Blatnica, Slovakia
Encyclopedia
Blatnica is a village
and municipality
in the Turiec
region of Slovakia
. Administratively it is a part of the Martin District
in the Žilina Region
. The village is situated under the Greater Fatra
Range, at the opening of the spectacular karst
Gader and Blatnica
valleys. The ruins of the Blatnica Castle
lie on a low ridge over the village.
tumuli
with many precious artifacts (such as the famous Blatnica Sword) from the 8th and 9th centuries have been found. The site gave name to the Blatnica-Mikulčice Horizon archaeological culture
. The first written mention stems from 1230, however, the castle was built at the end of the 13th century.
contains plants of the nearby Tlstá
mountain. Both Textorisová's house and a museum dedicated to the ethnographer, filmmaker, and photographer Karol Plicka
are open to the public. Other places of interest include two manor houses from the 18th century, a classicist
Lutheran
church and many well-preserved rural houses.
, 99% of inhabitants were Slovaks
. Blatnica is one of few villages with a Lutheran
absolute majority (58.6%) in the predominantly Roman Catholic Slovakia.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the Turiec
Turiec
Turóc , , /comitatus Thurociensis) is the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary...
region of Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. Administratively it is a part of the Martin District
Martin District
Martin District is a district in the Žilina Region of central Slovakia.Until 1918, the district was part of the Hungarian county of Turiec.- Municipalities :*Belá-Dulice*Benice*Blatnica*Bystrička*Diaková*Dolný Kalník*Dražkovce...
in the Žilina Region
Žilina Region
The Žilina Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts .-Geography:It is located in northern Slovakia and has an area of 6,804 km² and a population of 694,763 . The whole area is mountainous, belonging to the Western Carpathians...
. The village is situated under the Greater Fatra
Greater Fatra
Greater Fatra or Veľká Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the Fatra-Tatra Area. It is situated approximately among the towns of Ružomberok, Harmanec, Turčianske Teplice and Martin...
Range, at the opening of the spectacular karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
Gader and Blatnica
Blatnica Valley
The Blatnica Valley is a karst valley in the Greater Fatra Range in Slovakia. It is accessible from the village of Blatnica along a dirt road. Most of the valley is densely forested, in places with views at the surrounding lime and dolomite rocks. The best known part of the valley is the rock...
valleys. The ruins of the Blatnica Castle
Blatnica Castle
Blatnica Castle is a Gothic castle whose ruins are situated near the village of Blatnica, on the foot of the Greater Fatra Range in Slovakia.The castle was built in the 13th century to protect a major trade route running from Nitra to the north...
lie on a low ridge over the village.
History
Blatnica is an important archaeological site, where SlavicSlavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
tumuli
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
with many precious artifacts (such as the famous Blatnica Sword) from the 8th and 9th centuries have been found. The site gave name to the Blatnica-Mikulčice Horizon archaeological culture
Archaeological culture
An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place, which are thought to constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between the artifacts is based on archaeologists' understanding and interpretation and...
. The first written mention stems from 1230, however, the castle was built at the end of the 13th century.
Culture
The first Slovak female botanist Izabela Textorisová lived in Blatnica and her rich herbariumHerbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
contains plants of the nearby Tlstá
Tlstá
Tlstá is a mountain in the Bralná Fatra part of the Greater Fatra Range, measuring . It is located over the Turiec Valley, rising steaply nearly above the valley bottom. It has rugged slopes with many rock spires and rock terraces under the grass-covered summit...
mountain. Both Textorisová's house and a museum dedicated to the ethnographer, filmmaker, and photographer Karol Plicka
Karel Plicka
Karel Plicka was a Czechoslovak photographer, film director, cinematographer, folklorist and pedagogue. He is considered a founder of Slovak film education and filmmaking. He helped establish the genre of ethnographic film in Czechoslovakia.- Biography :Plicka was born to Czech parents in Vienna...
are open to the public. Other places of interest include two manor houses from the 18th century, a classicist
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
church and many well-preserved rural houses.
Demographics
Blatnica has a population of 881 (as of December 31, 2005). According to the 2001 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, 99% of inhabitants were Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
. Blatnica is one of few villages with a Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
absolute majority (58.6%) in the predominantly Roman Catholic Slovakia.