Nitra, Slovakia
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western
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 ...
, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river
Nitra Nitra (; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra (river), Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of ...
. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth largest city in Slovakia. Nitra is also one of the oldest cities in Slovakia; it was the political center of the
Principality of Nitra The Principality of Nitra (; ), also known as the Duchy of Nitra, was a West Slavic polity encompassing a group of settlements that developed in the 9th century around Nitra, in present-day Slovakia. Its history remains uncertain because of a ...
. Today, it is a seat of a ''
kraj A '' Kraj'' ( ''kraje'') is the highest-level administrative unit in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. For lack of other English expressions, the Slavic term is often translated as "province", "region", or "territory", although it ...
'' (
Nitra Region The Nitra Region (, ; ) is one of the administrative regions of Slovakia. It was first established in 1923 and from 1996 exists in its present borders. It consists of seven districts () and 354 municipalities, from which 16 have a town status. T ...
), and an ''
okres Okres (Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak term meaning "district" in English; from German Kreis - circle (or perimeter)) refers to administrative entities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is similar to Landkreis in Germany or " ...
'' (
Nitra District Nitra District () is a district in the Nitra Region of western 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, ...
).


Etymology

The first mention of Nitra dates back to the 9th century. The name of the city is derived from the
Nitra River The Nitra (Slovak language, Slovak: Nitra, , ) is a river in western Slovakia. It flows into the Váh river in Komoča. Its source is in the Malá Fatra (Lesser Fatra) mountains north of Prievidza. The river Nitra passes through the towns of Bojni ...
. The name is
Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
, but the question of its pre-Slavic or
Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...
origin has not been satisfactorily answered. Nitra might be derived from the old Indo-European root ''neit-'', ''nit-'' 'to cut' or 'to burn' using the derivational element ''-r-'' (see also
slash-and-burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a form of shifting cultivation that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a Field (agriculture), field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody p ...
agricultural technique). The same root is still present in the Slovak verb ''nietiť'' 'to make a fire', but also in other Indo-European languages like
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
''nitere'' 'to burn' or in
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
''schneiden'' 'to cut'. Another view to the origin of the name is related to
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
''Novi-iter'' or ''Neui-iter'' 'new territory behind the
limes Limes may refer to: * ''Limes'' (Roman Empire), a border marker and defense system of the Roman Empire * ''Limes'' (Italian magazine), an Italian geopolitical magazine * ''Limes'' (Romanian magazine), a Romanian literary and political quarterly ma ...
'. The hypothetical Latin name could have been adopted by the
Quadi The Quadi were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people during the Roman era, who were prominent in Greek and Roman records from about 20 AD to about 400 AD. By about 20 AD they had a kingdom centred in the area of present-day western Slovakia, north ...
and later by the
Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...
. The first written records also contain the suffix ''-ava'' (''Nitrava''). Particularly in older literature, the suffix is interpreted as deriving from the
Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic languages, Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from ...
root ''*ahwa'' 'water'. However, the suffix ''-ava'' can be found also in numerous toponyms with a clearly Slavic origin and without any relationship to rivers. The existence of hydronym ''Nitrava'' remains hypothetical and all versions with the suffix are related to a location, not a river. Thus, the form ''Nitrava'' can refer to a larger property or territory around the Nitra River. Both forms were probably used concurrently and were already recorded in the 9th century (
Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum The ''Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum'' ("The Conversion of the Bavarians and the Carantanians") is a Latin history written in Salzburg in the 870s. It describes the life and career of Salzburg's founding saint Rupert (d. 710), notably his ...
: ''in loco vocata Nitraua'', but in 880 ''ecclesie Nitrensis''). The name in different languages includes , (), and and .


History


Before the 5th century

The oldest archaeological findings in Nitra are dated to around 25,000-30,000 years ago. The locality has been inhabited in all historical periods in the last 5,000-7,000 years. Several European archaeological cultures and groups were named after important archaeological discoveries in Nitra or near surroundings - Nitra culture, Brodzany-Nitra group or Lužianky group of
Lengyel culture __NOTOC__ The Lengyel culture is an archaeological culture of the European Neolithic, centered on the Middle Danube in Central Europe. It flourished from 5000 to 4000 BC, ending with phase IV, e.g., in Bohemia represented by the ' Jordanow/Jord ...
. The people of Madarovce culture had built the first fortification on Castle Hill by around 1,600 BCE. In the Iron Age, a large
hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...
was built on Zobor Hill and additional smaller hillforts on the Lupka Hill and in Dražovce (700-500 BCE). Several Celtic settlements are known from the 5th-1st centuries. The Celts minted silver
tetradrachm The tetradrachm () was a large silver coin that originated in Ancient Greece. It was nominally equivalent to four drachmae. Over time the tetradrachm effectively became the standard coin of the Antiquity, spreading well beyond the borders of the ...
s known as coins of Nitra type and probably also built a hillfort in the locality Na Vŕšku. In the Roman period (1st-4th centuries CE), the Germanic tribe of
Quadi The Quadi were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people during the Roman era, who were prominent in Greek and Roman records from about 20 AD to about 400 AD. By about 20 AD they had a kingdom centred in the area of present-day western Slovakia, north ...
settled in the area, which is also mentioned as their possible capital (396 CE). The largest Germanic settlement from the migration period in the territory of modern-day Slovakia was unearthed in Nitra-Párovské Háje.


