ZVOLEN

'Zvolen' (, ) is a town in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. It is the seat of an ''okres'' (Zvolen District). The town has a historical center with an ancient castle.

Contents

History

Boroughs

Demographics

Sport

Famous people

External links

Pictures

References

History

Zvolen has been inhabited since the Paleolithic. In the 9th century, a Slavic settlement (today the Môťová neighborhood) became a regional center of what is now central Slovakia. Zvolen remained the capital of Zvolen county until the 1760s. In the 11th and 12th centuries, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe, Pustý hrad, was constructed. The town, originally built under the castle, lied on an important trade route (''Via Magna'') from Buda to Kraków. Zvolen was granted town privileges by King Béla IV in the 1230s - as one of the first towns in the Kingdom of Hungary. Later, King Louis I the Great built a new castle, which became a popular hunting resort of the Hungarian kings. The future queen regnant Mary of Hungary and emperor Sigismund celebrated their wedding there in 1385.
In 1848-49, Ľudovít Štúr was a member of the Diet, with Zvolen as his constituency. In 1871-1872, two new railways were built and Zvolen became an important railroad hub and important industrial center. Zvolen played an important role during the Slovak National Uprising. Two of its armored trains, which were made in the local railway manufactory, Hurban and Štefánik can be seen near the Zvolen castle.
Zvolen is an important railroad, an important road hub and has a large timber factory and a technical university. An airport in nearby Sliač offers direct flights to Prague. The town square was modernized in 2002 and local businesses are popular with tourists. In wintertime an ice rink is constructed in the center and festive celebrations run throughout December.

Boroughs

Zvolen is divided into six boroughs: ''Kráľová'', ''Lukové'', ''Môťová'', ''Neresnica'', ''Zolná'' and ''Zvolen''.

Demographics

Zvolen has a population of 43,147 (as of December 31, 2005). According to the 2001 census, 95.9% of inhabitants were Slovaks and 1.2% Czechs. The religious makeup was 52.5% Roman Catholics, 26.4% people with no religious affiliation, and 15% Lutherans.^[1]

Sport

HKm Zvolen plays in the Slovak Extraliga.

Famous people

★ Bálint Balassi, poet and nobleman

★ Karol Beck, tennis player

★ Ján Lašák, ice hockey player

★ Vladimír Maňka, politician

★ Vladimír Mečiar, politician

★ František Velecký, actor

External links

★ Municipal website

Pictures

References

1. http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html Municipal Statistics from the Statistical Office of the Slovak republic