Holíč (until 1946 "Holič", german: Weißkirchen (an der March) / Holitsch, hu, Holics) is a town in western
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 oldest archaeological findings in the area date from the
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
, and there are findings from the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
,
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
and the Roman time. The town was first mentioned in 1205 as ''Wywar'', meaning "New Castle". The
Árpád dynasty built a stone castle after the Mongol invasion in 1241. From the 13th century until 1296, Holíč was the seat of a border comitatus. Among the owners of the town were
Matthias Csák and
Stibor of Stiborice. In the 15th century the town's development was slowed by the
Hussite raids. In 1736 the town was bought by
Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor, husband of
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...
and manufactures were built, leading to the town's growth. Maria Theresa also rebuilt the
Holíč Castle
Holíč Castle is a Baroque manor house and a historical landmark in Holíč, Slovakia. The manor house was built as a summer residence by the Habsburgs in the 18th century. It replaced an older military fortification dating back to the 12th cen ...
from a fortress into a summer château of the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
s. Holíč's once thriving Jewish community
was completely decimated by the Holocaust.
Holíč also gives its name to a type of tin-glazed earthenware
faience
Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ad ...
that was manufactured in the area. The Holitsch factory (Slovakia) was founded in 1743 by
Francis of Lorainne, consort of Empress Maria Teresia. The factory concentrated on the production of richly adorned sets intended to emulate the wares used by the aristocracy in the large western European centers. The factory, which served as a revitalizing force against the decline of local potters in the 18th century, brought together experts from different countries in a co-operative effort to produce wares from which later central European factories derived their inspiration. Responding to an eager market and following patterns established at the
Strasbourg factory, the Holitsch factory produced remarkably life-like pieces imitating fruits and vegetables. These fine examples of modeling were further distinguished by the brightness of the colors used in their decorations. The potters also created sculpture vessels of human or animal shapes that were intended for a practical as well as decorative use such as salt dishes, parrot bottles, and lidded containers.
In August 1942, President
Jozef Tiso gave an
infamous speech in the town in which he defended the deportation of Jews from Slovakia, because they were "parasites".
Geography
Holíč lies at an altitude of
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
and covers an area of .
It is located in the
Záhorie
Záhorie ( hu, Erdőhát) is a region in western Slovakia between by the Little Carpathians to the east and the Morava (river), Morava River to the west. Although not an administrative region, it is one of the List of tourism regions of Slovakia, ...
region near the
Morava River
Morava may refer to:
Rivers
* Great Morava (''Velika Morava''; or only Morava), a river in central Serbia, and its tributaries:
** South Morava (''Južna Morava'')
*** Binač Morava (''Binačka Morava'')
** West Morava (''Zapadna Morava'')
* Mor ...
, away from the Czech city of
Hodonín and around from
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
.
Sights
*
Holíč Castle
Holíč Castle is a Baroque manor house and a historical landmark in Holíč, Slovakia. The manor house was built as a summer residence by the Habsburgs in the 18th century. It replaced an older military fortification dating back to the 12th cen ...
, now a baroque château
*Gothic church from 1387
*Capuchin church from 1755
*Tolerantion church from 1787
*Burgher house, originally in Baroque, now in Art Nouveau style
*Complex of manufacture buildings
*Water and wind mills
*Loretan and Florian chapels
In the neighbouring village of
Kopčany
Kopčany (german: Koptschan or ; hu, Kopcsány) is a village in western Slovakia, near the border with the Czech Republic.
History
The oldest historical records to mention Kopčany date from 1392. However, the village is much older. In the 9th ...
, the 9th century St. Margaret's Church from the time of
Great Moravia
Great Moravia ( la, Regnum Marahensium; el, Μεγάλη Μοραβία, ''Meghálī Moravía''; cz, Velká Morava ; sk, Veľká Morava ; pl, Wielkie Morawy), or simply Moravia, was the first major state that was predominantly West Slavs, Wes ...
, is located.
Demographics
According to the 2001
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
, the town had 11,416 inhabitants. 93.82% of inhabitants were
Slovaks
The Slovaks ( sk, Slováci, singular: ''Slovák'', feminine: ''Slovenka'', plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovak.
In Slovakia, 4.4 mi ...
, 3.68%
Czechs
The Czechs ( cs, Češi, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common ancestry, c ...
, 0.99%
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
and 0.48%
Ukrainians
Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian. The majority ...
.
The religious make-up was 66.36%
Roman Catholics
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 ...
, 23.20% people with no religious affiliation and 6.04%
Lutherans.
Twin towns — sister cities
Holíč is
twinned with:
*
Hodonín,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
*
Hollabrunn,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
*
Hlozany,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
*
Maloyaroslavets,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
See also
*
List of municipalities and towns in Slovakia
This is an alphabetical list of the 2,891 Obec, obcí (singular ''obec'', "municipality") in Slovakia.Holíč Castle
Holíč Castle is a Baroque manor house and a historical landmark in Holíč, Slovakia. The manor house was built as a summer residence by the Habsburgs in the 18th century. It replaced an older military fortification dating back to the 12th cen ...
References
Genealogical resources
The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Statny Archiv in Bratislava, Slovakia"
* Roman Catholic church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1678–1922 (parish A)
* Lutheran church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1786–1895 (parish A)
External links
Town website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holic
Cities and towns in Slovakia