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:''If you were looking for a chemical, see nitre or nitro.''
'Nitra' (, ; / ''Nyitria'' [archaic]) is a town in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the Nitra River valley. With a population of 85,000, it is the fifth largest town in Slovakia. Nitra is also one of the oldest cities in Slovakia and the country's earliest political and cultural center. Today, it is a seat of a ''kraj'' (Nitra Region) and an ''okres'' (Nitra District).
Inhabited for 6,000 years,[1] Nitra has been a city of extraordinary historic importance. A large Celtic settlement was founded in the 4th century BCE in the locality Martinský vrch. Nitra is later (396 CE) mentioned in connection to the Germanic tribe of Quadi, as their possible capital.
The first Slavs arrived in the 5th century. Nitra became the capital of the Principality of Nitra, the oldest known independent state of the (proto-)Slovaks. The first known Christian church built by the Western or Eastern Slavs was consecrated in 828 at the seat of the ruling prince Pribina. In 833, Pribina was ousted from Nitra by the Moravian prince Mojmír I and both principalities were united into the early medieval empire of Great Moravia. The Principality of Nitra was usually given to the heir of the Great Moravian throne as an appanage. But the practice eventually threatened unity of Great Moravia. Using rich resources of Nitra, both Prince Svätopluk I and Prince Svätopluk II revolted against their formal sovereigns. The level of autonomy they enjoyed was considerable, as documented by the Papal correspondence, addressing Svätopluk I of Nitra in the same way as two contemporaneous rulers of independent countries (Rastislav of Great Moravia, and Koceľ of the Balaton Principality).
The city reached its height during the reign of Svätopluk I, who was the prince of Nitra from the 850s to 871 and then the king of Great Moravia until 894. The first known Christian bishopric in Slovakia was established in Nitra in 880 (with Wiching as the bishop) and the first monastery in Slovakia was built on the Zobor Mountain during 880-881. During Svätopluk's rule, Nitra consisted of five large fortified settlements and twenty specialized craftsmen's villages, making it a real metropolis of its times. Several churches, for example in the Nitra Castle, Párovce, Nitrianska Blatnica, Lupka, Zobor, and Kostoľany pod Tribečom existed in and around today's Nitra during the 9th and 10th centuries. Located beyond the city limits are the Great Moravian settlements of Chrenová, Lupka, Branč, Vráble, and Zlaté Moravce.
Nitra was conquered by a Magyar chieftain Lehel around 925. The Great Moravian appanage system was adopted by the Árpád dynasty of the newly established Kingdom of Hungary. As the seat a heir of the dynasty, Nitra kept its autonomous status until 1108. Even after the abolishment of the principality, Nitra remained the capital of the Nitra county and a seat of a bishop. In 1248, Béla IV gave Nitra the privileges of a free royal town. Nitra was conquered by Ottoman troops in 1663 and became center of the Litra sanjak, which bounded to Uyvar eyalet. Austrian troops reconquered Nitra in 1685.
Nitra has a population of 85,172 (as of December 31, 2005). According to the 2001 census, 95.4% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.7% Hungarians, 0.9% Czechs, and 0.4% Roma. The religious makeup was 74.2% Roman Catholics, 17.2% people with no religious affiliation, and 2.8% Lutherans.[2]
Notable religious structures located in Nitra are the St. Emmeram Cathedral, a Piarist church, a Roman Catholic religious congregation founded by Saint Joseph of Calasanza and a monastery founded in 1701. The monastery church was completed in 1716, but was later destroyed by a fire and remodeled from 1742-1748 in baroque style. Two towers were also added onto the church. The interior was renovated in 1940 and three modern frescos depicting themes from Slovak history of Nitra were created.
The old town (Staré Mesto) is dominated by a castle (''Hrad''), which is one of the most interesting ancient complexes of buildings in Slovakia. Archeological findings in the past decades indicate that a large fortified castle had already stood here at the time of Samo's Empire, in the seventh century. Recent archeological findings prove the existence of a church from the ninth century beneath the younger, Gothic St. Emmeram Cathedral. The construction of the stone castle began during the 9th century during the reign of the Prince of Nitra Svätopluk. The castle currently serves as the seat of one of Roman-Catholic bishoprics in Slovakia, which was founded in 880 as the first bishopric of western and eastern Slavs, ceased to exist in the 10th century and was refounded around 1110.
