Liptovský Mikuláš (; until 1952 ''Liptovský Svätý Mikuláš'', ; ) 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 ...

, on the

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

River, about 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 lies in the

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 ...

region, in Liptov Basin near the

Low Tatra 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 ...

and Tatra mountains. The town, known as Liptovský Svätý Mikuláš (or Liptovský Saint Nicholas) before communist times, is also renowned as a town of guilds and culture.

History

From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of 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 ...

. The town of Mikuláš ''(Liptau-Sankt-Nikolaus)'' was first mentioned in the royal deed of King Ladislaus IV in 1286. The first written record mentioning the Church of Saint Nicolaus which was to become the founding element of a larger settlement dates back to 1299. The Church of Saint Nicolaus is the oldest building in the town of Liptovský Mikuláš. Mikuláš was one of the foremost important centers of crafts in the Liptov region. The craftsmen formed guilds; the oldest guild was the shoemaker's guild mentioned in 1508. There were also other guilds: the guild of smiths, furriers, tailors, hatters and butchers. In 1677, Liptovský Mikuláš ''(Liptau-Sankt-Nikolaus)'' became the seat of the local district, as well as Comitatus Liptoviensis. The legendary Slovak "Robin Hood" Juraj Jánošík was sentenced and executed here in 1713 by being hung by the ribcage on a hook. Liptovský Mikuláš played an important role for

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 ...

in the 19th century during the period of

magyarization Magyarization ( , also Hungarianization; ), after "Magyar"—the Hungarian autonym—was an assimilation or acculturation process by which non-Hungarian nationals living in the Kingdom of Hungary, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, adop ...

. It was one of the centers of Slovak national movement. The first Slovak theater, ''"The theater of G. F. Belopotocký"'' was founded there in 1830. Liptovský Mikuláš was a home to an important Slovak romantic poet and national activist,

Janko Kráľ Janko Kráľ (; 24 April 1822 in Liptovský Svätý Mikuláš (now Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia) – 23 May 1876 in Zlaté Moravce) was one of the most significant and most radical Slovak Romanticism, romantic poets of the Ľudovít Štúr g ...

, who was fighting for the right of

self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...

of Slovak nation in the Hungarian Empire. Also another national revivalist

Michal Miloslav Hodža Michal Miloslav Hodža (; 22 September 1811 – 26 March 1870) was a Slovak national revivalist, Lutheran pastor, poet, linguist, and representative of the Slovak national movement in 1840s as a member of "the trinity" Štúr-Hurban-Hodža. He ...

lived there. The leader of Slovak national revival,

Ľudovít Štúr Ľudovít Štúr (; 28 October 1815 – 12 January 1856), also known as Ľudovít Velislav Štúr, was a Slovak revolutionary, politician, and writer. As a leader of the Slovak nationalism, Slovak national revival in the 19th century and the c ...

, publicly revealed a document called ''"The demands of Slovak nation"'' in 1848 in Liptovský Mikuláš as an official appeal to the leaders of Austrian-Hungarian empire to help solve the present existentional problems of Slovak people (unsuccessful). 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 Mikuláš 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

. 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 ...

. In the 20th century, many once independent villages were annexed to Liptovský Mikuláš. Thus, what was once the bucolic farmers' hamlet of Vrbica is now simply a street in the middle of the town.

Tourism

The town is one of the most famous tourist centers in Slovakia because of its rich cultural life and also because it is a perfect starting point for tourists, from where it is easy to reach the Low Tatras (Demänová valley) with well-known caves such as the Demänová Ice Cave or Demänová Cave of Freedom, or to the Western Tatras. Folk architecture can also be seen nearby in Vlkolínec near

Ružomberok Ružomberok (; ; ; ) is a town in northern Slovakia, in the historical Liptov region. It has a population of approximately 27,000. Etymology The name of the initial settlement located on today's Makovický street was ''Revúca'' ( Slovak "roaring ...

, or Pribylina, a few kilometers west of the town, and for recreation, the lake called Liptovská Mara is available. Since 2004 a new aquapark called '' Aquapark Tatralandia'' has been open. The area is also well-known due to its location close to the biggest ski resort in Slovakia, Jasná. Many modern lifts and recent additions made to its infrastructure have meant it has become a popular ski center for many western tourists over the last few years.

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 33,007 inhabitants. 94.07% of inhabitants were

, 2.30% Roma, 2.10%

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

and 0.28%

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 34.48%

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 ...

, 32.26% people with no religious affiliation, and 26.85%

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 ...

. According to the Hungarian census of 1910, the population make up was 50% Slovak, 30% Hungarian 20% German. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the ethnic minorities were expelled leaving a majority Slovak population.

