Revúca (; formerly ''Veľká Revúca'' in Slovak; ; ) 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 ...

Banská Bystrica Region The Banská Bystrica Region (, ; , ) is one of the eight regions of Slovakia. It is the largest of the eight regions by area, and has a lower population density than any other region. The Banská Bystrica Region was established in 1923; its bord ...

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 ...

. Revúca is the seat of

Revúca District Revúca District (''okres Revúca'') is a district in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. District had been established in 1996. Forests make 60% of the district area. Revúca District consist of 42 municipalities, from which three ha ...

Etymology

The name is of Slovak origin and was initially the name of Revúca Creek (literally, 'roaring'). The same names can be found also in

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 ...

( Liptovské Revúce formerly Revúca and the Revúca River).

History

The earliest written record of the existence of the town is from 1357. The iron industry was developing for more than 500 years. During the second half of the 19th century, Revúca became a centre of Slovak national revival. The first high school teaching in Slovak was founded in Revúca in 1862, but it was closed down by the Hungarian authorities in 1874 (see

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 ...

). Both the original building of the high school (with the historical exposition) and the new building are the National Cultural Monuments. During the short period of its existence, the high school attracted many activists, writers, and politicians ( Štefan Marko Daxner,

Ján Francisci Ján is a Slovak form of the name John. Notable people named Ján * Ján Bahýľ (1856–1916), inventor * Ján Cuper (1946–2025), Slovak politician * Ján Čapkovič (born 1948), football player * Ján Čarnogurský (born 1944), Slovak poli ...

, Július Botto, Samuel Ormis,

August Horislav Škultéty August Horislav Škultéty (; August 7, 1819 – May 29, 1892) was a Slovak writer, pedagogue, and ethnographer, and the director of the first Slovak high school in Revúca. Early years and career August Horislav Škultéty was born in Veľký ...

Ivan Branislav Zoch Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was the Bu ...

) to the town.

Landmarks

The late Gothic Roman Catholic church of

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, persecution of the Christians that the Roman Empire, Rom ...

() has a deacon built in the second half of the 15th century and a pre-built tower. Originally, the church had two towers, but the lower one was dismantled after the fire in 1892. The main, pseudo-Gothic altar is decorated by table pictures depicting scenes from the life of Saint Quirin dated to about 1500. Evangelic Classical Lutheran Church, a cultural monument. It was built in 1784–1785, the tower was built later in 1788. A commemorative board on the church is dedicated to the Slovak Lutheran grammar school- The first Slovak grammar school that was opened on September 16, 1862.

Surroundings

Revúca is a

trailhead A trailhead is the point where a trail begins or is accessed, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles. Modern trailheads often contain restrooms, maps, signposts, and distribution centers for ...

of several hiking trails leading to the

Muránska planina National Park Muránska planina National Park () is one of the youngest national parks in Slovakia. The core area measures 21,318 ha and the protective belt 21,698 ha. It includes 14 smaller protected territories. The headquarters are located in Revúca. Hist ...

Muráň Castle Muráň Castle (; ), is a ruin of a medieval castle above the village of Muráň, in the Muránska planina National Park in Slovakia. The castle is noteworthy for its unusually high elevation of 935 m, making it the third highest castle in Slovak ...

and

Ochtiná Aragonite Cave Ochtiná () is a village and municipality in the Rožňava District in the Košice Region of middle-eastern Slovakia. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1243. Before the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia ...

are just a short drive from the town.

Demographics

Revúca has a population of 13,098 (as of December 31, 2005). 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 ...

, 92.1% 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 ...

, 4.1

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 ...

, and 2.2%

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 makeup was 39.4%

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 ...

, 34.5% people with no religious affiliation, and 19.8%

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 ...

Notable people

Norbert Gyömbér Norbert Gyömbér (, ''Gyömbér Norbert''; born 3 July 1992) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Saudi club Al-Kholood and the Slovakia national team. Club career Dukla Banská Bystrica ...

– Slovak international football player * Gyula Rochlitz – architect, designer of Budapest's Keleti Pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station) *

Rudolf Viest Rudolf Viest (24 September 1890 – 1945) was a Slovak military leader, member of the Czechoslovak government in exile, member of the Slovak National Council and the commander of the 1st Czechoslovak army during the Slovak National Uprising. He ...

– General, commander-in-chief in the

Slovak National Uprising Slovak National Uprising ( Slovak: ''Slovenské národné povstanie'', abbreviated SNP; alternatively also ''Povstanie roku 1944'', English: ''The Uprising of 1944'') was organised by the Slovak resistance during the Second World War, directed ag ...

Andrej Danko Andrej Danko (born 12 August 1974) is a Slovak politician who was the speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic from 2016 to 2020 and Chairman of the nationalist Slovak National Party since 2012. Early life Born in Revúca, Danko ...

(born 1974) – Slovak lawyer, speaker of the National Council, and leading member of

Slovak National Party The Slovak National Party (, SNS) is an ultranationalist political party in Slovakia. The party characterizes itself as a nationalist party based on both social and European Christian values. Since 1990 SNS has won seats in every Slovak pa ...

* Samuel Reuss – Lutheran pastor

Twin towns — Sister cities

Revúca is twinned with: *

Lędziny Lędziny (; ; ) is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Outer town of the Metropolis GZM – a metropolis with a population of 2 million which is located in the Silesian Highlands. The population of the town is 16,776 (2019). It ...

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 ...

Kazincbarcika Kazincbarcika is an industrial town in Borsod–Abaúj–Zemplén county, Northern Hungary. It is the district seat of Kazincbarcika District. It lies in the valley of the Sajó river, from the county capital, Miskolc. History Kazincbarcika ...

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 ...

Litovel Litovel (; ) is a town in Olomouc District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,500 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monum ...

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 ...

Pakrac Pakrac is a town in western Slavonia, Croatia, population 4,842, total municipality population 8,460 (census 2011). Pakrac is located on the road and railroad connecting the regions of Posavina and Podravina. Name In Croatian the town is known ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

* Selca,

Lipik Lipik is a town in western Slavonia, in the Požega-Slavonia County of northeastern Croatia. It is known for its spas, mineral water and Lipizzaner stables. Settlements The settlements included in the administrative area of Lipik include: * A ...

References

External links

*http://www.revuca.sk/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Revuca Cities and towns in Slovakia