5th to 10th centuries

The first
Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...
arrived in the territory of present Slovakia at the end of the 5th and early 6th centuries. The early Slavs settled mainly in the lowlands near the water flows, the highest density of their settlements is documented just in the area of Nitra. As the Avars expanded into the territory of modern-day Slovakia in the latter half of the 7th century and early 8th century, the border between Slavic and Slavo-Avaric territory shifted toward Nitra. A biritual cemetery in Nitra-Dolné Krškany lay on the northern border of mixed settlement area. The importance of Nitra for the Slavs began to grow in the 8th century and thereafter it evolved to administrative centre of the wider region. Nitra became the center of the
Principality of Nitra The Principality of Nitra (; ), also known as the Duchy of Nitra, was a West Slavic polity encompassing a group of settlements that developed in the 9th century around Nitra, in present-day Slovakia. Its history remains uncertain because of a ...
. Three of the eleven extant copies of the
Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum The ''Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum'' ("The Conversion of the Bavarians and the Carantanians") is a Latin history written in Salzburg in the 870s. It describes the life and career of Salzburg's founding saint Rupert (d. 710), notably his ...
contains a reference to a church consecrated for Pribina in his domain called Nitrava. The problem of Pribina's church and the dating of this event was addressed by numerous scholars, most of them have no doubt about reliability of information and associates this event with Nitra. In 833, Pribina was ousted by the Moravian prince
Mojmír I Mojmir I, Moimir I or Moymir I (Latin: ''Moimarus'', ''Moymarus''; Czech and Slovak: ''Mojmír I.'') was the first known ruler of the Moravian Slavs (820s/830s–846) and eponym of the House of Mojmir. In modern scholarship, the creation of ...
and both regions were united into the early medieval empire of
Great Moravia Great Moravia (; , ''Meghálī Moravía''; ; ; , ), or simply Moravia, was the first major state that was predominantly West Slavic to emerge in the area of Central Europe, possibly including territories which are today part of the Czech Repub ...
. In the 9th century, Nitra was one of the largest agglomeration in Central Europe. The agglomeration consisted of fortified centres and more than twenty non-fortified villages. It spread out on a territory exceeding the present town. The Slavs, Slovak ancestors, built a large castle (8.5 hectares) on Castle Hill, further important locations Na vŕšku and Martinský Vrch were probably also fortified. Other hills, some of them fortified already in prehistoric times, had guarding and refuge function. Surrounding villages were used as an agricultural hinterland for princely retinue and for specialised production (jewellery production, forges, pottery kilns, etc.). More than forty burial sites are documented on 20 km2. In all burial sites, exclusively inhumation rite (compliant with Christian belief) was practised, instead of cremation typical for earlier Slavs. The known necropolises with military equipment around the perimeter of the agglomeration probably belonged to the settlements guarding access roads to the centre. The city reached its height during the reign of Svätopluk I. During his rule, the first known Christian
bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
in Slovakia was established in Nitra in 880 (with
Wiching Wiching or Viching"Wiching", '' :sk:Encyklopédia Slovenska'' () was the first bishop of Nitra, in present-day Slovakia. Life He served between 880 and 891 AD. Wiching was originally a Benedictine monk from Swabia. After 874, he served Svat ...
as the bishop). The question of origin of Monastery of St. Hippolytus (the oldest
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
Monastery in
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 ...
) has not been sufficiently answered yet. Even if findings of ceramics documented a settlement in the location, its character is unclear.


10th to 13th centuries

The development of Nitra was temporarily slowed down after the disintegration of Great Moravia. However, Nitra did not follow the fate of other prominent Great Moravian centres ( Mikulčice-Valy, Pohansko, Staré Město-Uherské Hradište), and until the 13th century it preserved its status as a prestigious centre. According to older assumptions, Nitra should have been occupied by masses of Magyar (Hungarian) units, predictably followed by significant destruction of the previous settlements. However, later archaeological research does not support this theory. The extinction horizon (e.g. destruction by fire) is not documented for any known settlement, and the continuity between the graveyards from different periods remained high. In the 10th century, the settlement structure was not affected by any observable destruction process or significant change in the ethnic composition. The continuity of Slavic settlements and economic infrastructure was preserved. Archaeological evidence pointing to an early presence of Magyars directly in Nitra has not been found yet, except of the warrior grave in Nitra-Mlynárce. Paradoxically, their presence is documented north of Nitra (
Čakajovce Čakajovce () is a village and municipality in the Nitra District in western central Slovakia, in the Nitra Region. History In history, historical records the village was first mentioned in 1251. Geography The village lies at an altitude of 146 ...
) and from peripheral areas with more rural character, where they joined the majority Slavic population. Here, their members were buried together with the Slavs in common graveyards. Later, both cultures merged into the common Bijelo Brdo culture, with ethnic-specific attributes fading away. Political affiliation of the territory in the 10th and the early 11th century is unclearthe influence of Hungarian Árpáds, Czech Přemyslids and Polish
Piasts The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great. Branches of ...
is being considered. Finally, Nitra became an integral part of the Kingdom of Hungary and the seat of several Árpáds princes. The town survived the invasion of Mongols in 1241. In 1248,
Béla IV Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá may refer to: Places in the Cze ...
gave Nitra the privileges of a free royal town. In 1271–1272, Nitra was heavily damaged by the Czech king Ottakar II. The raids also damaged the bishop's property and therefore, as compensation, Nitra was put under his administration in 1288. The town lost its royal privileges and in the next centuries it was unable to recover mainly because of frequent military conflicts.


