Jelšava (german: Eltsch or ''Jelschau''; hu, Jolsva; la, Alnovia) is a
town and
municipality in
Revúca District
Revúca District (''okres Revúca'') is a district in
the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. District had been established in 1996. Forests make 60% of the district area. Revúca District consist of 42 municipalities, from which three ha ...
in the
Banská Bystrica Region of
Slovakia.
Etymology
The name is derived from
Slovak ''jelša'' (
alder). ''Jelšava'' means "a place overgrown with alders" or "a forest with alders".
Geography
The town lies in the
Revúcka vrchovina highlands at the border of the
Slovak Ore Mountains and
Slovak Karst, in the valley of the
Muráň river, at an altitude of around 258 m. It is located by road around from
Revúca
Revúca (; formerly ''Veľká Revúca'' in Slovak; german: Groß-Rauschenbach; hu, Nagyrőce) is a town in Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia. Revúca is the seat of Revúca District.
Etymology
The name is of Slovak origin and was initially t ...
, from
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica (, also known by other alternative names) is a middle-sized town in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mo ...
and away from
Košice
Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of app ...
.
Along to the main settlement, it also has "part" Teplá Voda, bit north-west of the town.
History
In
historical records, the
town was first mentioned in 1243 (1243 ''Illswa'', 1271 ''Elswa'', 1344 ''Ilsua'', 1564 ''Jelssawa'', 1573 ''Jolssowa'', 1582 ''Ölch alias Ilschwa'', 1594 ''Oltcz'', 1592 ''Jelsowa, Josuach'') as an important
town and hammer, hosting
German and
Hungarian colonists. In the time it was ruled by Desiderius of the Ratoldy family, who was the founder of a new family, the Ilsvay (meaning "from Jelšava"). In 1556, Jelšava was besieged by
Turks, to whom it had to pay tributes. In this period
Protestantism arrived in the town. It was ruled by Ottoman Empire as part of
Filek sanjak (Its centre was
Rima Sonbot) during periods of 1554-1593 and 1596-1686. It was known as "Yoşva" during Ottoman period. In the 17th century, Jelšava passed to the
Bocskay family. The first magnesite furnace in present-day Slovakia was built in 1894. After breakup of
Austria-Hungary in 1918, the town passed to
Czechoslovakia, which controlled the town lied until 1993, with exception of years 1938–1945, when it was occupied by
Hungary (see
First Vienna Award). In 1993, the town became a part of Slovakia.
Demographics
According to the 2001
census, the town had 3,287 inhabitants. 84.39% 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 ...
, 9.49%
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 ...
, 2.46%
Hungarians and 1.16%
Czechs.
The religious make-up was 40.77%
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 ...
, 28.02% people with no religious affiliation and 16.28%
Lutherans.
Twin towns — sister cities
Jelšava is
twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...
with:
*
Uničov, Czech Republic
*
Tótkomlós, Hungary
*
Nădlac, Romania
*
Szczekociny
Szczekociny () is a town on the Pilica river, in Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland, with 3,612 inhabitants (2019).
Even though Szczekociny administratively belongs to the Silesian Voivodeship, it is part of historic region of Lesser Polan ...
, Poland
Famous people
*
Ludwig Greiner, forester
See also
*
List of municipalities and towns in Slovakia
References
Genealogical resources
The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Statny Archiv in Banska Bystrica, Kosice, Slovakia"
* Roman Catholic Church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1674-1895 (parish A)
* Greek Catholic Church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1775-1928 (parish B)
* Lutheran Church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1783-1895 (parish A)
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jelsava
Villages and municipalities in Revúca District
Cities and towns in Slovakia