The most powerful medium wave transmitter of Slovakia, running on 1098 kHz, was situated in Nitra at Velke Kostolany until recently. This transmitter could broadcast throughout all of Europe at night. Since 2003, however, it has operated on lower output to save energy cost, and has transmitted regional programming only.
★ Béla I of Hungary (?-1063), Duke of Nitra, King of Hungary
★ Saint Bystrík (?-1046), Bishop of Nitra
★ Vilmos Fraknói (1843-1924), Hungarian historian
★ Koceľ, Prince of the Balaton Principality
★ Juraj Kolník (1980-), ice hockey player
★ Anton Lehmden (1929-), painter, draughtsman, and printmaker
★ Branislav Mezei (1980-), ice hockey player
★ Ľubomír Moravčík (1965-), football player
★ Zita Pleštinská, maiden name Kányaiová (1961-), member of the European Parliament
★ Pribina (?-861), Prince of the Nitra and Balaton principalities
★ Štefan Ružička(1985-), ice hockey player
★ Jozef Stümpel (1972-), ice hockey player
★ Svatopluk I (830 - 894), Prince of Nitra, King of Great Moravia
★ Svatopluk II, Prince of Nitra
★ Bački Petrovac, Serbia
★ České Budějovice, Czech Republic
★ Gosford, New South Wales, Australia
★ Kroměříž, Czech Republic
★ Naperville, Illinois, USA
★ Osijek, Croatia
★ Spišská Nová Ves, Slovakia
★ Zielona Góra, Poland
★ Zoetermeer, Netherlands
★ Great Moravia
★ Nitra River
★ Principality of Nitra
★ Nitra.sk – Official Website
★ NitraLive.sk – Website about life in Nitra city
★ Brief history of Nitra
★ Panoramic photo gallery of Nitra
★ Historical photos of Nitra
1. History of Nitra from the municipal website
2. http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html Municipal Statistics from the Statistical Office of the Slovak republic
'Nitra' (, ; / ''Nyitria'' [archaic]) is a town in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the Nitra River valley. With a population of 85,000, it is the fifth largest town in Slovakia. Nitra is also one of the oldest cities in Slovakia and the country's earliest political and cultural center. Today, it is a seat of a ''kraj'' (Nitra Region) and an ''okres'' (Nitra District).
| Contents |
| History |
| Demographics |
| Landmarks |
| Famous People |
| Sister Cities |
| Images |
| See also |
| External links |
| References |
History
Inhabited for 6,000 years,[1] Nitra has been a city of extraordinary historic importance. A large Celtic settlement was founded in the 4th century BCE in the locality Martinský vrch. Nitra is later (396 CE) mentioned in connection to the Germanic tribe of Quadi, as their possible capital.
The first Slavs arrived in the 5th century. Nitra became the capital of the Principality of Nitra, the oldest known independent state of the (proto-)Slovaks. The first known Christian church built by the Western or Eastern Slavs was consecrated in 828 at the seat of the ruling prince Pribina. In 833, Pribina was ousted from Nitra by the Moravian prince Mojmír I and both principalities were united into the early medieval empire of Great Moravia. The Principality of Nitra was usually given to the heir of the Great Moravian throne as an appanage. But the practice eventually threatened unity of Great Moravia. Using rich resources of Nitra, both Prince Svätopluk I and Prince Svätopluk II revolted against their formal sovereigns. The level of autonomy they enjoyed was considerable, as documented by the Papal correspondence, addressing Svätopluk I of Nitra in the same way as two contemporaneous rulers of independent countries (Rastislav of Great Moravia, and Koceľ of the Balaton Principality).
The city reached its height during the reign of Svätopluk I, who was the prince of Nitra from the 850s to 871 and then the king of Great Moravia until 894. The first known Christian bishopric in Slovakia was established in Nitra in 880 (with Wiching as the bishop) and the first monastery in Slovakia was built on the Zobor Mountain during 880-881. During Svätopluk's rule, Nitra consisted of five large fortified settlements and twenty specialized craftsmen's villages, making it a real metropolis of its times. Several churches, for example in the Nitra Castle, Párovce, Nitrianska Blatnica, Lupka, Zobor, and Kostoľany pod Tribečom existed in and around today's Nitra during the 9th and 10th centuries. Located beyond the city limits are the Great Moravian settlements of Chrenová, Lupka, Branč, Vráble, and Zlaté Moravce.