14th to 19th centuries

In the early 14th century, the town and the castle were damaged several times by
Matthew III Csák Máté Csák or Matthew III Csák (between 1260 and 1265 – 18 March 1321; , ), also Máté Csák of Trencsén (, ), was a Hungarian oligarch who ruled ''de facto'' independently the north-western counties of Medieval Hungary (today roughly th ...
. In the conflict between the king and oligarchy the bishop of Nitra remained loyal to the king. In 1313, the king confirmed bishopric privileges and extended them for the right to administer not only Nitra, but whole Nitra County. The town became a target of
Hussite file:Hussitenkriege.tif, upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century file:The Bohemian Realm during the Hussite Wars.png, upright=1.2, The Lands of the ...
attacks in the 15th century, at the time defended by
Ispán The ispánRady 2000, p. 19.''Stephen Werbőczy: The Customary Law of the Renowned Kingdom of Hungary in Three Parts (1517)'', p. 450. or countEngel 2001, p. 40.Curta 2006, p. 355. (, , and ),Kirschbaum 2007, p. 315. deriving from title of župan, ...
of Nitra county,
Stibor of Stiboricz Stibor of Stiboricz of Ostoja coat of arms, Ostoja (also written in English as Scibor or Czibor; , , , ; c. 1348 – February 1414) was an aristocrat of Polish people, Polish origin in the Kingdom of Hungary. He was a close friend of King Sig ...
and later his son Stibor de
Beckov Beckov (, ) is a village and municipality in the Nové Mesto nad Váhom District in the Trenčín Region of western Slovakia. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1208. ''Mihály de genere Bána'', royal equerry, who ...
. After the Hungarian defeat at the
Battle of Mohács The Battle of Mohács (; , ) took place on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, in the Kingdom of Hungary. It was fought between the forces of Hungary, led by King Louis II of Hungary, Louis II, and the invading Ottoman Empire, commanded by Suleima ...
in 1526 and subsequent Ottoman advances into the Hungarian territory, Nitra was under threat of Ottoman attacks. In 1563, the town became the seat of the Captaincy of Lower Hungary. The Turkish forces failed to capture the castle three times, before they conquered it in 1663. Habsburg troops under Jean-Louis Raduit de Souches recaptured it on 2 May 1664 prior to the Battle of Léva. The Turks returned at the start of the
Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War () or The Last Crusade, also called in Ottoman sources The Disaster Years (), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (1684), Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lith ...
and held the town until 1685. The town was also affected by anti-Habsburg uprisings, from Stephen Bocskay and
Gabriel Bethlen Gabriel Bethlen (; 1580 – 15 November 1629) was Prince of Transylvania from 1613 to 1629 and Duke of Opole from 1622 to 1625. He was also King-elect of Hungary from 1620 to 1621, but he never took control of the whole kingdom. Bethlen, sup ...
uprisings in the 17th century to the
Kuruc Kuruc (, plural ''kurucok''), also spelled kurutz, refers to a group of armed anti- Habsburg insurgents in the Kingdom of Hungary between 1671 and 1711. Over time, the term kuruc has come to designate Hungarians who advocate strict national inde ...
uprisings from 1703 to 1711, and the town burned down in 1708 as a result of fights. It was renovated in the 18th century in the
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
style. As a consequence of the
Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...
, Nitra was awarded an independent self-government for the first time since 1288 and became independent from the Diocese of Nitra and its bishops. Still an agricultural and handicraft town, Nitra started to industrialize. Until World War I, distillery, agricultural machines factory, brewery, dairy and other works were established. The first indirect connection to a railway was a road built in 1850 to the closest station in Trnovec nad Váhom. The railway arrived to Nitra in 1876, when a connection from
Šurany Šurany (until 1927, ''Veľké Šurany'') is a town and a railroad hub in the Nové Zámky District, Nitra Region, southern Slovakia. Alongside the main settlement, it has the boroughs of Kostolný Sek and Nitriansky Hrádok, both annexed 1976. ...
was built. Later, lines were built to
Topoľčany Topoľčany (; before 1920; ) is a town in the Nitra Region of Slovakia. The population is around 25,000 in total. The town's population is nicknamed ''Žochári'' (singl. ''Žochár'') (producers, or owners of "mosses"). The Nitra River flows t ...
,
Hlohovec Hlohovec (, Hungarian ''Galgóc''), is a town in southwestern Slovakia, with a population of 21,508. Name The name comes from ''*Glogovec'', the Old Slavic name for a place densely overgrown by hawthorn. The Hungarian form ''Galgóc'' was ado ...
and
Nové Zámky Nové Zámky (; ) is a town in Nové Zámky District in the Nitra Region of southwestern Slovakia. Geography The town is located on the Danubian Lowland, on the Nitra River, at an altitude of 119 metres. It is located around 100 km fr ...
. As a part 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 ...
, from 1883 to 1919, Nitra was the seat of the Upper Hungarian Teaching Association (FEMKE), a government-sponsored association whose main goal was to apply Magyarization policies on Slovaks.


