Divinka ( hu, Kisdivény) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Žilina District Žilina District ( sk, Okres Žilina) is an '' okres'' (district) of the Žilina Region in north-western Slovakia. The district was first established in 1923. Its present borders date from 1996. The heart of the district is the Váh and Rajec rive ...

in the

Žilina Region The Žilina Region ( sk, Žilinský kraj; pl, Kraj żyliński; hu, Zsolnai kerület) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts ( okresy) and 315 municipalities, from which 18 have a town status. The region ...

of northern

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

History

The modern village of Divinka consists of two parts, which were originally two separate villages: Divinka (former Malá Divina) and Lalinok, which merged in 1911. During the Austro-Hungarian period, the village was a part of

Trencsén County Trencsén county (Latin: ''comitatus Trentsiniensis / Trenchiniensis''; Hungarian: ''Trencsén (vár)megye''; Slovak: ''Trenčiansky komitát / Trenčianska stolica / Trenčianska župa''; german: link=yes, Trentschiner Gespanschaft / Komitat) ...

and belonged to the district of

Kysucké Nové Mesto Kysucké Nové Mesto (german: Kischützneustadt / ''Oberneustadl''; hu, Kiszucaújhely) is a town in Žilina Region, Slovakia, near the city of Žilina. History The first signs of settlement In 1976 lumps of burnt clay and ceramics were found u ...

. The Veľký Vrch hill was fortified with ramparts of a vast hillfort, that rise up majestically above the village Divinka, which, thanks to its strategic location, has been inhabited since ancient times. This place, which gave many important testimonies of settlement in the times long before the first written mention of Divinka or Lalinok, is today a well-known cultural, historical and natural site. The castle occupies an area of approximately 12 hectares. Pieces of ceramics, iron, bronze and gold objects have been found there. The most famous discovery is the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

cointype "Divinka". The first written mention of Lalinok dates back to April 4, 1325, in the document dealing with the property transfers of the noble Borčický family, Lalinok is referred to as ''Lylihng''. The earliest direct written record of Divinka is preserved in the letter of the Nitra

Cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

(

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Capitulum Ecclesiae Nitriensis''), dated to March 19, 1393. The Chapter announced not only King Sigismund of Luxembourg but all the villages of the

Lietava Lietava ( hu, Zsolnalitva) is a village and municipality in Žilina District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. Lietava Castle, the third largest castle in Slovakia, is in the village. History In historical records the village was firs ...

estate, including Divinka (referred to as ''Kysdywyne'') and Lalinok (referred to as ''Lelenk''), too, that the new lawful overlord of Lietava castle and the estate had become Dezider from Kapla. Local residents have retained traditional folk costumes as well as dialect, but they are no longer worn. In the middle of the 19th century, divinity and tinker trade were the two most widespread crafts. A typical feature of this region was emigration. Local people traveled to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

to work there.

Geography

The

lies at an

altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...

of 327 metres and covers an

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...

of 5.174 km². It has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of about 1 024 people. Divinka is surrounded by a number of hills: Malý vrch, Veľký vrch, Prašivá, Všivák and Bok. Lalinok is surrounded by Homola and Hradisko. The highest point in the land area is the peak of Prašivá, with an altitude of 626 m above sea level.

Religion

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

The village has a strong Roman Catholic tradition. From the point of view of church autonomy, Divinka and Lalinok have never formed a separate parish. They have always been in the administration of other parishes since their creation. The municipalities alternately belonged to the Parish district Dolný Hričov or

. After the establishment of a separate parish in the nearby village called

Divina Divina ( hu, Nagydivény) is a village and municipality in Žilina District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1325. File:Divina, pečať.jpg, Oldest seal of Divina vill ...

(former ''Veľká Divina'') in 1771, Divinka and Lalinok joined it. Today, the village belongs to the administration of the

Diocese of Žilina In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

An integral part of the history and demography of Divinka and Lalinok was also the Jewish ethnicity. The

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

moved to Divinka and Lalinok sometime in the first half of the 19th century and devoted themselves to timber trade and tavern services. The Jews left voluntarily later in 1918, after selling out their possessions to local residents.

Monuments

Divinka

* Former Ancient fortress Veľký vrch – Archaeological site registered in the Central List of the Slovak Memorial Fund. *Renaissance Suňogs´ mansion from the 16th century. Mansion is registered in the Central List of the Slovak Memorial Fund. * Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk from 1742, which was built by Agnes Suňog. Chapel is registered in the Central List of the Slovak Memorial Fund. * St. Anna's Chapel at the local cemetery, which was built in the middle of the 18th century by Steven Višňovský. *

Observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

in Malý vrch.

Lalinok

* Walled cross from 1907 with the Art Nouveau elements. * Small chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, coming from the late 19th century. * Bell tower with the bell from 1819. * Memorial dedicated to

WWI World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

victims from Lalinok village. The memorial is located at the local

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

. In Lalinok, old wooden folk houses from the 19th century have been preserved. A single track railway, which does not exist anymore, was the curiosity of Lalinok. It was used to transport material from the stone quarry in Divinka to construct the county road from Budatín to Kotešová. In the past, there were two mills in Divinka, one of which is now used as the Municipal office building. File:Divinka minca.jpg, Celtic cointype "Divinka" File:Divinka zvon.jpg, Bell from 1819 in bell tower in Lalinok File:Divina obec centrum 2016.png, Aerial view of neighboring

(left) and Lalinok (right) File:WWI Memorial in Lalinok (Divinka).jpg, WWI Memorial in Lalinok

Genealogical resources

The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Štátny archív v Žiline so sídlom v Bytči". * Roman Catholic church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1690 – 1898 (parish B)

Sport

Ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

is the most popular among sporting activities, locally. The origin of the skiing sport in Lalinok can be dated to 1940. Legendary were also the biking races that arose in 1991 and had a long tradition in the village. Like everywhere in the surrounding villages, Divinka and Lalinok have their own football history. At first

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

was played on natural playing fields with handball balls while the cattle grazed. Since 1939, Easter football tournaments have been played in nearby Svederník. Today there is a large football field in Divinka.

Significant natives

* Vojtech Križan Sr. (* May 1, 1908 Rajec – † April 30, 1975 Divinka) was a prominent

beekeeper A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees. Beekeepers are also called honey farmers, apiarists, or less commonly, apiculturists (both from the Latin '' apis'', bee; cf. apiary). The term beekeeper refers to a person who keeps honey bees i ...

– expert, the author of professional literature, and an innovator. After Vojtech Križan became the caretaker and later headmaster of the elementary school in the village in 1940, bee-keeping increased in popularity, with Divinka becoming the destination for visitors and beekeeping specialists from all over Slovakia. Beekeeping also has a long tradition in the village, with the first records of beekeepers going back to the early 20th century. He and his wife Valéria worked as teachers at the local school for a long time. * Martin Medňanský (* November 10, 1840 – † November 3, 1899). Medňanský was a member of the noble family and he was a Catholic priest, poet, translator, and journalist.