| Modra | |
| Town | |
 The "Upper Gate", the only remaining fortification gate in Modra
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| Country |  Slovakia |
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| Region | Bratislava |
| District | Pezinok |
| Elevation | 175 m (574 ft) |
| Coordinates | |
| Highest point | Veľká homoľa |
| - elevation | 709 m (2,326 ft) |
| Lowest point | |
| - elevation | 144 m (472 ft) |
| Area | 49.624 km² (19.16 sq mi) |
| Population | 8,704 (2005) |
| Density | 175 /km² (453 /sq mi) |
| First mentioned | 1158 |
| Mayor | Vladimír Medlen |
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 900 01 |
| Area code | +421-33 |
| Car plate | PK |
   Location of Modra in Slovakia
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  Location of Modra in the Bratislava Region
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| Wikimedia Commons: Modra | |
| Statistics: MOŠ/MIS | |
| Website: www.modra.sk | |
Modra (-Slovak, German: Modern, Hungarian: Modor, Latin: Modorinum) is a city and municipality in the Bratislava Region in Slovakia. It has a population of 8,704 as of 2005. It nestles in the foothills of the Malé Karpaty and is an excellent centre for walking. Modra is famous for its ceramic industry. Its blue-and-white china is famous throughout Slovakia. It is also famous for its vineyards, and is one of the two centres of viticulture near the Little Carpathians. Except the main town, it also has "town parts" of Harmónia and Piesok, both in the Little Carpathians, and local parts of Kráľová and Zochova chata.
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History
The first traces of habitation go back into the 3rd millennium BCE and the first permanent habitation comes from the time of Great Moravia, when the Slavs were living there. The first mention about Modra was in 1158 in a document of the Géza II of Hungary, when it belonged to the bishop of Nitra. After the Mongol invasion of 1241 the settlement was reconstructed by the German colonists. The first mention about vineyards goes back to 1321. The settlement received its town privileges in 1361 and became a free royal town in 1607. The town fortifications with three gates were constructed in 1610–1647. Since the 17th century it was one of the leading craft centres in present-day Slovakia. The ceramic industry and majolica production started in the 19th century and in 1883 a school of ceramics was established, where through the skilfulness of Habaners the so-called Slovak ceramics were created. The railway track from Bratislava to Trnava bypassed the town in the 1840s, as the local magistrate refused to allow construction of the railway.
Landmarks
- Observatory of the Comenius University in Bratislava in the local part Zochova chata
- A grave, memorial, museum (called Štúrova izba, meaning "Štúr's room") and statue of Ľudovít Štúr, who died here in 1856
- Remainder of the former fortifications: there's a bastion with Ignác Bizmayer gallery and the "Upper Gate" one of the three original gates
- A country castle just behind the upper gate; seat of the vineyard school
- A Renaissance building from the end of the 17th century
- the present-day workshops specialising on the Modra ceramics
- Churches:
- Roman Catholic Church of St. Stephen the King from years 1873–1876 on the market square
- Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist from the 2nd half of the 14th century at the cemetery with the names of victims of the First World War
- Evangelical church of Augsburg Confession ("German church") from 1714, present-day form since 1834
- Evangelical church of Apostles Peter and Paul ("Slovak church") from 1715, present-day form since 1826, standing near the "German church"
- small Baroque chapel of Mary Immaculate from 1740, standing in front of the evangelical churches
- Chapel of St. Michael from 1873
Demographics
According to the 2001 census, the town had 8,536 inhabitants. 97.4% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1% Czechs and 0.4% Hungarians.[1] The religious makeup was 53.7% Roman Catholics, 25.8% Lutherans, and 15% people with no religious affiliation.[1]
People
- Ľudovít Štúr, lived his last years in Modra
- Vincent Šikula, Slovak writer
- Ignác Bizmayer, Slovak artist
Partner towns [2]
Benátky nad Jizerou, Czech Republic- Hustopeče, Czech Republic
Overijse, Belgium
Martres Tolosane, France
References
- Part or whole of the information is based on the corresponding article on the German Wikipedia
- ^ a b Municipal Statistics. Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
- ^ http://www.modra.sk/samosprava_partnerske_mesta.html
External links
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| Modra · Pezinok · Svätý Jur Báhoň · Budmerice · Častá · Doľany · Dubová · Jablonec · Limbach · Píla · Slovenský Grob · Šenkvice · Štefanová · Viničné · Vinosady · Vištuk |
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