20th to 21st centuries

After
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and in the atmosphere of postwar chaos and raising anarchy, the Hungarian National Council in Nitra decided to negotiate with the
Czechoslovak Army The Czechoslovak Army (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá armáda'') was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary. History In t ...
, pushing out Hungarian military forces and police from the territory of present Slovakia. The Hungarian National Council and the Town Council needed the Czechoslovak Army to restore public order, but hoped that situation was only temporary and formally protested against the "occupation" on 10 December 1918. However, the town became a part of
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 ...
. Nitra continued to be the seat of the Nitra county, until it was dissolved in 1928. In 1933, Nitra played an important role in the Slovak autonomist movement when the Pribina's Celebration (the anniversary of the consecration of the first Christian church) turned to the largest demonstration against
Czechoslovakism Czechoslovakism (, ) is a concept which underlines reciprocity of the Czech people, Czechs and the Slovak people, Slovaks. It is best known as an ideology which holds that there is one Czechoslovak nation, though it might also appear as a politi ...
. After the break-up of Czechoslovakia in 1939, Nitra became a part of the
First Slovak Republic First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
and once again a seat of Nitra county until 1945. The period of the First Slovak Republic was tragic for the Jewish population of Nitra, which was first victimized by the anti-Jewish law and then mostly exterminated in German concentration camps (90% of Jewish citizens). The city was liberated by the Soviet
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
in 1945, for only three years of restored democracy in Czechoslovakia. Slovak historians believe that Nitra is the location of the oldest Slovakian Jewish community. The Communist period from 1948 to 1989 was marked by the oppression of the Catholic church, which has traditionally had a strong presence in Nitra. Catholic seminaries, monasteries and other properties were nationalized and converted to museums, schools and offices. This period experienced extensive growth, building of housing projects and annexing of formerly independent villages. After the
Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...
of 1989 and
dissolution of Czechoslovakia The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on December 31, 1992, was the Self-determination, self-determined Partition (politics), partition of the federal republic of Fifth Czechoslovak Republic, Czechoslovakia into the independent ...
, Nitra became part of newly established Slovakia and became a seat of the
Nitra Region The Nitra Region (, ; ) is one of the administrative regions of Slovakia. It was first established in 1923 and from 1996 exists in its present borders. It consists of seven districts () and 354 municipalities, from which 16 have a town status. T ...
in 1996. In 2008, the remains of
Jozef Tiso Jozef Gašpar Tiso (, ; 13 October 1887 – 18 April 1947) was a Slovaks, Slovak politician and Catholic priest who served as president of the Slovak Republic (1939–1945), First Slovak Republic, a client state of Nazi Germany during World War ...
—the controversial leader of the First Slovak Republic who collaborated with the Nazis and was executed in 1947 as a war criminal—were exhumed from a Bratislava cemetery and reburied in the canonical crypt of the Catholic Cathedral in Nitra.


Geography


Topography

Nitra lies at an altitude of
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 ...
and covers an area of . It is located in the
Nitra River The Nitra (Slovak language, Slovak: Nitra, , ) is a river in western Slovakia. It flows into the Váh river in Komoča. Its source is in the Malá Fatra (Lesser Fatra) mountains north of Prievidza. The river Nitra passes through the towns of Bojni ...
valley in the
Danubian Lowland ::''The Serbian lowland is treated under Danubian Plain (Serbia)'' The Danubian Lowland or Danube Lowland () is the name of the part of Little Alföld (Slovak: ''Malá dunajská kotlina'') situated in Slovakia, located between the Danube, the Litt ...
, where the bigger part of the city is located. A smaller part is located at the southernmost reaches of the
Tribeč Tribeč () is a crystalline mountain range in western Slovakia, in the Inner Western Carpathians located in the Nitra Region. It is surrounded by the Danubian Lowland, Pohronský Inovec, Vtáčnik Mountains and the Upper Nitra Basin. Beech trees ...
mountains, more precisely at the foothill of the Zobor mountain . It is around halfway between Slovak capital
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. ...
, away and central Slovak city of
Banská Bystrica Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...
, away. Other towns in the surroundings include
Trnava Trnava (, , ; , also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of the Trnava Region and the Trnava District. It is the seat o ...
to the west (53 km),
Topoľčany Topoľčany (; before 1920; ) is a town in the Nitra Region of Slovakia. The population is around 25,000 in total. The town's population is nicknamed ''Žochári'' (singl. ''Žochár'') (producers, or owners of "mosses"). The Nitra River flows t ...
to the north (35 km),
Levice Levice (; , Hungarian pronunciation: ; ) is a town in western Slovakia. The town lies on the left bank of the lower Hron river. The Old Church Slavonic, Old Slavic name of the town was ''Leva'', which means "the Left One". The town is located i ...
to the east (42 km), and
Nové Zámky Nové Zámky (; ) is a town in Nové Zámky District in the Nitra Region of southwestern Slovakia. Geography The town is located on the Danubian Lowland, on the Nitra River, at an altitude of 119 metres. It is located around 100 km fr ...
(37 km) and
Komárno Komárno (, , ), colloquially also called ''Révkomárom'', ''Öregkomárom'', ''Észak-Komárom'' in Hungarian language, Hungarian, is a town in Slovakia at the confluence of the Danube and the Váh rivers. Historically it was formed by the "old ...
(71 km) to the south. A national natural reservation called ''Zoborská lesostep'' is located within the city's boundaries.


