Svit ( hu, Szvit) ( pl, Świt) is a small town in Poprad District in the Prešov Region in northern Slovakia. It lies west of the city of Poprad, at the foothills of the High Tatras.

History

Svit is one of the youngest Slovak towns. It was established in 1934 by business industrialist Jan Antonín Baťa of Zlín, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) through his organization Baťa a.s., Zlin in accordance with his policy of setting up villages around the country for his workers. As a boy, Jan Baťa saw the poverty and sickness of his fellow countrymen. He wanted to change this by creating cities full of the most modern factories and filled with the best (and happiest) workers in Europe. The Baťa System under Jan's administration brought prosperity first to Moravia, and later Slovakia and Bohemia. It was Jan's policy for full employment that drove him to create each Baťa town for a different purpose: Shoes, Rubber and Tires, Textiles, Airplanes, Chemicals, Plastics, Media, Stockings, Leather, Machinery. When the World War II came, Jan Baťa's policy was to secretly fund the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, to supply the Czech Army with shoes and clothing and to secretly fund the Slovak National Uprising that started at Baťovany (now Partizánske) on 29 August 1944. Jan Baťa represented Czech/Slovak freedom and prosperity. Svit is short for "Slovenské vizkózové továrne" (in English ''Slovak Viscose Works''). (Also, the word ''svit'' means 'shine' in Slovak) Svit is the smallest town in Slovakia (4.5 km²) with the population of 7,790.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, the town had 7,445 inhabitants. 96.44% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.11% Romani people, Romani and 0.79% Czech people, Czechs. The religious make-up was 62.53% Roman Catholics, 20.67% people with no religious affiliation, 8.62% Lutherans and 4.00% Greek Catholic Church, Greek Catholics.

Churches

* Roman Catholic Church of St. Joseph * Roman Catholic Church of St. Cyril and Methodius * Greek Catholic Chapel of St. Cyril and Methodius * Lutheran Church

Sports

The town is home to the professional basketball team BK Iskra Svit, which plays in the Slovak Extraliga (basketball), Slovak Extraliga.

Twin towns — sister cities

Svit is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Česká Třebová, Czech Republic * Knurów, Poland * Partizánske, Slovakia * San Lorenzo in Campo, Italy

References

External links

* (in Slovak only) Cities and towns in Slovakia Villages and municipalities in Poprad District Bata Corporation New towns started in the 1930s {{Prešov-geo-stub