Šamorín
Encyclopedia
Šamorín or Somorja is a small town
in western Slovakia
, southeast of Bratislava
.
at the Žitný ostrov
island, near the Gabčíkovo dam
on the Danube
. It is located around 17 km south-east of Bratislava and 25 km west of Dunajská Streda
. Administratively, the town belongs to the Trnava Region
, Dunajská Streda District
.
. Agriculture also played a major role in the town's development. As a result of this prosperity, its citizens enjoyed a brisk trade in the new technologies and many shipyards on the Danube. However, with rise of Pressburg
(now Bratislava), the city became less and less important. Šamorín eventually lost its right to the status of royal free city
, which it had been granted in 1405 during the reign of King Sigismund
. In the sixteenth century, the city became notable again because of the witch trials held there.
with:
Leiderdorp
, Netherlands
Mosonmagyaróvár
, Hungary
Hainburg
, Austria
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
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...
, southeast of 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...
.
Geography
The town is located on the Danubian FlatDanubian Flat
The Danubian Flat , also translated as Danubian Plain, is the south-western, more flat, part of the Danubian Lowland in Slovakia.The border with the Danubian Hills runs approx...
at the Žitný ostrov
Žitný ostrov
Žitný ostrov, also called Veľký Žitný ostrov to differentiate it from Malý Žitný ostrov , is a river island in southwestern Slovakia, extending from Bratislava to Komárno. It lies between the Danube and its tributary Little Danube and is a major part of the Danubian Flat...
island, near the Gabčíkovo dam
Gabcíkovo - Nagymaros Dams
The Gabčíkovo – Nagymaros Dams is a large barrage project on the Danube. It was initiated by the Budapest Treaty of 16 September 1977 between Czechoslovakia and Hungary...
on the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. It is located around 17 km south-east of Bratislava and 25 km west of Dunajská Streda
Dunajská Streda
Dunajská Streda is a town in southern Slovakia . Dunajská Streda is the most important town of the Žitný ostrov region. It has a Hungarian ethnic majority and its population is 23,562 -Name:...
. Administratively, the town belongs to the Trnava Region
Trnava Region
The Trnava Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions.-Geography:It is located in the middlewest part of Slovakia and forms a territorial band between the Bratislava Region and the rest of Slovakia, between Austrian and Czech borders in the north and Hungarian border in the south...
, Dunajská Streda District
Dunajská Streda District
Dunajská Streda District is a district in the Trnava Region of western Slovakia....
.
History
The town was mentioned for the first time in 1238 as ecclesia Sancte Mariae and was a prominent port on the Danube during the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Agriculture also played a major role in the town's development. As a result of this prosperity, its citizens enjoyed a brisk trade in the new technologies and many shipyards on the Danube. However, with rise of Pressburg
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...
(now Bratislava), the city became less and less important. Šamorín eventually lost its right to the status of royal free city
Royal free city
Royal free city or free royal city was the official term for the most important cities in the Kingdom of Hungary from the 15th century until the early 20th century...
, which it had been granted in 1405 during the reign of King Sigismund
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
. In the sixteenth century, the city became notable again because of the witch trials held there.
Demographics (2001 census)
According to the 2001 census, ethnic groups included 66.63% Hungarians and 30.96% Slovaks. The religious make-up was 75.27% Roman Catholics, 4.42% Evangelic, 11.75% without denomination and others.Landmarks
- The Reformed Church, originally Catholic and built in the 13th century in the late RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
style. - The Catholic Church and its former cloister from the 18th century in the BaroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style. - The Protestant Church of 1784
- The Synagogue, built in 1912 in a Romanesque RevivalRomanesque Revival architectureRomanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
style - The Renaissance-style city hall
Municipal division
Šamorín has five districts: Šamorín proper and the villages of Bučuháza (Hungarian: Bucsuháza), Čilistov, Kráľovianky (Hungarian: Királyfia), and Mliečno.Historically incorporated villages
- 1808: Gancsháza
- 1960: Čilistov (Hungarian: Csölösztő)
- 1976: Mliečno (Hungarian: Tejfalu)
Twin towns - Sister cities
Šamorín 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:
Leiderdorp
Leiderdorp
Leiderdorp is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland near the city of Leiden. It had a population of 26,182 in 2004....
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Mosonmagyaróvár
Mosonmagyaróvár
Mosonmagyaróvár is a city in Győr-Moson-Sopron county in northwestern Hungary. It lies close to both the Austrian and Slovakian borders and has a population of 30,200 ....
, 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...
Hainburg
Hainburg an der Donau
Hainburg an der Donau is a town in the Bruck an der Leitha district, Lower Austria, Austria.-Geography:The city Hainburg is located next to the Danube river and Bratislava in Slovakia and 50 km east of Vienna. It is part of the Industrial Quarter Industrieviertel in Lower Austria.45.87% of the...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...