Climate

Nitra lies in the
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 ...
with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between hot summers and cold, snowy winters. The city is located in the warmest and driest part of Slovakia.


Main sights

Points of interest in the area include the
Nitra Castle Nitra Castle (, ) is a castle located in the Old Town of Nitra, Slovakia. It dominates the city and is a national cultural monument. It is the seat of the Diocese of Nitra. History The first fortified center on Castle Hill dates back to the B ...
, the old town and the adjacent hill, named Zobor, overlooking the city. Notable religious structures located in Nitra are St. Emmeram's Cathedral in Nitra castle, a Piarist church of St. Ladislaus and the adjacent monastery. The oldest church of the city is the Saint Stephen church, which was built in the 11th-12th century, although the foundation of the building was constructed in the 9th century. The monastery on Piaristicka street was founded in the 13th-14th century. Its dominant church of St. Ladislaus was later destroyed by a fire and remodelled in 1742–1748 in
baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
style. Two towers were also added. The main altar has a statue ornamentation which the portraits of
Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...
and
Ladislaus I of Hungary Ladislaus I (, , , ; 1040 – 29 July 1095), also known as Saint Ladislas, was King of Hungary from 1077 and King of Croatia from 1091. He was the second son of King Béla I of Hungary and Richeza of Poland, Queen of Hungary, Richeza (or Adela ...
. The interior was renovated in 1940 and three modern
fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
s depicting themes from Slovak history of Nitra were created. The old town (Staré Mesto) is dominated by the castle (''Hrad''), which is one of the most interesting ancient structures in Slovakia. Archeological finding indicate that a large fortified castle had already stood here at the time of
Samo Samo (–) was the founder and sole ruler of the first recorded political union of Slavs, Slavic tribes, known as Samo's Empire ("realm", "kingdom", or "tribal union"), ruling from 623 until his death in 658. According to Fredegarius, the only ...
's Empire, in the seventh century. Archaeological findings prove the existence of a church from the ninth century beneath the more recent Gothic St. Emmeram's Cathedral. The construction of the stone castle began during the 9th century during the reign of the Prince of Nitra Svätopluk. The castle currently serves as the seat of one of Roman Catholic bishoprics in Slovakia, which was founded in 880 as the first bishopric of western and eastern Slavs, which continued its existence since then, with the break from the 10th century until around 1110. The Dražovce church is a remarkable example of the early
Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
. The Nitra Synagogue was built in 1908-1911 for the Neolog Jewish community. It was designed by Lipót (Leopold) Baumhorn (1860–1932), the prolific Budapest-based synagogue architect. Located in a narrow lane, the building is typical of Baumhorn's style. A mélange of Moorish, Byzantine and Art Nouveau elements, it faces the street with a two-tower façade. The sanctuary is a domed hall supported by four pillars that also support the
women's gallery The Women's Gallery was a collectively established and run art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand, showing only the work of women, that ran for four years between 1980 and 1984. History In 1977, artist Joanna Paul developed a project called ...
. After more than a decade of restoration by the municipality of Nitra, the building is now used as a center for cultural activities. The women's gallery houses "The Fate of Slovak Jews" – Slovakia's national Holocaust memorial exhibition. The Nitra Synagogue serves as a permanent exhibition space for graphic works by the Nitra-born Israeli artist Shraga Weil. The most powerful medium wave transmitter of Slovakia, running on 1098 kHz , was situated in Nitra at Velke Kostolany until recently. This transmitter could broadcast throughout all of Europe at night. Since 2003, however, it has operated on lower output to save energy cost, and has transmitted regional programming only. The Virgin Mary's mission house at the Calvary hill was built in 1765 for Spanish order of Nazarens. They were taking care of the church and pilgrims. Later, the building served as an orphanage. In 1878-85 this building was rebuilt in the Novoromanesque style and in 1925 one new floor was added to the building. The building as we know it today is a work of Slovak architect M. M. Harminec. Nowadays the whole building is mission house of The Divine Word Society. The Mission museum of nations and cultures is located in this building.


Demography


Current

According to the 2011
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 ...
, Nitra has a population of 78,916. 89.3% (70,447) citizens declared Slovak nationality, 1.8% (1,443) Hungarian, 0.7% (521)
Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...
, 0.7% (520)
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 7.8% (5,330) did not specify any nationality.


Historical

The demographics changed dramatically during the 20th century; in 1910, from total population of 16,419: 9,754 (59.4%) were Hungarians, 4,929 (30.0%) Slovaks and 1,636 (9.96%) Germans - Jews are hidden under these nationalities. (According to the Slovak Jewish Heritage Center the Jews made up a quarter of the total population and the vast majority of them spoke Hungarian and were for census purposes not counted as a separate ethnicity in order to inflate the number of Hungarians.) In 1940, Nitra was home to 4,358 Jews. In the 21st century, the population of Nitra begun declining from the peak of 87,690 in 2002 to 75,208 in 2025.


Religion

The religious make-up was 66.1%
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 2.6%
Augsburg Confession The Augsburg Confession (), also known as the Augustan Confession or the Augustana from its Latin name, ''Confessio Augustana'', is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of th ...
. Other denominations were declared as less than 0.5% (per denomination).


