Brezno
Encyclopedia
Brezno is a town in central 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...

, with a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 22,279 (2005).

Geography

Brezno is located within the Horehronské podolie
Geomorphological division of Slovakia
This page gives an overview of the geomorphological division of Slovakia. It is ordered in a hierarchical form, belonging to the Alps-Himalaya System and to the sub-systems of the Carpathian Mountains and of the Pannonian Basin...

 basin. Brezno lies between Low Tatras mountain range and the Slovak Ore Mountains
Slovak Ore Mountains
Slovak Ore Mountains is an extensive mountainous region of Slovakia's Spiš and Gemer region, and in small part in northern Hungary, within the Carpathians. It is the largest mountain range in Slovakia...

. The river Hron
Hron
Hron is a 298 km long left tributary of the Danube and the second longest river in Slovakia. It flows from its source located in the Low Tatra mountains through central and southern Slovakia, pouring into the Danube near Štúrovo and Esztergom...

 flows through town. The city of Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica is a key city in central Slovakia located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. With 81,281 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia...

 is approximately 45 km west. The local climate in the basin is rather cold, with an annual average of 6.6 °C and an annual precipitation of 700–750 mm.

History

The place has been inhabited since prehistoric times, but the current town arose from an old Slovak settlement, next to which newly arrived German miners erected a typical square market in the early 13th century. The first written evidence of the town's existence is dated 1265 when King Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV , King of Hungary and of Croatia , duke of Styria 1254–58. One of the most famous kings of Hungary, he distinguished himself through his policy of strengthening of the royal power following the example of his grandfather Bela III, and by the rebuilding Hungary after the catastrophe of the...

 issued a charter for the hunters from the area of Liptov
Liptov
Liptó is the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is presently in northern Slovakia.-Geography:...

 allowing them to use woods around the settlement, known as Berezuno. The name is derived from the Slovak word "breza" for birch. In the nineteenth century Brezno was a typical almost purely Slovak town and was one of the centres of the Slovak national movement.

After the Second World War the town has developed into an industrial town with by far the largest share taken by a construction company: Mostaren Brezno which specialised itself with crane construction for whole Central Europe. In early '90s the construction company exited from business causing high unemployment in whole region. From late '90s Brezno built a large retail sector and promoted itself and whole region as a tourist destination where sports games and events such as Biathlon World cup or European golf cup are regularly held.

Sport

The town's three most successful sport clubs and with highest attendance are HC Brezno, FC Brezno and Biathlon Club Brezno. Other less successful however still popular clubs are Volleyball club Brezno, Cycle club Brezno and Swimming club Brezno.

HC Brezno is representing town as part of the 1st senior league from 2009/10 year. Therefore Brezno town council made decision and reconstructed its indoor stadium in year 2009, added new seats and renamed stadium to Brezno Arena. Total capacity is 2500 seats.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census
Census
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...

, the town had 22,875 inhabitants. 92.85% 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...

, 4.63% Roma, 0.80% Czechs
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...

 and 0.22% Hungarian. The religious makeup was 66.89% Roman Catholics, 18.54% people with no religious affiliation, 8.57% Lutherans, and 0.98% Greek Catholics.

Twin towns

Brezno is twinned with:
Ciechanów
Ciechanów
Ciechanów is a town in north-central Poland with 45,900 inhabitants . It is situated in Masovian Voivodeship . It was previously the capital of Ciechanów Voivodeship.-History:The grad numbered approximately 3,000 armed men....

, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 Meudon
Meudon
Meudon is a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located from the center of Paris.-Geography:...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 Nový Bydžov
Nový Bydžov
Nový Bydžov is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It is situated near Hradec Králové and Chlumec nad Cidlinou on the river Cidlina.-History:...

, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

 Čačak
Cacak
Čačak is a city in central Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Moravica District of Serbia. Čačak is also the main industrial, cultural and sport center of the district...

, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

 Agria
Agria
Agria is a town and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Volos, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies on the Pelion peninsula about 7 km from Volos.- Name :...

, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....


Famous people

  • Ivan Bella
    Ivan Bella
    Ivan Bella is a Slovak Air Force officer who became the first Slovak citizen to fly in space...

    , astronaut
  • Ján Chalupka
    Ján Chalupka
    Ján Chalupka was a Slovak dramatist, playwright, publicist and Evangelical pastor.- Life :...

    , writer
  • Pavol Habera, singer
  • Ottó Herman, ornithologist
  • Karol Kuzmány, writer
  • Miroslav Leitner
    Miroslav Leitner
    Miroslav Leitner is a Slovakian ski mountaineer and has been member of the SSA national squad since 1992. Until the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993, he ran for the Czechoslovac team.Leitner was born in Brezno...

    , ski mountaineer
  • Adriana Sklenaříková
    Adriana Sklenaríková
    Adriana Sklenaříková Karembeu is a Slovak fashion model and actress. Also she is a former Guinness record holder for the longest legs among female models...

    , fashion model
  • Dušan Švantner
    Dušan Švantner
    Dušan Švantner is a member of Slovak National Party. He was a member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic from 1994 to 1998 and from 1998 to 2002. He was born in Brezno and still lives there.- References :...

    , politician
  • Jozef Karika
    Jozef Karika
    Jozef Karika is a Slovak experimental publicist and writer. He is the author of the bestseller V tieni mafie. He was awarded the Prize of Literary Fund ....

    , experimental writer and publicist
  • Martin Rázus
    Martin Rázus
    Martin Rázus was a Slovak poet, dramatist, writer, politician and evangelical priest -References:...

    , writer

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