Trenčín (, also known by other
alternative names) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in western
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, 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 west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
of the central
Váh River valley near the
Czech border, around from
Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
. It has a population of more than 55,000, which makes it the eighth largest municipality of the country and is the seat of the
Trenčín Region
The Trenčín Region (, ; ; ) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions. It consists of nine districts ('' okresy''). The region was established in 1996: previously it had been a part of the West Slovak Region () and partly the Central S ...
and the
Trenčín District. It has a medieval castle,
Trenčín Castle, on a rock above the city.
Trenčín is chosen as the
European Capital of Culture in 2026.
Names and etymology
Trenčín was first mentioned under the Greek name ''Leukaristos'' (Λευκάριστος), depicted on the
Ptolemy world map around 150 AD . During the course of the
Marcomannic Wars
The Marcomannic Wars () were a series of wars lasting from about AD 166 until 180. These wars pitted the Roman Empire against principally the Germanic peoples, Germanic Marcomanni and Quadi and the Sarmatian Iazyges; there were related conflicts ...
between the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
and Germanic
Quadi
The Quadi were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people during the Roman era, who were prominent in Greek and Roman records from about 20 AD to about 400 AD. By about 20 AD they had a kingdom centred in the area of present-day western Slovakia, north ...
, the Romans carved an inscription on the rock under the present-day castle in 179 AD and the place was mentioned as ''Laugaricio''. For a long time it was considered the northernmost known presence of the Romans in Central Europe.
The first written mentions in the Middle Ages are from 1111 (as ''Treinchen'') and 1113 (adjective ''Trenciniensis''). The name is probably derived from a personal name Trnka/Trenka (
Slovak/
Slavic -
Blackthorn) with a possessive suffix ''-ín''.
[Martin Štefánik - Ján Lukačka et al. 2010, Lexikón stredovekých miest na Slovensku, Historický ústav SAV, Bratislava, 2010, pp. 503, 360, . http://forumhistoriae.sk/-/lexikon-stredovekych-miest-na-slovensku ] The German, Hungarian, and Polish forms are ''Trentschin'', ''Trencsén'', and ''Trenczyn'', respectively.
History

The site of Trenčín has been inhabited since
time immemorial. Trenčín Castle, a typical medieval fortified
castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
is situated high on a rock above the city.
Trenčín is best known for a
Roman inscription on the rock below the
Trenčín Castle dating from 179 AD, the era of the
Marcomannic Wars
The Marcomannic Wars () were a series of wars lasting from about AD 166 until 180. These wars pitted the Roman Empire against principally the Germanic peoples, Germanic Marcomanni and Quadi and the Sarmatian Iazyges; there were related conflicts ...
, a series of wars between the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
and the Germanic
Quadi
The Quadi were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people during the Roman era, who were prominent in Greek and Roman records from about 20 AD to about 400 AD. By about 20 AD they had a kingdom centred in the area of present-day western Slovakia, north ...
and
Marcomanni
The Marcomanni were a Germanic people who lived close to the border of the Roman Empire, north of the River Danube, and are mentioned in Roman records from approximately 60 BC until about 400 AD. They were one of the most important members of th ...
. It denotes the site as ''Laugaricio'' and for long time it was the most northern known evidence of the presence of Roman soldiers in central Europe (until the
Roman fort by Mušov and
marching camps by
Olomouc
Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region.
Located on the Morava (rive ...
and
Hulín were found).
Trenčín is one of the suggested locations for the capital of
Samo's Empire in the 7th century. Wogastisburg (Vogast castle) was probably located somewhere on the
Vogas river and was also the site of a decisive battle between the
Slavic and
Frankish armies in 631.
It is plausible that Trenčín Castle was founded during the
Great Moravian era. In the beginning of the 11th century, the region was controlled by king
Bolesław I the Brave of Poland. In 1017,
Stephen I of Hungary
Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( ; ; ; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last grand prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first king of Hungary from 1000 or 1001 until his death in 1038. The year of his bi ...
conquered the region which remained part of
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
until 1918. By the end of the 11th century, the castle became the administrative centre of
Trencsén county in the Kingdom. As one of the few stone castles in the country it resisted the disastrous
invasion of Mongols in 1241. In 1263, Trenčín was in the possession of the royal
Swordbearer Jakab Cseszneky, but in 1302 King
Wenceslas I took it away from the
Cseszneky brothers because they were supporting his rival
Charles Robert, and donated it to
Matúš Čák. Between 1302 and 1321 the castle was the seat of the powerful magnate Matthew Csák who controlled most of present-day Slovakia. Challenging the authority of King Charles Robert, Csák maintained a large court and pursued his own foreign policy. The
Treaty of Trentschin between Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland was signed in the city in 1335.