Economy

GDP per capita This is a list of countries by nominal GDP per capita. GDP per capita is the total value of a country's finished goods and services (gross domestic product) divided by its total population (per capita). Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is ...
in 2008 for the whole Nitra region was
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...
10,508, which was below Slovakia's average (€12,395). Nitra's enterprises were brewery, grain mill, food processing plants and other food-related industries. In the new free trade economy after 1989, and after entering European Union and Euro currency club only the wine bottling plant is left. Out of the factories started under the communist regime 1948–1989, the plastic processing plant is still doing well. The most prevalent industries are electronics and car parts, concentrated in the new business park. The city plans to have in 2011 a balanced budget of 42 mil€. . The flight operator Aero Slovakia has its head office on the grounds of
Nitra Airport Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fi ...
.


Government

The city is governed by
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
() and the
city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
(Slovak: ''mestské zastupiteľstvo''). The mayor is the head of the city and its chief executive. The term of office is four years. The current mayor is
Marek Hattas Marek Hattas (born 1 March 1987) is a Slovak politician and activist. Hattas has served as the mayor of Nitra since 2018 and a Member of the National Council since 2020. Early life Hattas grew up in the Klokočina borough of Nitra. He studi ...
. The city council is the legislative body, with 31 council members. The city is divided into 13 urban districts (boroughs): ''Dolné Krškany'', ''Horné Krškany'', ''Staré Mesto'', ''Čermáň'', ''Klokočina'', ''Diely'', ''Párovské Háje'', ''Kynek'', ''Mlynárce'', ''Zobor'', ''Dražovce'', ''Chrenová'' and ''Janíkovce''.


Education

Nitra is the seat of two universities: University of Constantinus the Philosopher, with 13,684 students, including 446 doctoral students. and of the
Slovak University of Agriculture Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra is a public university in Nitra, 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 ...
, with 10,297 students, including 430 doctoral students. The city's system of primary education consists of 14 public schools and three religious primary schools, enrolling in overall 6,945 pupils. Secondary education is represented by five gymnasia with 3,349 students, 8 specialized high schools with 3,641 students, and 5 vocational schools with 3,054 students. Schools in the city include the United Catholic School. Nitra used to be the site of the Jewish school Yeshiva of Nitra, the last surviving yeshiva in occupied Europe during World War II, associated with famous rabbis Chaim Michael Dov Weissmandl and Shmuel Dovid Ungar. The yeshiva was moved to
Mount Kisco Mount Kisco is a village and town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The town of Mount Kisco is coterminous with the village. The population was 10,959 at the 2020 United States census. It serves as a significant historic site al ...
, New York, US, after the second world war, where it still exists.


Transportation

Nitra is connected to Bratislava, Trnava, Žiar nad Hronom, Zvolen and Banská Bystrica by a freeway ( E58). There are also first-class road connections to Topoľčany,
Zlaté Moravce Zlaté Moravce (; 1776 Morawce, , ) is a town in south-western Slovakia. Basic data It is the capital and the biggest town of Zlaté Moravce District. It is approximately 120 km from the Slovak capital Bratislava and 32 km from Nitra. ...
(labelled as "Highway of Death"),
Vráble Vráble is a small town in the Nitra District, Nitra Region, western Slovakia. Etymology The name derives from ''vrábeľ'' - a Slovak dialect name of sparrow (''vrabec''). Geography It is located in the Danubian Hills on the Žitava river, a ...
and Nové Zámky. The Nitra railway station forms part of the railway line between
Nové Zámky Nové Zámky (; ) is a town in Nové Zámky District in the Nitra Region of southwestern Slovakia. Geography The town is located on the Danubian Lowland, on the Nitra River, at an altitude of 119 metres. It is located around 100 km fr ...
/
Šurany Šurany (until 1927, ''Veľké Šurany'') is a town and a railroad hub in the Nové Zámky District, Nitra Region, southern Slovakia. Alongside the main settlement, it has the boroughs of Kostolný Sek and Nitriansky Hrádok, both annexed 1976. ...
and
Prievidza Prievidza (; , ) is a city in the western Slovakia. With approximately 46,000 inhabitants it is the second biggest municipality in the Trenčín Region and 11th List of cities and towns in Slovakia, largest city in Slovakia generally. Name The ...
, which passes through Nitra, but is not a main line. There is a
railway junction A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge. The physical connection between the tracks of the two routes (assuming they are of the same gauge) is provided by turnouts (US: switc ...
a short distance north of the town, connecting the city with
Leopoldov Leopoldov (before 1948 ''Mestečko''; ; ) is a town in the Trnava Region of Slovakia, near the Váh river. It has a population of around 4,000 inhabitants. The city is the location of Leopoldov Prison, a high-security correctional institution. H ...
,
Topoľčany Topoľčany (; before 1920; ) is a town in the Nitra Region of Slovakia. The population is around 25,000 in total. The town's population is nicknamed ''Žochári'' (singl. ''Žochár'') (producers, or owners of "mosses"). The Nitra River flows t ...
and Radošina. Nitra has one train connection with
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
via
Piešťany Piešťany (; , , , ) is a town in Slovakia. It is located in the western part of the country within the Trnava Region and is the seat of its Piešťany District, own district. It is the biggest and best known spa town in Slovakia and has around ...
,
Trenčín Trenčín (, also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a List of towns in Slovakia, city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech Republic, Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a populati ...
,
Uherský Brod Uherský Brod (; ) is a town in Uherské Hradiště District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrati ...
,
Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...
and
Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...
. This connection is operated by
Arriva Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...
(AEx). Nitra also has its own recreational
airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...
; it hosts the factory of the Aeropro Eurofox ultralight. However, the closest international airport is
Bratislava Airport M. R. Štefánik Airport — also called Bratislava Airport — is the main international airport of Slovakia. It is located approximately northeast of the city center of Bratislava, spanning over the area of three municipalities (Bratislava-R ...
. Local public transport is based on buses with 28 lines, covering the whole city, as well as extending to the neighbouring municipalities of Lužianky, Nitrianske Hrnčiarovce,
Štitáre Štitáre () is a village and municipality in the Nitra District in western central Slovakia, in the Nitra Region. Geography The village lies at an altitude of about 240 metres and covers an area of 7.494 km2. In 2016 it had a population ...
,
Ivanka pri Nitre Ivanka may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Ivanka (given name), including a list of people with the name Places * 8573 Ivanka (1996 VQ), a Main-belt Asteroid discovered in 1996 * Ivanka pri Dunaji (Hungarian: Pozsonyivánka), a village and municipalit ...
and Branč (as of April 2016).


