Skalica (german: Skalitz, hu, Szakolca, Latin: ''Sakolcium'') is the largest town in Skalica District in western Slovakia 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. Located near the Czech border, Skalica has a population of around 15,000.

Etymology

The name is derived from Slovak word ''skala'' (a rock) referring to the cliffs the inhabitants built their settlement over. The first written record of Skalica was made in 1217 as ''Szacholca''.

History

The site has been inhabited since 4000 BC and was part of the

Great Moravian Empire Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

. From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. The settlement developed around a triangular plaza, which was rare during the Middle Ages. Its town privileges were conferred in 1372 by King

Louis I of Hungary Louis I, also Louis the Great ( hu, Nagy Lajos; hr, Ludovik Veliki; sk, Ľudovít Veľký) or Louis the Hungarian ( pl, Ludwik Węgierski; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370 ...

. In 1428 Skalica became a

bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

for the Hussites; during the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...

, the majority of its then predominantly German-speaking populace fled or was exiled. Many

Habaners Hutterites (german: link=no, Hutterer), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the early 16th century ...

(adherents of a sect similar to Anabaptism) settled in Skalica in the 16th century. On 6 November 1918 Skalica became the seat of the Temporary Government of Slovakia, for ten days de facto capital of Slovakia. The Temporary Government led by Vavro Šrobár declared here a sovereignty of the Czechoslovak state, published a newspaper ''Sloboda'' (Liberty) and unsuccessfully tried to negotiate the removal of Hungarian troops from Upper Hungary ''(today Slovakia)''. After World War II, the town tried to take advantage of its position as a district town, and many new works, schools and apartments blocks were built, while successfully preserving its historical city centre. In 1960, Skalica became part of

Senica Senica (; german: Senitz; hu, Szenice) is a town in Trnava Region, western Slovakia. It is located in the north-eastern part of the Záhorie lowland, close to the Little Carpathians. Etymology The name is derived from the word ''seno'' ("hay") ...

district. This lasted until 1996, when Skalica became a separate district again. Didaktik computers were produced in Skalica during the 1980s. The 2006 European

Table Hockey A table hockey game, also called rod hockey game, stick hockey, bubble hockey, and board hockey, is a game for two players, derived from ice hockey. The game consists of a representation of a hockey rink; the players score goals by hitting a smal ...

Championships were held in the town. A popular pastry called trdelník is made in Skalica. Now sold all over Slovakia and Czechia, this unusual "stove-pipe" shaped pastry has its origins in Transylvania. Today, it is economically the strongest town in the

region, bypassing its rival town

for this position, and is becoming a tourist destination thanks to its preserved town centre and historical monuments.

Sights

Near the remnants of one of Skalica's city walls is one of Slovakia's oldest works of construction, the Romanesque Rotunda of

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

. Although its exact date of origin is unknown, it was constructed by the 12th century at the latest. A

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

dome was attached to it in the 17th century. The city has several churches, including a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

church and monastery, the 15th century Parish Church of

St. Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

, and the 15th century Franciscan church and monastery. Other sights are Skalica's Late Renaissance

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

and the

Skalica Culture House The Skalica Culture House (Slovak: Skalický kultúrny dom) is a Secession building in Skalica built in 1905 by Slovak architect Dušan Jurkovič Dušan Samo Jurkovič (23 August 1868, Turá Lúka – 21 December 1947, Bratislava) was a Sl ...

built in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

with elements of Czech and Slovak folklore.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, the town had 15,013 inhabitants. 94.84% 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 ...

, 3.61% Czechs and 0.61%

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 ...

. The religious make-up was 70.15%

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 ...

, 19.92% people with no religious affiliation and 6.67% Lutherans.

Sports

HK 36 Skalica Hockey Club Skalica is a professional ice hockey team based in Skalica, Slovakia. It has been a member of the Slovak Extraliga since 1997–98 Slovak Extraliga, 1997–98 season, when the squad was promoted from the Slovak 1.Liga. Team is currentl ...

, ice hockey club from the town and

MFK Skalica MFK Skalica is a Slovak football team, based in the town of Skalica. The club was founded in 1920. The club plays in the Fortuna Liga, first football league in the Slovakia, and hosts home games at the Mestský štadión Skalica. History * 19 ...

, football club in the Slovak Super Liga. * ŠK Bandy hokej Skalica is one of three

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

clubs in Slovakia. In 2019 it won the rink bandy league.

Notable people

* Béla II of Hungary, king *

János Csernoch János Csernoch (''Slovak'': Ján Černoch) S.T.D. (18 June 1852 – 25 July 1927) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Esztergom and Primate of Hungary. János Csernoch was born in Szakolcza, Kingdom of Hungary (now ...

, primate of Hungary *

Ján Hollý __NOTOC__ Ján Hollý (contemporary orthography: Gán Hollí; 24 March 1785, Bur-Szent-Miklos – 14 April 1849, Jókő) was a Slovak poet and translator. He was the first greater Slovak poet to write exclusively in the newly standardized lite ...

, poet, studied in Skalica * Gyula Juhász, poet *

Milan Mišík Milan Mišík (3 November 1928 in Skalica, Czechoslovakia – 7 May 2011 in Bratislava, Slovakia) was Slovak geologist and Professor, university professor. He excelled particularly as an expert in microfacies analysis, stratigraphy, sedimentology, ...

, geologist, university professor *

Žigmund Pálffy Žigmund "Ziggy" Pálffy (; born May 5, 1972) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey player. Along with his English nickname, he was nicknamed "Žigo" in Slovak. One of the most gifted wingers, Pálffy played in the NHL for 12-years with ...

, ice hockey player *

Marián Varga Marián Varga (29 January 1947 – 9 August 2017) was a Slovak musician, composer and organist. Biography He played the piano from the age of six. He studied piano and composition at the conservatory in Bratislava. He left the conservatory after ...

, musician *

Miroslav Zálešák Miroslav Zálešák (born January 2, 1980) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks. He is currently working as a European scout for the Colorado Avalanche. Playing c ...

, ice hockey player

Twin towns — sister cities

Skalica is twinned with: * Schwechat, Austria * Freyburg, Germany * Gladbeck, Germany *

Strážnice Strážnice (german: Straßnitz) is a town in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Etym ...

, Czech Republic * Uherské Hradiště, Czech Republic * Slaný, Czech Republic * Arcueil, France

Gallery

File:Skalica dom kultury 02.jpg, Culture house File:Skalica main square 01.jpg, Main square File:Skalica city walls 02.jpg, City walls File:Skalica calvary 01.jpg, Calvary File:Skalica jesuite church.jpg, Jesuit church File:Skalica lutheran church 02.jpg, Lutheran church File:Skalica pauline monastery 01.jpg, Pauline monastery File:Skalica trinity church 02.jpg, Trinity church File:Skalica franciscan monastery 02.jpg, Franciscan monastery File:Skalic rotunda 01.jpg, Romanesque rotunda File:Rotunda in skalica -1.JPG, Rotunda at night File:Wineyeard in skalica -2.JPG, Garden in Skalica

References

External links

Official pageMunicipal website

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Slovakia