Nitra was conquered by a Magyar chieftain Lehel around 925. The Great Moravian appanage system was adopted by the Árpád dynasty of the newly established Kingdom of Hungary. As the seat a heir of the dynasty, Nitra kept its autonomous status until 1108. Even after the abolishment of the principality, Nitra remained the capital of the Nitra county and a seat of a bishop. In 1248, Béla IV gave Nitra the privileges of a free royal town. Nitra was conquered by Ottoman troops in 1663 and became center of the Litra sanjak, which bounded to Uyvar eyalet. Austrian troops reconquered Nitra in 1685.
Demographics
Nitra has a population of 85,172 (as of December 31, 2005). According to the 2001 census, 95.4% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.7% Hungarians, 0.9% Czechs, and 0.4% Roma. The religious makeup was 74.2% Roman Catholics, 17.2% people with no religious affiliation, and 2.8% Lutherans.[2]
Landmarks
Notable religious structures located in Nitra are the St. Emmeram Cathedral, a Piarist church, a Roman Catholic religious congregation founded by Saint Joseph of Calasanza and a monastery founded in 1701. The monastery church was completed in 1716, but was later destroyed by a fire and remodeled from 1742-1748 in baroque style. Two towers were also added onto the church. The interior was renovated in 1940 and three modern frescos depicting themes from Slovak history of Nitra were created.
The old town (Staré Mesto) is dominated by a castle (''Hrad''), which is one of the most interesting ancient complexes of buildings in Slovakia. Archeological findings in the past decades indicate that a large fortified castle had already stood here at the time of Samo's Empire, in the seventh century. Recent archeological findings prove the existence of a church from the ninth century beneath the younger, Gothic St. Emmeram Cathedral. The construction of the stone castle began during the 9th century during the reign of the Prince of Nitra Svätopluk. The castle currently serves as the seat of one of Roman-Catholic bishoprics in Slovakia, which was founded in 880 as the first bishopric of western and eastern Slavs, ceased to exist in the 10th century and was refounded around 1110.
The most powerful medium wave transmitter of Slovakia, running on 1098 kHz, was situated in Nitra at Velke Kostolany until recently. This transmitter could broadcast throughout all of Europe at night. Since 2003, however, it has operated on lower output to save energy cost, and has transmitted regional programming only.
Famous People
Nitra view from above
★ Béla I of Hungary (?-1063), Duke of Nitra, King of Hungary
★ Saint Bystrík (?-1046), Bishop of Nitra
★ Vilmos Fraknói (1843-1924), Hungarian historian
★ Koceľ, Prince of the Balaton Principality
★ Juraj Kolník (1980-), ice hockey player
★ Anton Lehmden (1929-), painter, draughtsman, and printmaker
★ Branislav Mezei (1980-), ice hockey player
★ Ľubomír Moravčík (1965-), football player
★ Zita Pleštinská, maiden name Kányaiová (1961-), member of the European Parliament
★ Pribina (?-861), Prince of the Nitra and Balaton principalities
★ Štefan Ružička(1985-), ice hockey player
★ Jozef Stümpel (1972-), ice hockey player
★ Svatopluk I (830 - 894), Prince of Nitra, King of Great Moravia
★ Svatopluk II, Prince of Nitra
Sister Cities
★ Bački Petrovac, Serbia
★ České Budějovice, Czech Republic
★ Gosford, New South Wales, Australia
★ Kroměříž, Czech Republic
★ Naperville, Illinois, USA
★ Osijek, Croatia
★ Spišská Nová Ves, Slovakia
★ Zielona Góra, Poland
★ Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Images
See also
★ Great Moravia
★ Nitra River
★ Principality of Nitra
External links
★ Nitra.sk – Official Website
★ NitraLive.sk – Website about life in Nitra city
★ Brief history of Nitra
★ Panoramic photo gallery of Nitra
★ Historical photos of Nitra
References
1. History of Nitra from the municipal website
2. http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html Municipal Statistics from the Statistical Office of the Slovak republic
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psst.. try this: add to faves
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