Trstená
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Trstená ( hu, Trsztena or ''Árvanádasd''; pl, Trzciana; Middle German: ''B ngenstadt'') is a town in
Tvrdošín District Tvrdošín District (''okres Tvrdošín'') is a district in the Žilina Region of central Slovakia. The district was first established in 1996; in 1923 it had been a part of Trstená District. Municipalities * Brezovica *Čimhová *Habovka * Hla ...
,
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 ...
, central
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 ...
.


Location

Trstená is situated on the Orava River at the Orava (reservoir) in the Slovak part of the Orava valley, approximately south of the Polish border. Its elevation is . Trstená is surrounded by fields, hills, dense forests and the
Tatra Mountains The Tatra Mountains (), Tatras, or Tatra (''Tatry'' either in Slovak () or in Polish () - '' plurale tantum''), are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. They are the h ...
to the East. Nearby are thermal pools. The nearest international airport is
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...
in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
. The city has rail and road transport.Thomson, James. "Trstená: The hole has it

Travel Spectator website. In English. Accessed 26 October 2013


History

In 1371, King Louis I of Hungary granted Ladislav Piasta of
Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city lo ...
, (Hungarian
palatine A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.
and landlord of the Orava district), Schwankomir (Piasta's
notary A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...
and brother in law), Jan Hertel, a relative of Schwankomir from Einseidel in
Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is spli ...
(and his sons, Jakub and Martin) and Ladislav's brothers (Janko, Grimok, Junislav and Wismer) to establish a new town in the forest (from Zabiedov brook (Zadowa) to the
Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter Berge ...
valley), near
Tvrdošín Tvrdošín (german: Turdoschin or ''Thurdossin''; hu, Turdossin; pl, Twardoszyn) is a town in central Slovakia. Geography The town is located at the confluence of the Orava and Oravica rivers, from the Polish borders and cca. from Dolný Kub ...
(Wardossin). This new town was Trstená, a
market town A market town is a Human settlement, settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular marketplace, market; this distinguished it from a village or ...
."Trstena

Central Tourist Information website. In English. Accessed 26 October 2013
The town's name comes from the word ''reed'' (Slovak: ''trstina'').


Jan Hertel

Jan Hertel and his descendants became the hereditary mayors ('advocati' or 'sculteti') of Trstená (initially ''Bingenstad''). Hertel was allowed, even though he was not a nobleman, to establish a public bar, a slaughter house, a blacksmith's forgery, bakery, shops and toll houses. (Other bakers, publicans, shoemakers and craftsmen were excluded from the town.) He was given the right to build mills anywhere near the Oravica brook, to mine and sell rock and to hunt and fish throughout the locale. Hertel was also made the local
magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
and
tax collector A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns. Tax collectors are often portrayed as being evil, and in the modern ...
. Trstená developed trade with Poland, with goods such as salt, cloth and lead, and also developed a strong potters'
guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
. Hertel's preferential treatment ensured his control of Trstená.


Taxes

Twenty years after the allocation of land for Trstená, taxes to the rulers of the Hungarian Empire at Orava Castle fell due. On each 11th day of November ( St. Martin's day), citizens of Trstená paid one gold coin for each
acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...
of land they owned. Sixteen
denarii The denarius (, dēnāriī ) was the standard Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the antoninianus. It continued to be minted in very sm ...
(silver coins) per acre were due at Easter, Christmas (Nativitatis Domini) and on the 24th day of June (
St. John the Baptist's Day ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...
). Every sixth
floren The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a pur ...
was given to the mayor himself.


Onus of war

During the reign of Sigismund of Luxemburg, Trstená was ravaged by Jodocus and Procopius of Luxemburg, Sigismund's cousins. In 1397, a royal decree was made that land holders were to perform military service. (The old and ill were excluded, but they had to send a substitute). Rich noblemen were to send one archer for every twenty
serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
they owned. Even the church had to give half its revenue toward Sigismund's the war against the
Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
.


Waining of the hereditary mayors

Over time, Trstená and its mayors lost their granted autonomy. By 1424, Trstená was recorded as a domain of the Orava castle. Even so, some conditions of the original grant were respected. For example, in 1480, at the Turiec convent of
Premonstratensians The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their religious habit, habit), is a religious order of canons regular of th ...
in Kláštor pod Znievom, the Trstená mayor, Adalbert Fojt, was favoured. A family called "Trstenský" (perhaps the continuation of the Hertel family renamed for the town), continued in the role of mayor at least until 1609. In that same year, Matthew II granted Trstená township the right to conduct four trade fairs per year.


Lutheran church

A parish of Trstená dates to 1397. An
evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exp ...
church developed between 1520 and 1551 (when the presence of an evangelical choir is recorded). In 1556, the Thurzó family ruled from Orava castle and were
Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
. Although departure from the Catholic church was less evident in Hungary than in Germany, the Hertel family were German and this may have influenced religion in Trstená.