Localities

* Horné Krškany


Culture

Nitra is home to several museums and galleries. The Museum of the Nitra Region supervises collection objects on several fields (Archaeology, Ethnography, Numismatics, Geology and Zoology). Since 1993, it has also an exhibition of the most precisious artifacts discovered by the Archeological Institute in Nitra. The exhibition contains more than 2,200 gold, silver and other objects, among them golden-plated plaques from (pre-)Great Moravian hillfort Bojná. The Diocesan Museum of the Nitra Diocese on the
Nitra Castle Nitra Castle (, ) is a castle located in the Old Town of Nitra, Slovakia. It dominates the city and is a national cultural monument. It is the seat of the Diocese of Nitra. History The first fortified center on Castle Hill dates back to the B ...
exhibits the facsimile of documents and archaeological discoveries closely connected to the origin of Christianity in Slovakia, including the oldest manuscript from the territory of Slovakia (the Nitra Gospel Book, 1083). Open-air museum "Osada Lupka" is a reconstruction of Slavic village from early Middle Ages. The Slovak Agricultural Museum specializes on the history of agriculture and is the only one of its kind in Slovakia. The museum has also open-air exposition (skanzen). The Mission Museum of Nations and Cultures exhibits objects from missionary activities. The Museum of Jewish Culture in the synagogue presents culture and history and has a permanent exposition dedicated to the Holocaust. There are two theaters in Nitra: the Andrej Bagar Theatre (Divadlo Andreja Bagara) and the Old Theatre of Karol Spišák (Staré Divadlo Karola Spišáka) (Karol Spišák Old Theatre). The Nitra Amphitheater is one of the largest in Slovakia. Nitra's main arts museum is the Nitra Gallery. Another popular gallery is The Foyer Gallery, a part of the Old Theatre of Karol Spišák. A permanent exhibition of prestigious Jewish painter Shraga Weil is installed in the Exhibition Hall of the Nitra Synagogue. Nitra is the home town of popular Slovak music bands Gladiátor, Horkýže Slíže, Desmod, Zoči Voči and Borra.


Sport

The city's football team is
FC Nitra FC Nitra is a Slovak association football club, playing in the town of Nitra. Established in 1909, FC Nitra is one of the oldest football clubs in Slovakia. History Czechoslovak era Nitra were promoted and relegated 4 times from the Czechoslov ...
, founded in 1909. Nitra hosted the final tournament of the 2019
rink bandy Rink bandy is a variant of the larger sport of bandy. Unlike bandy which is played on a large bandy field, rink bandy is played on significantly smaller ice hockey-sized ice rinks. While a bandy field is about the same size as a football pi ...
league.


