Malacky
Encyclopedia
Malacky is a town and municipality
in western Slovakia
around 35 km north from capital Bratislava
. From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary
. The name of the city, which was first mentioned in writing in 1206, refers to the Hungarian word "Malacka" which means "piglet" in Hungarian and because the town seal features a pig, although some Slovaks deny the Hungarian origin of the name and argue that it refers to a local stream.
It is one of the centres of the region "Záhorie
", between the Little Carpathians
in the east and Morava River in the west and a cultural and economic hub for nearby villages such as Gajary
, Kostolište
, Veľké Leváre
and Jakubov
. The town is located on the large Prague-Brno-Bratislava highway, and many residents commute daily to Bratislava. The Little Carpathians
mountain range with its network of signposted trails provides excellent opportunities for mountain biking.
, operates a large lumber plant just south of the city. Additionally the Kuchyňa airbase, which is occasionally used by the US Air Force and other NATO air forces for training purposes, is located approximately 10 kilometers east of the city.
In September 2008, Slovak National Party (SNS) President Ján Slota
facilitated the erection of a large Slovak cross
near Malacky as a demonstration of Slovak nationalism.
, the town had 18,063 inhabitants. 96.68% of inhabitants were Slovaks
, 1.02% Czechs and 0.51% Hungarians. The religious makeup was 70.35% Roman Catholics, 19.48% people with no religious affiliation, and 1.98% Lutherans
.
with: Veselí nad Moravou
in Czech Republic
Żnin
in Poland
(since 2001) Albertirsa
in Hungary
(since 2000)
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 western 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...
around 35 km north from capital Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
. From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
. The name of the city, which was first mentioned in writing in 1206, refers to the Hungarian word "Malacka" which means "piglet" in Hungarian and because the town seal features a pig, although some Slovaks deny the Hungarian origin of the name and argue that it refers to a local stream.
It is one of the centres of the region "Záhorie
Záhorie
Záhorie is a region in western Slovakia bordered by the Little Carpathians in the east and the Morava River in the west. Although not an administrative region in its own right, it is one of the 21 official tourism regions in Slovakia...
", between the Little Carpathians
Little Carpathians
The Little Carpathians are a low, about 100 km long, mountain range, part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountains are situated in Western Slovakia, covering the area from Bratislava to Nové Mesto nad Váhom, a very small part called Hundsheimer Berge is situated south of Devín Gate in...
in the east and Morava River in the west and a cultural and economic hub for nearby villages such as Gajary
Gajary
Gajary is a village and municipality in western Slovakia close to the town of Malacky in the Bratislava region. It lies around 40 km north-west of Slovakia's capital Bratislava close to the Austrian border...
, Kostolište
Kostolište
Kostolište is a village in Malacky District in the Bratislava Region of western Slovakia close to the town of Malacky, north-west of Slovakia's capital Bratislava.-External links:*http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html...
, Veľké Leváre
Velké Leváre
Veľké Leváre is a village and municipality in western Slovakia in Malacky District in the Bratislava region.The first written notice about the village has its origins in the year 1378. The village Veľké Leváre is situated in the reach of well-known centers: Bratislava, Vienna, Brno...
and Jakubov
Jakubov
Jakubov is a village in Malacky District in the Bratislava Region of western Slovakia close to the town of Malacky, north-west of Slovakia's capital Bratislava.-External links:*http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html...
. The town is located on the large Prague-Brno-Bratislava highway, and many residents commute daily to Bratislava. The Little Carpathians
Little Carpathians
The Little Carpathians are a low, about 100 km long, mountain range, part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountains are situated in Western Slovakia, covering the area from Bratislava to Nové Mesto nad Váhom, a very small part called Hundsheimer Berge is situated south of Devín Gate in...
mountain range with its network of signposted trails provides excellent opportunities for mountain biking.
Famous Buildings and Sites
The most prominent sites in Malacky include the Franciscan church of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the so-called "Palffy Palace" and the renovated synagogue. The church includes a precise from 1653 of the so-called Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta) that Christ ascended to the Pretorium of Pilate. The Palffy Palace until recently was used as a hospital and is currently unoccupied. It has recently been acquired by the local municipaty. Located in the center of Malacky is also a large, oriental-style, renovated synagogue built in 1886 which is now being used a cultural center. Adjacent to it there is sport arena "MALINA" containing two indoor swimming pools (25m and 12m) and a multifunctional hall used for handball, basketball, volleyball and indoor football.Economy
Swedwood, a subsidiary of IkeaIKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
, operates a large lumber plant just south of the city. Additionally the Kuchyňa airbase, which is occasionally used by the US Air Force and other NATO air forces for training purposes, is located approximately 10 kilometers east of the city.
In September 2008, Slovak National Party (SNS) President Ján Slota
Ján Slota
Ján Slota is the co-founder and President of the Slovak National Party, an extremist nationalist party. Slota as the leader of SNS entered into a coalition with Robert Fico's Smer in 2006...
facilitated the erection of a large Slovak cross
Patriarchal cross
The Patriarchal cross is a variant of the Christian cross, the religious symbol of Christianity. Similar to the familiar Latin cross, the Patriarchal cross possesses a smaller crossbar placed above the main one, so that both crossbars are near the top. Sometimes the patriarchal cross has a short,...
near Malacky as a demonstration of Slovak nationalism.
Demographics
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...
, the town had 18,063 inhabitants. 96.68% 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...
, 1.02% Czechs and 0.51% Hungarians. The religious makeup was 70.35% Roman Catholics, 19.48% people with no religious affiliation, and 1.98% Lutherans
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...
.
People
- István FriedrichIstván FriedrichIstván Friedrich was a Hungarian politician and factory owner who served as prime minister of Hungary for three months in 1919....
, prime minister of HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
for three months in 1919, was born here. - Arnošt WiesnerArnošt WiesnerErnst Wiesner, also known as Arnošt Wiesner was a modernist architect, one of the foremost interwar period architects of Brno....
, modern architect who designed buildings in Brno, was born here. - Martin BenkaMartin BenkaMartin Benka was a Slovak painter and illustrator. He is regarded as the founder of Modernist 20th century Slovak painting...
, a Slovak painter and illustrator, was born near here and died here in 1971. - Ádám LisztAdam LisztÁdám Liszt - was a Hungarian musician and father of composer and pianist Franz Liszt.He was born in Nemesvölgy, Kingdom of Hungary as the second child of György Liszt and Barbara Slezák...
, the father of composer and pianist Franz LisztFranz LisztFranz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, was born here in 1776.
Twin Towns - Sister Cities
Malacky is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Veselí nad Moravou
Veselí nad Moravou
Veselí nad Moravou is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has circa 12,000 inhabitants.-Twin towns — Sister cities:Veselí nad Moravou is twinned with: Żnin in Poland - External links :*...
in 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....
Żnin
Żnin
Żnin is a small town in Poland with a population of 14,558 . It is in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the capital of Żnin County. The town is situated in the historic land of Pałuki and the Gniezno Lake Area on the river Gąsawka.-Etymology:The name originates from the Polish word...
in 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...
(since 2001) Albertirsa
Albertirsa
Albertirsa is a town in Ceglédi kistérség, Pest megye, and the middle of the Great Hungarian Plain. Although it has got its town status in 2003, still has its village-scent that is so common for most of the inhabitations in the region.- History :Initially Albertirsa was two separate inhabitations:...
in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(since 2000)