Považská Bystrica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Považská Bystrica | ||
| Town | ||
 Panorama of Považská Bystrica
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| Country |  Slovakia |
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| Region | Trenčín | |
| District | Považská Bystrica | |
| River | Váh | |
| Elevation | 288 m (945 ft) | |
| Coordinates | ||
| Area | 90.555 km² (35 sq mi) | |
| Population | 41,989 (2006-12-31) | |
| Density | 466 /km² (1,207 /sq mi) | |
| First mentioned | 1316 | |
| Mayor | Miroslav Adame | |
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 017 01 | |
| Phone prefix | 421-42 | |
| Car plate | PB | |
   Location in Slovakia
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  Location in the Trenčín Region
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| Wikimedia Commons: Považská Bystrica | ||
| Statistics: MOŠ/MIS | ||
| Website: http://www.povazska-bystrica.sk | ||
Považská Bystrica (pronunciation ; German: Waagbistritz; Hungarian: Vágbeszterce) is a town in northwestern Slovakia. It is located on the Váh river, around 30 km from the city of Žilina.
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[edit] Profile
Považská Bystrica is a town without any historical center: most old buildings were destroyed and replaced during the period 1950-1980. Actually, for many Slovaks, Považská Bystrica is known for traffic jams, as it lies on the major route Bratislava - Žilina. Controversy about new D1 motorway last for more than ten years. Part of the citizens do not agree with preferred version of the motorway. Optimistic predictions say that the motorway would be built in 2010. The motorway currently ends around 5 km before the town from both ends.
On the other hand, Považská Bystrica lies in a beautiful natural environment. It is located on the frontier between two mountain ranges - Strážovské vrchy and Javorníky. Dominating the town skyline is Veľký Manín mountain (890 m), which is visible from most parts of the town. Between Veľký and Malý Manín mountains (Big and Small Manin), there is a beautiful rocky formation called Manínska tiesňava, known by trekkers as well as rock climbers. Another beautiful rock formation - Súľovské skaly - is just a few kilometers away. Nearby Javorníky mountains, reaching just above 1000 m, offer pleasant experiences to trekkers, mountain-bikers and cross-country skiers. One of the most famous Slovak spas, Rajecké Teplice, lies about 20 km from the town.
The town has one partner town, Rožnov pod Radhoštěm in the Czech Republic.
[edit] History
The first written reference to the town comes from 1316, in connection with Matthew Csák. The next known reference about Považská Bystrica is dated 13 July 1330. In 1432, the town was burned by Hussite troops. The history of the town is very closely connected with the nearby Bystrica (or Považský) castle, built in the 13th century. The most famous owners of the Bystrica castle and the land were knights Ján and Rafael Podmanickí, known for their robberies. The family of Podmanicki became rulers of the town in 1458, when King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary donated the castle, the town and 16 surrounding villages to Ladislav Podmanicki. During their reign, which lasted almost 100 years, the town was flourishing.
The next one hundred years were hard for the town and the region, because of upheavals of several Hungarian noblemen. The town was plundered by troops of Stephen Bocskay (1604), Imre Thököly (1679), Bereczényi and Očkay (1707). Despite the hard times, the town obtained more and more privileges from Hungarian kings during the period, and it had a significantly higher status than the surrounding countryside. This ended in 1886, when a new Hungarian legislation canceled all the privileges.
In 1918, the town became part of the Czechoslovak republic. In 1929, an ammunition plant Roth transferred its production from Bratislava to Považská Bystrica, which significantly improved the employment situation. Starting in 1937 and continuing until 1945 rifles (vz.24 and K98k) and small arms ammunition were manufactured here. After World War II the munitions factory at Považská Bystrica continued to produce weapons and ammunition for both the military and for commercial purposes.
Since World War II, and especially in the 1970s and 1980s, the town grew significantly. New residential areas were built around the tiny town center. The town center itself was re-built completely, therefore you can hardly find any historical buildings there now. The main employer since the second world war was the engineering plant Považské strojárne. The plant mainly manufactured scooters and industrial bearings. Since the end of socialism, the company has not prospered. This has caused increased unemployment.
[edit] Demographics
According to the 2001 census, the town had 42,733 inhabitants. 97.72% of inhabitants were Slovaks and 1.01% Czechs.[1] The religious make-up was 81.10% Roman Catholics, 12.18% people with no religious affiliation, and 2.56% Lutherans.[1]
[edit] Boroughs
Považská Bystrica has 9 boroughs. 75% of population live inside the town itself, most of them in the apartment blocks. 25% of the population live in the villages. Boroughs:
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Villages near Považská Bystrica: Lower and Upper Milochov, Jelšové, Engineering section, Šuvarovce.
Borougs which also have some habitation: Belažská kopanica, Cingelov laz, Dvorského laz, Galanovce, Chodnické, Krekáčov laz, Líškovie laz, Matúšsky laz, Rybárikov laz, Tomankovci a Trnovie laz.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Municipal Statistics. Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
[edit] External links
- Official website (Slovak)
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