Trenčín gained a number of privileges during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
: In 1324 the inhabitants were freed from paying tolls and the city received
free royal town privileges in 1412 from King
Sigismund. However, during the following decades and centuries there were catastrophes and wars which lasted until the end of the 18th century. During the conflict between the
Habsburgs and the supporters of the rival king,
János Szapolyai
János is a masculine Hungarian given name. It originates from the Hebrew name Johanan and is thus a variant of the English name John.
People
Notable people with the name include:
* János Aczél (mathematician) (1924–2020), Hungarian ...
, the town was captured in 1528 by imperial troops. In the 17th century the
Ottomans
Ottoman may refer to:
* Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire
* Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II"
* Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
were another threat from the south but they failed to conquer the city. The town then suffered from the Kuruc uprising against the Habsburgs and on 3 August 1708 the
Battle of Trenčín took place close to the city. Two years later a plague killed 1,600 inhabitants of the city. Finally, in 1790 the town, along with the castle, was burned down and the castle has been in ruins ever since.
In the 19th century, Trenčín flourished as the railways to
Žilina
Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#Z, names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the List of cities ...
and
Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
were built and many new enterprises were established, particularly in the textile, food and machine industries.
The town became the hub of the middle Považie region.
In 1867 Trenčín was downgraded from a "free royal town" to a "town with municipal government" and came under the direct control of the chief of
Trenčín county.
Trenčín flourished again during the era of the first
Czechoslovak republic and became the capital of the Trenčín county again between 1940 and 1945 when the
Slovak Republic was in existence.
Shortly after the
Slovak National Uprising began, Trenčín was occupied by
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
and it became the headquarters of the
Sicherheitsdienst and the
Gestapo
The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
.
Trenčín was captured by the Romanian and Soviet troops on 10 April 1945.
Since 1990, the historical centre of the city has been largely restored and since 1996 it has been the seat of
Trenčín Region
The Trenčín Region (, ; ; ) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions. It consists of nine districts ('' okresy''). The region was established in 1996: previously it had been a part of the West Slovak Region () and partly the Central S ...
and
Trenčín District. The castle and its Roman inscription have attracted tourism since.
Geography
Trenčín lies at an altitude of
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
and covers an area of .
It lies in the
Trenčín Basin of north-western Slovakia, which is surrounded by the
Strážov Mountains,
Považský Inovec and
White Carpathians, with the last mentioned being a
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
. The Váh River flows in the north–south axis.
Climate
Trenčín lies in the north temperate zone and has a
continental climate
Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...
(Dfb) with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between hot summers and cold, snowy winters.
Tourism and sights
The city is dominated by Trenčín Castle, which is the third-largest castle in Slovakia. Trenčín Castle is divided into upper and lower sections, with extensive fortifications. The upper castle has several palace buildings which surround the central medieval tower, which remains the highest point of the city. Below the castle, on the hillside, is the old parish church and a small upper square which is reached by historic covered stairs as well as by winding side streets. The old town has a large main square, with a large baroque church and various shops, as well as a town tower.
The
Trenčín Synagogue, built in 1913 is now a cultural center with exhibitions and concerts.
Pohoda, the most visited music festival in Slovakia, has been organized in Trenčín since 1997. , it takes place at the Trenčín Airport.
Demographics
In 2005 the city had a population of 56,750, which rose to 60,012 in 2009, with a population density of . According to the 2001 census, the religious makeup was: 65.8%
Roman Catholics, 22.3% people with
no religious affiliation, and 7.1%
Lutherans. 95.3% inhabitants were
Slovaks
The Slovaks ( (historical Sloveni ), singular: ''Slovák'' (historical: ''Sloven'' ), feminine: ''Slovenka'' , plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history ...
and 2.4%
Czechs
The Czechs (, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common Bohemia ...
.
[Mestská a obecná štatistika SR](_blank)
/ref>
Sport
Handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...
of the 1984 Friendship Games was hosted at Hala na Sihoti.
Association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
club AS Trenčín currently plays in the top-tier Slovak Super Liga
The Slovak First Football League (), officially known as Niké liga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Slovakia and the highest level of the Football in Slovakia, Slovak football league system. It was formed ...
after winning promotion following the 2011–12 season as second-tier Slovak First League champions, while the ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
club Dukla Trenčín currently plays in the Slovak Extraliga, having won the Extraliga championship four times.