Notable people

*
Svatopluk I Svatopluk I or Svätopluk I, also known as Svatopluk the Great, was a ruler of Great Moravia, which attained its maximum territorial expansion during his reign (870–871, 871–894). Svatopluk's career started in the 860s, when he govern ...
(830–894), Prince of Nitra, King of
Great Moravia Great Moravia (; , ''Meghálī Moravía''; ; ; , ), or simply Moravia, was the first major state that was predominantly West Slavic to emerge in the area of Central Europe, possibly including territories which are today part of the Czech Repub ...
*
Pribina Pribina (c. 800861) was a Slavs, Slavic prince whose adventurous career, recorded in the ''Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum, Conversion of the Bavarians and the Carantanians'' (a historical work written in 870), illustrates the political ...
(?–861), Prince of the
Nitra Nitra (; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra (river), Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of ...
and Balaton principalities * Svatopluk II (?–906), Prince of Nitra * Koceľ (c.833–c.876), Prince of the
Balaton Principality Early Slavs settled in the eastern and southern parts of the former Roman province of Pannonia. The term ''Lower Pannonia'', was used to designate those areas of the Pannonian Plain that lie to the east and south of the river Rába, with the d ...
* Saint Bystrík (?–1046), Bishop of Nitra *
Béla I of Hungary Béla I the Boxer or the Wisent (, ;  – 11 September 1063) was King of Hungary from 1060 until his death. He descended from a younger branch of the Árpád dynasty. Béla's baptismal name was Adalbert. He left Hungary in 1031, together w ...
(1016–1063), duke of
Nitra Nitra (; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra (river), Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of ...
, king of
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 ...
*
Stibor of Stiboricz Stibor of Stiboricz of Ostoja coat of arms, Ostoja (also written in English as Scibor or Czibor; , , , ; c. 1348 – February 1414) was an aristocrat of Polish people, Polish origin in the Kingdom of Hungary. He was a close friend of King Sig ...
(1348–1414) –
Ispán The ispánRady 2000, p. 19.''Stephen Werbőczy: The Customary Law of the Renowned Kingdom of Hungary in Three Parts (1517)'', p. 450. or countEngel 2001, p. 40.Curta 2006, p. 355. (, , and ),Kirschbaum 2007, p. 315. deriving from title of župan, ...
of Nitra * János Bottyán (1643–1709), Hungarian
kuruc Kuruc (, plural ''kurucok''), also spelled kurutz, refers to a group of armed anti- Habsburg insurgents in the Kingdom of Hungary between 1671 and 1711. Over time, the term kuruc has come to designate Hungarians who advocate strict national inde ...
general * Tamás Esze (1666–1708) Hungarian
kuruc Kuruc (, plural ''kurucok''), also spelled kurutz, refers to a group of armed anti- Habsburg insurgents in the Kingdom of Hungary between 1671 and 1711. Over time, the term kuruc has come to designate Hungarians who advocate strict national inde ...
leader died here in 1708 * Imre Erdősi (1814–1890), Hungarian Piarist friar and teacher *
Vilmos Fraknói Vilmos Fraknói (27 February 1843 – 20 November 1924) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian historian. He was an expert in Hungarian ecclesiastical history. Life Vilmos Fraknói (originally ''Vilmos Frankl'') came from a Jewish family of Ürmén ...
(1843–1924), Hungarian historian * Béla Bangha (1880–1940), Hungarian politician was born here * Mariana Čengel Solčanská (born 1978), director * Natália Germáni (1993-), actress * Oszkar Grosz (1896–1968), Shipowner in England * Peter Gajdoš (born 1959), general and politician * Marja Holecyová (born 1988), mathematician and sci fi writer * Juraj Kolník (1980–), professional ice hockey player *
Anton Lehmden Anton Lehmden (2 January 1929 – 7 August 2018) was an Austrian painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Lehmden was a co-founder, together with Ernst Fuchs, Maître Leherb (Helmut Leherb), Rudolf Hausner, Arik Brauer, Fritz Janschka and Wo ...
(1929–2018), painter, draughtsman, and printmaker * Branislav Mezei (1980–), professional ice hockey player *
Ľubomír Moravčík Ľubomír Moravčík (born 22 June 1965) is a Slovak football manager and former player. A creative midfielder renowned for his technical ability, he was capable of unleashing powerful, accurate shots, and pinpoint crosses with both feet. He pla ...
(1965–), football player * Zita Pleštinská, maiden name Kányaiová (1961-), member of the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
* Ottokár Prohászka (1858–1927), Hungarian Roman Catholic theologian and
Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of
Székesfehérvár Székesfehérvár (; ; ; ; Serbian language, Serbian: ''Стони Београд''; ), known colloquially as Fehérvár (), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the Regions of Hungary, regional capital of C ...
* Shmuel Dovid Ungar (1886–1945) the rabbi of Nitra and dean of the Nitra Yeshiva * Chaim Michael Dov Weissmandl (1903–1957) a rabbi who became known for his efforts to save the Jews of Slovakia during the The Holocaust, Holocaust * Ernest Horniak (*1907 – † 1979), Salesians of Don Bosco, SDB, Priesthood in the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic priest end religious prisoner (sentenced to 12 years in prison). * Pavol Hrušovský (1952–) Deputy Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic * Štefan Ružička (1985–), professional ice hockey player * Miroslav Stoch (1989–), professional football (soccer player), currently signed with Fenerbahçe S.K. * Jozef Stümpel (1972–), professional ice hockey player * Boris Valabik (1986–), professional ice hockey player * Július Strnisko (1958–2008), Olympic Wrestler.


Twin towns — sister cities

Nitra is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Bački Petrovac, Serbia * České Budějovice, Czech Republic * Gosford, Australia * Gyeongju, South Korea * Kroměříž, Czech Republic * Naperville, Illinois, Naperville, United States * Osijek, Croatia * Spišská Nová Ves, Slovakia * Veszprém, Hungary * Zielona Góra, Poland * Zoetermeer, Netherlands


Gallery

File:Nitra - Castle.jpg,
Nitra Castle Nitra Castle (, ) is a castle located in the Old Town of Nitra, Slovakia. It dominates the city and is a national cultural monument. It is the seat of the Diocese of Nitra. History The first fortified center on Castle Hill dates back to the B ...
file:Mestsky dom.JPG, City hall File:Nitra - Knieža Pribina (1).jpg, Pribina's statue File:Slovakia Nitra1.jpg, Nitra file:Nitra-zobor-hegy.jpg, Zobor Mountain file:Rieka Nitra.jpg, The Nitra (river), Nitra river File:Nitra - Štefánikova trieda.JPG, Štefánik street


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * Charles R. Bowlus, "Nitra: when did it become a part of the Moravian realm? Evidence in the Frankish sources," ''Early Medieval Europe'', 17,3 (2009), 311–328. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


Nitra.sk
– Official Website {{Authority control Nitra, Cities and towns in Slovakia Great Moravia Holocaust locations in Czechoslovakia