Liptovský Hrádok (; ; ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in northern

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 ...

, in the region of

Liptov Liptov () is a historical and geographical region in central Slovakia with around 140,000 inhabitants. The area is also known by the German name ''Liptau'', the Hungarian ''Liptó'', the Latin name ''Liptovium'' and the Polish ''Liptów''. Etym ...

History

First mentioned in 1341, Liptovský Hrádok was named after the nearby castle. The castle, also known as Liptovský Hrádok, was built originally for use of the forestry commission, hunters of the area and the Catholic Church. The castle was later modified and furnished in the style of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

. The name of the town and the castle literally means "little castle of Liptov". A salt processing facility was constructed in 1728 to collect salt for the Solivar Salt Works which now is part of

Prešov Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...

, a Slovak city further to the East. This helped Liptovský Hrádok rise to some prominence in the region. The population centre of the town was the main street, which runs from the castle to the south continuing along to the

Váh The Váh (; , ; ; Wag
w Słowniku geograficznym Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich (''in Geograph ...

River and the hamlet of Prekážka. Before the establishment of independent

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

in 1918, Liptovský Hrádok was part of

Liptó County Liptó County (, , , , ) was an administrative county ( comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in northern Slovakia. Geography Liptó county shared borders with the Austrian land Galicia and the Hungarian counties Árva ...

within the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

. From 1939 to 1945, it was part of the

Slovak Republic 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 ...

Geography and climate

The region of Liptovský Hrádok is bordered by the

Low Tatras The Low Tatras or Low Tatra (; ) is a mountain range of the Inner Western Carpathians in central Slovakia. It is located south of the Tatras proper, from which it is separated by the valleys of the Váh and Poprad rivers (the Liptov-Spiš ...

to the south and partially bordered by the

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

and

High Tatras The High Tatras or High Tatra Mountains (; ; ,'' Vysoki Tatry''; ; ), are a mountain range along the border of northern Slovakia in the Prešov Region, and southern Poland in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. They are a range of the Tatra Mountains ...

. The town is situated in the middle of the Liptov Basin created by the Váh River. It is in the centre of northern Liptov and lies on the confluence of the rivers Váh and Belá. The average altitude of the town is 637 meters

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 ...

. Liptovský Hrádok has a moist warm climate with an average temperature about , while the more mountainous parts are colder. The temperature is about in the summer and in the winter about . Rainfall is very frequent in this part and the weather often changes quickly. Snowfall stays on the ground approximately 140 days during the year. Facts about Liptovský Hrádok: * Liptovsky Hradok had 731 inhabitants in 1869 and currently (in 2012) has 7,454 inhabitants. * Area of the town: 1.832 ha. * Dovalovo is its town section with 1001 inhabitants * Average yearly temperature: . * Maximum temperature: * Minimum temperature: * Absolute maximum: (16.08.1952) * Absolute minimum: (11.02.1929) * Length of sunshine: 140 days per year * Average rainfall per year 691 mm * Average number of cold days year: 160.4 days * Average number of summer days per year: 28.9 days

Cityscape and architecture

https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034943/http://az-europe.eu/data/albumy/GEO_PANORAMA/3848/panorama.jpg Drawing of Thomas Ender: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EdtSm1CwIPA/Rg6D-XjU47I/AAAAAAAAAQA/wTqLSdSWKuo/s400/0710lipt+hradok.jpg Castle and manson with lakelet/pond: https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090630/http://www.nasliptov.sk/image.php?url=files%2Fvylety%2F37.jpg&width=451&height=270&fit Viem from high peak Skalka at Hradná Street: https://web.archive.org/web/20140429195230/http://visitliptov.sk/hlp-image/800x532/userdata/dtb/3271/profil//skalka.jpg View at the part of "Limewood Alley" (Lipová alej) created in 1777: https://web.archive.org/web/20140430022911/http://visitliptov.sk/userdata/dtb/3293/profil/arboretum.jpg Internal part of the Castle in winter: http://i.sme.sk/cdata/9/62/6278479/hlavna.jpg

Demographics

According to the 2001

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, the town had 8,232 inhabitants. 97.11% of 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 ...

, 1.37%

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 ...

, 0.72%

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

and 0.15%

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

. The religious make-up was 42.23%

Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

, 31.74%

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and 21.14% people with no religious affiliation.

Twin towns – sister cities

Liptovský Hrádok is twinned with: *

Česká Skalice Česká Skalice (; ) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. It lies on the shore of Rozkoš Reservoir. The town is known for the Ratibořice Castle and Grandmother's Vall ...

, Czech Republic *

Hradec nad Moravicí Hradec nad Moravicí (; ) is a town in Opava District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,500 inhabitants. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument z ...

, Czech Republic *

Nowy Targ Nowy Targ (Officially: ''Royal Free city of Nowy Targ'', Yiddish: ''Naymark'', Gorals, Goral dialect: ''Nowy Torg'' ) is a town in southern Poland, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is located in the Orava-Nowy Targ Basin at the foot of the Go ...

, Poland *

Stary Sącz Stary Sącz is a small historic town in Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the seat of the Gmina Stary Sącz (commune), and one of the oldest towns in the country, receiving Magdeburg rights in the 13th century. Geography Star ...

, Poland

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liptovsky Hradok Cities and towns in Slovakia Villages and municipalities in Liptovský Mikuláš District Liptov