Trenčín is the hometown of several professional ice hockey players, including Ottawa Senators forward Marián Gáborík, New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
defenceman Zdeno Chára, and Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
forward Marián Hossa, all playing in the National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL) in North America. Additionally, long-time Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
centre back Martin Škrtel hails from Trenčín.
The festival for non-Olympic sports will be held in town 2017.
Stanley Cup appearances in Trenčín
The top-level professional ice hockey championship trophy in North America, the Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
, has been brought to Trenčín six times between the years 2008 and 2015:
# 2008 – Tomáš Kopecký celebrated his Stanley Cup win after the victory of the Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
over the Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
. Kopecký was born in Ilava
Ilava (, ) is a town in the Trenčín Region, northwestern Slovakia.
Name
The name is of uncertain origin. The historic medieval names were ''Lewe'', ''Lewa'' (the same historic name as Levice), ''Lewa de cidca fluviom Vag'', later ''Ilava''. ...
, about from Trenčín. A noteworthy circumstance is that the Cup's appearance with Kopecký came after the first-ever Stanley Cup Finals appearance for a Trenčíner in Marián Hossa, who, with the Penguins, lost that series.
# 2010 – Marián Hossa, who played in Dukla Trenčín in the 1996–97 season, won the Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
. In Trenčín, he celebrated together with teammate Tomáš Kopecký, who had won the Cup for the second time. Although Hossa was not born in Trenčín, he grew up and lived in the town until he was drafted into the NHL.
# 2011 – Captain of the Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
Zdeno Chára won the trophy when the Bruins defeated Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
. Chára was born in Trenčín and lived there his whole life until he was drafted into the NHL.
# 2013 – In the shortened 2012–13 season, Marián Hossa won the Cup again with Chicago Blackhawks together with Slovak teammate Michal Handzuš, who brought the Cup to his hometown Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...
one day before it traveled to celebrations in Trenčín.
# 2014 Marián Gáborík, who was born and who grew up in Trenčín, won trophy when playing for Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
. In the Final, the Kings defeated New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
in five games series. With 14 goals, Gaborik was the top scorer of 2014 playoffs.
# 2015 – Marián Hossa, for the third time in his career, won the Cup after the Blackhawks defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the 2015 Finals.
Education
Trenčín is home to the public Alexander Dubček University with 7,140 students, including 110 doctoral students, and the private College of Management in Trenčín with 1,275 students. The city's system of primary education consists of nine public schools and one religious primary school, enrolling 4,623 pupils overall. Secondary education is represented by five gymnasia with 1,974 students, 5 specialized high schools with 1,892 students, and 6 vocational schools with 3,975 students.
Transport
Trenčín lies near the main Slovak motorway and is an important stop on the main railway line from Bratislava to Žilina and Košice
Košice 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 approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...
. Roads from the city also lead into the Czech Republic to Brno
Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
and other parts of Slovakia; Prievidza/ Nitra. Railway tracks from the aforementioned cities end in Trenčín. Trenčín has also an airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
. But the closest international airport is in Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
.
Territorial division
Trenčín is divided into four main boroughs:
* Stred (center): ''Staré mesto'' (old town), ''Dolné mesto'' (lower town), ''Dlhé Hony'', ''Noviny'', ''Biskupice''
* Juh (south): ''Juh I-III''
* Sever (north): ''Sihoť I-IV'', ''Opatová nad Váhom'', ''Pod Sokolice'', ''Kubrá'', ''Kubrica''
* Západ (west): ''Zámostie'', ''Kvetná'', ''Istebník'', ''Orechové'', ''Zlatovce'', ''Nové Zlatovce'', ''Záblatie''
Notable people
* Zdeno Chára (born 1977), ice hockey player
* Monika Chochlikova (born 1996), kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter
* Marián Chovanec (born 1957), Roman Catholic bishop
* Ignaz Grossmann (1825–1897), rabbi
* Jozef Ján Matejka (born 1949), writer and doctor
* Eva Kristínová (1928–2020), actress
* Romana Schlesinger (born 1986), LGBT rights activist
* Ján Zachara (1928–2025), boxer
Twin towns – sister cities
Trenčín is twinned with:
* Cran-Gevrier, France
* Zlín
Zlín (in 1949–1989 Gottwaldov; ; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 75,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Zlín Region and it lies on the Dřevnice River. It is known as an industrial centre. The development of the modern city ...
, Czech Republic
* Tarnów
Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east– ...
, Poland
* Casalecchio di Reno, Italy
* Békéscsaba, Hungary
* Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...
, Serbia
See also
* List of people from Trenčín
* Marcus Valerius Maximianus
References
External links
Official city website
*
Satellite picture of the Trenčín Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trencin
Cities and towns in Slovakia
Trenčín Region