Sport

Ice hockey club HK 1932 Liptovský Mikuláš represents the city in Tipos extraliga. The Ondrej Cibak Whitewater Slalom Course on the nearby

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

river is the oldest

whitewater slalom Canoe slalom (previously known as whitewater slalom) is a competitive sport with the aim to navigate a Spraydeck, decked canoe or kayak through a course of hanging downstream or upstream gates on Whitewater, river rapids in the fastest time pos ...

course in Slovakia. The 2008 Olympic champion in canoe slalom, C-1, Michal Martikán was born and lives here. Also Elena Kaliská, another Olympic winner, is a member of the town sports club. Petra Vlhová, born and raised in the city, won the alpine skiing slalom gold medal at the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

. As a child she attended many training at a ski center at Podbreziny hill of the city. Martina Dubovská also trained at the center in her childhood. The ski center at Podbreziny was established in 1993 and was discontinued gradually in early 2010s. In 2022, it was restored and re-entered into usage. The tracks combine to a total length of 550 meters at peak altitude of 700 meters. Liptovský Mikuláš hosted the 2012 FAI World Championship for Space Models, taking place from 31 August to 9 September.

Transport

Liptovský Mikuláš is located near the main Slovak D1 motorway, as well as being on the main railroad from

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 ...

. The closest

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...

is in

Poprad Poprad (; ; ) is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatras, High Tatra Mountains, famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. The largest town of the Spiš region and the largest of all towns in the vic ...

. The town also has its own public transport network with 13 lines operating.

Twin towns — sister cities

Liptovský Mikuláš is twinned with: *

Annecy Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Bačka Palanka Bačka Palanka ( sr-cyrl, Бачка Паланка, ; ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the left bank of the Danube. In 2022 the town had a total ...

, Serbia * Galanta,

* Kalamaria,

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Kemi Kemi (; ; ; ) is a cities of Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is located approximately from the city of Tornio and the Finland–Sweden border, Swedish border. The distance to Oulu is to the south and t ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Kiskőrös Kiskőrös (, ''Kishkerish'', , ) is a town in Bács-Kiskun, Hungary. Kiskőrös is situated between the Danube and Tisza rivers at around . Sándor Petőfi, the national poet of Hungary, was born here. Geography Kiskőrös is the sixth bigge ...

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 ...

Michalovce Michalovce (; , , Romani language, Romani: ''Mihalya'', Yiddish language, Yiddish: מיכאלאָווצע ''Mikhaylovets'' or ''Mykhaylovyts''; ) is a town on the Laborec river in eastern Slovakia. Originally named after the Archangel St Michael ...

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

* Terchová,

Żywiec Żywiec () is a town on the River Soła in southern Poland with 31,194 inhabitants (2019). It is situated within the Silesian Voivodeship, near the Żywiec Lake and Żywiec Landscape Park, one of the eight protected areas in the voivodeship. H ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Anzio Anzio (, also ; ) is a town and ''comune'' on region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside resorts, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola, and Ve ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Climate

Liptovský Mikuláš has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dfb'').

People

* Jozef Božetech Klemens (1817), painter *

(1822), poet * Samuel Nemessányi (1837), Hungarian luthier, a maker of stringed instruments * Ján Levoslav Bella (1843), composer * Aurel Stodola (1859), physicist * Samuel Fischer (1859), publisher * Slavoljub Eduard Penkala (1871), engineer, inventor * Ivan Stodola (1888), poet, dramatist, doctor * Martin Rázus (1888, Vrbica), priest, author, politician * Janko Alexy (1894), painter *

Koloman Sokol Koloman Sokol (12 December 1902 – 12 January 2003) was one of the most prominent Slovak painters, graphic artists and illustrators. He was a founder of modern Slovak graphic art. Biography Koloman Sokol was born in Liptovský Mikuláš. H ...

(1902), painter * Mária Rázusová-Martáková (1905), author * Ladislav Hanus (1907), philosopher, theologian, author * Pavol Strauss (1912), doctor, writer, essayist, translator * Ivan Laučík (1944), poet, professor * Michal Martikán (born 1979), slalom canoeist * Tomáš Mráz (born 1980), slalom canoeist * Simon Naschér (1841–1901), rabbi, writer * Peter Sejna (1979), AHL/

NHL 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 ...

player * Martin Cibák (1980), 2004 Stanley cup winner with Tampa Bay Lightning * Milan Jurčina (1983),

player * Diana Doll (1976), model * Martin Harich (1995), singer * Petra Vlhová (1995), ski racer * Klaudia Medlová (1993), professional snowboarder / Olympian * Simona Petrík (born 1982), politician, MP (2016-2020; 2023-) * Samko Bernat (born 1999), Film director, film producer and screenwriter * Simon Nemec (born 2004),

player for

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

Images

File:Liptovsky Mikulas 01.jpg, Fountain File:Liptovsky Mikulas 02.jpg, Town center File:Liptovsky Mikulas 03.jpg, Janko Kráľ's monument. File:Liptovsky Mikulas 04.jpg, Saint Nicholas' Church File:Synagogue in Liptovský Mikuláš.jpg, Synagogue

References

;Notes

External links

Official websiteWebsite of Slovak Caves AdministrationLiptovský Mikuláš accommodation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liptovsky Mikulas Cities and towns in Slovakia Villages and municipalities in Liptovský Mikuláš District Geography of Žilina Region Liptov