Ružomberok
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ružomberok | ||
| Town | ||
 Town hall of Ružomberok
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| Country |  Slovakia |
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| Region | Žilina | |
| District | Ružomberok | |
| Tourism region | Liptov | |
| River | Váh | |
| Elevation | 494 m (1,621 ft) | |
| Coordinates | ||
| Area | 126.72 km² (49 sq mi) | |
| Population | 29,906 (2006-12-31) | |
| Density | 237 /km² (614 /sq mi) | |
| First mentioned | 1233 | |
| Mayor | Michal Slašťan | |
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 034 01 | |
| Phone prefix | 421-44 | |
| Car plate | RK | |
   Location in Slovakia
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  Location in the Žilina Region
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| Wikimedia Commons: Ružomberok | ||
| Statistics: MOŠ/MIS | ||
| Website: http://www.ruzomberok.eu/en/ | ||
Ružomberok (pronunciation ; German: Rosenberg; Hungarian: Rózsahegy; Polish: Rużomberk) is a town in northern Slovakia, in the historical Liptov region. It has a population of nearly 30,000.
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[edit] Geography
It is situated at the westernmost reaches of the Sub-Tatra Basin, more exactly its subdivision Liptov Basin, surrounded by the mountain ranges of Chočské vrchy, Greater Fatra and Low Tatras. Rivers flowing through the town are Váh, from east to west, Revúca, a left tributary from the south, on the way to Banská Bystrica and Likavka brook from the north, on the way to Dolný Kubín. The town is located around 65 km from Žilina, 190 km from Košice and 260 km from Bratislava (by road). Besides the main settlement, it also has "city parts" of Biely Potok, Černová, Hrboltová and Vlkolínec.
[edit] Climate
Climate is moderate, varies from hot in summer, to very cold in winter. There are four distinct seasons: spring (wet, moderate warm), summer (hot, very wet), autumn (dry) and winter (very cold). Ružomberok is located in the rain shadow of the mountain ranges of Greater Fatra and Chočské vrchy. Total annual precipitation is 727 mm. Annual average of days with snow cover is 68. The highest snow cover ever recorded was 92 cm. Extreme temperatures: high: +37°C (2007), low: -38°C (1949, 1986).
[edit] History
The first written mention about settlement was in 1233 as terra Reuche. The town was established by the German colonists. It got its town rights in 1318. In 1340, King Charles Robert confirmed its town rights and extended more. However, its growth was interrupted as it was placed under Likavka rule.
In the 19th century, it was one of the centres of Slovak national movement. It slowly became one of the industrial and financial centres of today's Slovakia, particularly after the Košice-Bohumín Railway was completed in 1871, when many new factories emerged - paper and pulpwood works, but also brick works (1871) or the textile industry.
In 1907, in Černová, which was rather a street than part of the town that is today, happened event known as Černová tragedy, when the local inhabitants refused appointed priest Martin Pazúrik from Lisková instead of their native Andrej Hlinka and the appointed priest couldn't move to sanctify newly built local church, the gendarmes fired four times to the angry crowd and killed 15 people.
After break-up of Austria-Hungary in 1918, it became part of Czechoslovakia. However, when Czechoslovakia was broken up in 1939, it was incorporated into the first Slovak Republic and was a capital of one of the counties, the Tatra county (Tatranská župa). It became part of Czechoslovakia again in 1945 and after dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992/1993 it became part of Slovakia.
[edit] Demographics
According to the 2001 census, the town had 30,417 inhabitants. 96.64% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 0.95% Roma and 0.87% Czech.[1] The religious make-up was 75.47% Roman Catholics, 14.65% people with no religious affiliation, and 5.46% Lutherans.[1]
[edit] Landmarks and culture
The centre of the town is located at the Andrej Hlinka square (Námestie Andreja Hlinku). Among the sights in or around the square are the Roman Catholic Church of St. Andrew, first mentioned in 1318 and originally built as a Gothic, but now is in a Renaissance-Baroque style, town hall, built in 1895 in the neo-Baroque style and the church and monastery of the Holy Cross (built 1806 and 1730 respectively).
Cultural institutions in the towns include the Liptov Museum, established in 1912 and has also exhibitions outside the town, including Likava Castle just outside the town and the Museum of the Liptov Village in Pribylina. The Ľudovít Fulla Gallery is a branch of the Slovak National Gallery and is dedicated to Fulla's works of art.
Other sights within the town include the Evangelic church from 1923-1926, historic building of the railway station from 1871, now protected as a national historic monument, Calvary above the town in the Classicist style, built in 1858, synagogue from 1880 and the church in Černová, where the tragedy in 1907 happened.[2]
Attractions in the surroundings include the Čebrať mountain (1,054 m), Vlkolínec village, inscribed in 1993 to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, and the skiing area of Malinô Brdo (also called Malinné).
[edit] Sport
The women's basketball team MBK Ružomberok was successful in European club competitions, it won FIBA cup twice. Ružomberok also has a football team, MFK Ružomberok, playing the highest division of Slovak league - Corgoň liga. In 2006, they won Corgoň liga and also Slovenský pohár.
[edit] Famous people
- Ľudovít Fulla, painter, graphic artist, illustrator, stage designer and art teacher
- Dušan Galis, football coach and former football player
- Andrej Hlinka, politician, priest, and activist
- Peter Lorre, Hollywood actor
- Dušan Makovický, personal physician of Leo Tolstoy
- Dárius Rusnák, ice hockey player
- Jozef Vengloš, former footballer, manager, and FIFA football expert
[edit] Partner towns
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Municipal Statistics. Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
- ^ Sights on the page ubytovanie.ruzomberok.eu
[edit] External links
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