1918

Trstená was located in the Kingdom of Hungary of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy until the "Martin Declaration" of 1918.


WWII

Trstená was home to a Jewish community until
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. The Trstená synagogue and Jewish cemetery remain as evidence of their past presence. The latest cemetery headstones are dated in the 1930s. Trstená was occupied by German forces and after heavy shelling, was liberated by Russian forces. A memorial in the main square celebrates the liberation of the town.


Trstená synagogue

The synagogue, located behind the town's main hotel, the Roháč, is now a shoe shop. Its exterior is well maintained in pale blue and white. The entrance portal has Renaissance-Baroque features.


Trstená Jewish cemetery

The wasteland unmarked Jewish cemetery is located on a steep wooded hillside above the main road to Tvrdošín, just outside Trstená township. There is public access through a broken masonry wall with no gate remaining. Within the cemetery is a pre-burial house. Headstones and tombstones of marble and sandstone are present in the dozens, some in Hebrew and some in Roman script.


Demographics

The Trstená population in 2001 was 7461. 98.82% of inhabitants were Slovak, 0.42%
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
and 0.32% Czech. 94.33% of the population were recorded as
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
, 3.26% with no religious affiliation and 0.78%
Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
.


Economy

Matsushita Corporation formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka. It was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as a lightbulb ...
manufactures parts for
Panasonic formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka. It was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as a lightbulb ...
products in Trstená. The OVP-Orava company also manufactures televisions in Trstená. The Brezovica Ski Centre in Orava Village in the West Tatras is from Trstená. Trade between Poland and Slovakia across the border near Trstená has increased since Slovakia and Poland joined the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...
in 2004.


Landmarks


St Martin's Church

The first written reference to St Martin's church occurred in 1397. The church was rebuilt on its
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
foundations during the evangelist movement of the 17th to 18th century. The church contains at least two crypts and other burials. Coffins, clothing and textiles found in the crypts represent a cultural record of regional rustic funereal art of the 1700s and 1800s. St Martin's church has a more recent turreted spire, modelled on a Czech design, after the original was dislodged towards the end of World War II by an off course Russian Katuysha rocket. St Martin's church houses a revered religious painting that attracts pilgrims. In floor heating was laid in the church in 1996. The church is surrounded by a wall around which are placed more than six large seats, outdoor confessionals to accommodate the needs of pilgrims.Pongrácz, D. "Painted coffins from Trstená"

Slovenske Narodne Muzeum. In English. Accessed 26 October 2013.


St George's Church


St Florian's statue

A stone pillar with Saint Florian, St Florian's statue was erected in Trstena in 1705.


Festivals

* Škapuliar´s fair (July) *
St Martin Saint Martin may refer to: People * Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316–397), Bishop of Tours, France * Saint Martin of Braga (c. 520–580), archbishop of Bracara Augusta in Gallaecia (now Braga in Portugal) * Pope Martin I (598–655) * Saint Martin ...
´s Fair (November)


Notable people

* Hugolín Gavlovič, priest and author *
Martin Hattala Martin Hattala (4 November 1821 in Trstená, Kingdom of Hungary (today Slovakia) – 11 December 1903 in Prague) was a Slovak pedagogue, Roman Catholic theologian and linguist. He is best known for his reform of the Štúr's Slovak language, so ...
, linguist *
Erik Jendrišek Erik Jendrišek (born 26 October 1986) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a forward, plays for Slovak club MFK Tatran Liptovský Mikuláš. Previously, he played for AS Trenčín. Club career Ružomberok Jendrišek was the best y ...
, footballer *Evelyn Lory (Eva Sloviková), glamour model * Milo Urban, author * Rudolf Dilong, priest and poet * Marcel Schein, physicist


Twin towns — sister cities

Trstená 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: *
Hořice Hořice (, also known as Hořice v Podkrkonoší; german: Horschitz) is a town in Jičín District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,600 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Březovice, Chlum, Chvalina ...
, Czech Republic *
Isaszeg Isaszeg is a town in Pest county, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary. It has a population of 10,979 (2007). Sightseeing On the top of the cemetery hill stands the old parochial church of the village. It was last rebuilt in gothic style. However, ...
, Hungary * Jabłonka, Poland *
Ozorków Ozorków ( yi, אוזורקוב, translit=Ozorkov) is a town on the Bzura River in central Poland, with 19,128 inhabitants (2020). It has been situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (Lodz Province) since 1919. History The city's history dates bac ...
, Poland *
Želiezovce Želiezovce ( hu, Zselíz, (formerly) Zseliz (till 1895), Zeliz, Zeléz, german: Zelis (rare)) is a town in Slovakia in the Nitra Region in the Levice District, near the Hron river. Districts * Jarok ( hu, Nyitra-Ivánka) * Karolína * ...
, Slovakia * Žirovnice, Czech Republic


References


External links

* http://www.trstena.sk
Spectacular Slovakia travelguide - Trstená: the hole has it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trstena Cities and towns in Slovakia