ^ "Partnerské mestá" (in Slovak). Topoľčany. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
Further reading
External links
- Municipal website (in Slovak)
- Map of Topoľčany