Martin, Slovakia

Martin
City
City centre of Martin
Flag Coat of arms
Name origin: church dedicated to St. Martin
Country	Slovakia
Region	Žilina
District	Martin
Tourism region	Turiec
River	Turiec
Elevation	395 m (1,296 ft)
Coordinates	49°03′54″N 18°55′19″E / 49.065°N 18.92194°E / 49.065; 18.92194
Area	67.736 km2 (26.153 sq mi)
Population	59,014 (2006-12-31)
Density	871 /km2 (2,256 /sq mi)
First mentioned	1264
Mayor	Andrej Hrnčiar (independent)
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	036 01
Area code	+421-43
Car plate	MT
Location in Slovakia
Location in the Žilina Region
Wikimedia Commons: Martin
Statistics: MOŠ/MIS
Website: www.martin.sk

Martin ( pronunciation (help·info); Slovak: Turčiansky Svätý Martin until 1950, Hungarian: Turócszentmárton, German: Turz-Sankt Martin, Latin: Sanctus Martinus / Martinopolis) is a city in northern Slovakia, situated on the Turiec river, under the Malá Fatra mountains, near the city of Žilina. The population numbers approximately 59,000, which makes it the eighth largest city in Slovakia. It is the center of the Turiec region and the District of Martin.

History

From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. The first recorded reference to Martin in written sources is dated to 1264 under the name of Zenthmarton. The settlement was granted the status of a royal town in 1340.

In the turbulent 15th century, Martin suffered from many disasters, for example from the attack of the Hussites in 1433, when the town was burned down. Just 10 years later, it was destroyed again by an earthquake and Martin started to be slowly degraded from royal to the privileged town and under direct influence of the Révay family.

Since the 18th century, Martin became centre of the Turóc county.

The town became the foremost Slovak cultural center in the 19th century. Several cultural institutions (including Slovak Matica and Slovak National Museum) were founded there. Most political activities leading to the Slovak national emancipation in the 19th and early 20th centuries were organized in or from Martin. The town was also industrialized at this time. The first printing works were established in 1869, the furniture factory Tatra nábytok in 1890, and so on.

The town lost some of its importance after Pressburg (today's Bratislava) became the capital of Slovakia in 1919. Today, it is the seat of the Slovak National Library and Slovak Matica.

National Council of the Slovak Republic declared the City of Martin the center of national culture of the Slovaks on August 24, 1994.

Geography

Martin lies at an altitude of 395 metres (1,296 ft) above sea level and covers an area of 67.74 square kilometres (26.2 sq mi).^[1] It is located in northern Slovakia, in the Turiec Basin, just south of the confluence of the Turiec River with Váh. Mountain ranges in the proximity of the city are Lesser Fatra and Greater Fatra, more to the south are Žiar and Kremnica Mountains. The nearest major cities are Žilina, 30 kilometres (19 mi) away to the north-west, Banská Bystrica, 60 kilometres (37 mi) away to the south-east and capital Bratislava, 230 kilometres (143 mi) to the south-west (by road). Martin has 10 boroughs: Jahodníky, Ľadoveň, Stred, Sever, Košúty, Podháj, Stráne, Priekopa, Tomčany and Záturčie.

Climate

Martin lies in the north temperate zone and has a continental climate with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between hot summers and cold, snowy winters. Average annual temperature is around 7 °C (45 °F) and average annual rainfall is 750 – 860 mm. most of the rainfall is in June and in the first half of July. Snow cover lasts from 60 to 80 days per year.

Demographics

Martin city centre

Martin has a population of 59,257 (as of December 31, 2005). According to the 2001 census, 94.9% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.6% Czechs, 0.5% Roma, and 0.2% Hungarians. The religious makeup was 44.1% Roman Catholics, 31.2% people with no religious affiliation, and 17.2% Lutherans.^[1]

Sights

Martin ( east view )

The oldest building is a Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours (13th century). The Slovak National Museum placed its ethnographic collection to Martin. An open air museum in the suburbs Jahodnícke háje exhibits the traditional rural architecture and folk traditions of the region of Turiec. The Slovak National Cemetery is the official Slovak hall of fame, inspired by the Panthéon in Paris.

Martin is surrounded by the Malá Tatra and Veľká Tatra mountain ranges, which in winter offer excellent conditions for skiing and in summer for hiking.

Economy

This section requires expansion.

Martin is home to a Volkswagen Group owned automotive industry production plant, under the Volkswagen Slovakia, a.s. subsidiary. Opened in 2000, it employs approximately 800 people.

Education

A faculty of medicine (part of Comenius University) is situated in Martin. The city's system of primary education consists of nine public schools, two private primary schools and two religious primary schools, enrolling in total 5,027 pupils.^[3] Secondary education is represented by two gymnasia with 828 students,^[4] three specialized high schools with 1,050 students,^[5] and three vocational schools with 2,501 students (data as of 2007).^[6]

Sport

• Ice hockey: MHC Martin plays in the Slovak Extraliga.

Transport

Martin is near the main Slovak road from Bratislava to Košice, as well as being near the main railway. It is connected directly to Žilina, Turčianske Teplice and Ružomberok.

Public transport is not only in Martin itself, but it also extends to the surrounding town of Vrútky and to three villages (Bystrička, Lipovec, Turčianske Kľačany)

Martin is also served by Martin Airport, a small, general aviation airport used for gliding.

Twin towns - Sister cities

City centre.

Martin is twinned with:

• Gotha, Germany
• Hoogeveen, Netherlands
• Karviná, Czech Republic
• Jičín, Czech Republic
• Kalisz, Poland (since 1996) ^[7]
• Skoczów, Poland
• Bački Petrovac, Serbia

Famous people

• Janko Alexy, painter
• Miloš Alexander Bazovský, painter
• Martin Benka, painter
• Barbora Bobulová, actress
• Zdeno Cíger, ice hockey player
• Matúš Daňko, ski mountaineer
• Janko Jesenský, writer
• Andrej Kmeť, scientist
• Miloslav Schmidt, organizer of fire brigades
• Róbert Švehla, ice hockey player
• Paula Voit, mother of the composer Béla Bartók

References

External links

• Official municipal homepage of Martin

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