MEDZILABORCE

'Medzilaborce' (, Rusyn: ''Medžilabirci'') is a town in northeastern Slovakia close to the border with Poland, located near the towns of Sanok and Bukowsko (in southeastern Małopolska). Its population is approximately 6,000.

Contents

Characteristics

Geography

History

Demographics

References

External links

Characteristics

It is an administrative and cultural centre of the Laborec Region. It is crossed by the rail road connecting it with Poland. It is especially the private sector and service industries that are developing rapidly at this time.
It is home to the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art, opened in 1991, which contains many artworks and effects of Andy Warhol and of his brother Paul and nephew James Warhola. Warhol's mother, Julia Warhola, was born and lived with her husband in the village of Miková, 17 km to the west.
Medzilaborce is situated in the poorest region of Slovakia. There are three churches in the town.

Geography

City parts:

★ Medzilaborce

★ Borov

★ Vydraň
The town of Medzilaborce lies in a valley of the Laborec river in northeastern Slovakia. The hills of the Low Beskid mountain range are typical for this countryside.

History

The oldest written record connected with Medzilaborce dates back to 1557 when Medzilaborce together with some other villages belonged, first, to the Csáky family and, later, to the Andrassy family manor. As early at the 17th century, an important trade route went across Medzilaborce connecting the interior of Slovakia with Poland through the Lupkov Pass. In 1874, construction of the track between Humenné and Medzilaborce and further to Galicia via the Lupkov Pass, which contributed to the growth of the town from 724 inhabitants in 1851 to 1561 in 1910. During World War I, the Russians came to the town on February 1915 and stayed there until May 1915, leaving the town significantly damaged. During the , there was massive unemployment, and emigration from here. The town was significantly damaged again during the World War II. It was seat of the district until 1960, when it was merged with the Humenné district. It was granted town status in 1964. It is seat of the Medzilaborce district again since 1996.

Demographics

In 1910 the town had 1561 inhabitants, 677 Ruthenian, 501 German and 255 Hungarian. The town had a high percentage of Rusyns before World War II.
According to the 2001 census, the town had 6,741 inhabitants, of which most were Slovaks (56.4%), followed by a significant minority of Rusyns (34.1%) and minorities of Ukrainians (6.1%) and Roma (1.1%).

References

1. http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html

External links

★ Unofficial website of Medzilaborce

★ Medzilaborce: Modern art in a desolate town by Chris Togneri for the Spectacular Slovakia travel guide

★ Andy Warhol in Slovakia by Robert Rigney