Trstená
Encyclopedia
Trstená is a city in Tvrdošín District
, Žilina Region
, central Slovakia
.
It was first mentioned historically in 1371. It is a town that is nestled along the Orava River
in the Slovak region of Orava
.
Trstená lies only a few kilometres from the Polish border. The Tatra Mountains
loom to the east over rolling hills of open fields bordered by dense forests. The town lies on a road that leads directly to Poland
and has a steady flow of semi-trucks from all over Europe.
A major employer of Trstená is the Matsushita Corporation. They manufacture components for Panasonic
in a new state-of-the-art facility.
Trstená had suffered some damage during the Second World War from the approaching Russians who shelled the town before taking it from the Germans.
The town had a Jewish Community before the War which is no longer present. The only remaining signs of their existence are an overgrown Jewish cemetery outside of Trstená, and an old Synagogue that is now a shoe store.
The town has enjoyed an economic surge since cross-border commerce has picked up with Slovakia and Poland both becoming members in the European Union.
It's not the only sign of change. St Martin's is surrounded by a wall, along the inside of which are what appear to be a series of odd little seats. Upon closer inspection, they turn out to be more than half a dozen outdoor confessionals. The church was once the object of pilgrimages and attracted so many worshippers, who came to witness a particularly revered painting, that the church's indoor arrangements proved insufficient: this novel solution allowed teams of priests to hear the confessions of pilgrims out in the open.
Also worth a look in Trstená is the town's former synagogue, in a street behind the town's main Roháč Hotel. Its exterior has been well-maintained in pale blue and white; inside it now hosts a discount shoe store. Even more impressive, if you have time and a sense of adventure, is the abandoned Jewish cemetery just out of town, on a steep hill above the main road to nearby Tvrdošín. In what now seems like an improbably out-of-the-way place (go past the elephant-adorned building supplies store and look for a steep, overgrown track on your right; there are no signs and you will need some determination to make it through the undergrowth to the almost hidden walled cemetery) are dozens of headstones, most of them toppled or leaning at crazy angles. Many are in Hebrew; the ones with Roman script poignantly record the lives of local Jews like Ignatz Stein (d. 1931) as late as the 1930s, after which the record falls silent
, the town had 7,461 inhabitants. 98.82% of inhabitants were Slovaks
, 0.42% Polish and 0.32% Czechs
. The religious make-up was 94.33% Roman Catholics, 3.26% people with no religious affiliation and 0.78% Lutherans.
Tvrdošín District
Tvrdošín District is a district inthe Žilina Region of central Slovakia.Until 1918, the district was part of the Hungarian county of Orava.- Municipalities :*Brezovica*Čimhová*Habovka*Hladovka*Liesek*Nižná*Oravský Biely Potok...
, 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...
, 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...
.
It was first mentioned historically in 1371. It is a town that is nestled along the Orava River
Orava River
The Orava is a 60.9 km long river in north-western Slovakia passing through a picturesque country, in the Orava county. Its source is nowadays the Orava water reservoir whose waters flooded the confluence of Biela Orava and Čierna Orava in 1953. It flows into the river Váh near the village...
in the Slovak region of Orava
Orava (region)
Orava is the traditional name of a region situated in northern Slovakia and partially also in southern Poland . It encompasses the territory of the former Árva county.-History:...
.
Trstená lies only a few kilometres from the Polish border. The Tatra Mountains
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
loom to the east over rolling hills of open fields bordered by dense forests. The town lies on a road that leads directly to 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...
and has a steady flow of semi-trucks from all over Europe.
A major employer of Trstená is the Matsushita Corporation. They manufacture components for Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
in a new state-of-the-art facility.
Trstená had suffered some damage during the Second World War from the approaching Russians who shelled the town before taking it from the Germans.
The town had a Jewish Community before the War which is no longer present. The only remaining signs of their existence are an overgrown Jewish cemetery outside of Trstená, and an old Synagogue that is now a shoe store.
The town has enjoyed an economic surge since cross-border commerce has picked up with Slovakia and Poland both becoming members in the European Union.
Sights
Trstená's main church, St Martin's, has an interesting recent history. The first thing that strikes visitors is its unusual turreted spire. This is a fairly recent addition: the previous, more traditional, spire was dislodged during fighting at the end of World War II. It's believed to have fallen victim to a poorly aimed 'Katyusha' rocket, though the Russians still get a traditional thank you for liberating the town in the form of a memorial in the main square. The spire that replaced it, which is being converted to allow tours and should make for a good viewpoint, was modelled on a Czech church.It's not the only sign of change. St Martin's is surrounded by a wall, along the inside of which are what appear to be a series of odd little seats. Upon closer inspection, they turn out to be more than half a dozen outdoor confessionals. The church was once the object of pilgrimages and attracted so many worshippers, who came to witness a particularly revered painting, that the church's indoor arrangements proved insufficient: this novel solution allowed teams of priests to hear the confessions of pilgrims out in the open.
Also worth a look in Trstená is the town's former synagogue, in a street behind the town's main Roháč Hotel. Its exterior has been well-maintained in pale blue and white; inside it now hosts a discount shoe store. Even more impressive, if you have time and a sense of adventure, is the abandoned Jewish cemetery just out of town, on a steep hill above the main road to nearby Tvrdošín. In what now seems like an improbably out-of-the-way place (go past the elephant-adorned building supplies store and look for a steep, overgrown track on your right; there are no signs and you will need some determination to make it through the undergrowth to the almost hidden walled cemetery) are dozens of headstones, most of them toppled or leaning at crazy angles. Many are in Hebrew; the ones with Roman script poignantly record the lives of local Jews like Ignatz Stein (d. 1931) as late as the 1930s, after which the record falls silent
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 7,461 inhabitants. 98.82% 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...
, 0.42% Polish and 0.32% 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...
. The religious make-up was 94.33% Roman Catholics, 3.26% people with no religious affiliation and 0.78% Lutherans.
Famous people
- Hugolín GavlovičHugolín GavlovicHugolín Gavlovič was a Slovak Franciscan priest who authored religious, moral, and educational writings in the contemporary West Slovak vernacular, and was a prominent representative of baroque literature in Slovakia.He wrote didactical-reflexive poetry...
, priest and author - Martin HattalaMartin HattalaMartin Hattala was a Slovak pedagogue, Roman Catholic theologian and linguist...
, linguist - Erik JendrisekErik JendrišekErik Jendrišek is a Slovak footballer who currently plays for the Fußball-Bundesliga club SC Freiburg and the Slovakia national football team.-Ružomberok:...
, footballer - Evelyn Lory (Eva Sloviková), glamour model
- Milo UrbanMilo UrbanMilo Urban was Slovak writer, translator, journalist and important representatives of modern Slovak literature...
, author
External links
- http://www.trstena.sk
- Spectacular Slovakia travelguide - Trstená: the hole has it