Martin (Slovak pronunciation:[ˈmartin]ⓘ; until 1951Turčiansky Svätý Martin,Hungarian:Turócszentmárton,German:Turz-Sankt Martin,Latin:Sanctus Martinus / Martinopolis) is a city in northernSlovakia, situated on theTuriec river, between theMalá Fatra andVeľká Fatra mountains, near the city ofŽilina. The population numbers approximately 54,000, which makes it the ninth-largest city in Slovakia. It is the center of theTuriec region and theDistrict of Martin.
From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of theKingdom of Hungary. The first recorded reference to Martin in written sources is dated to 1284 under the name ofVila Sancti Martini.
In the turbulent 15th century, Martin suffered from many disasters, for example, from the attack of theHussites in 1433, when the town was burned down. Just ten years later, it was destroyed again by an earthquake, and Martin started to slowly degrade from royal to the privileged town and under the direct influence of theRévay family.
In the 18th century, Martin became the centre of theTuróc county.
The town became the foremost Slovak cultural center in the 19th century. Several cultural institutions (includingSlovak Matica andSlovak National Museum) were founded there. Most political activities leading to the Slovak national emancipation in the 19th and early 20th centuries were organized in or from Martin. The town was also industrialized at this time. The first printing works were established in 1869, the furniture factoryTatra nábytok in 1890, and so on.
Martin lies at an altitude of 395 metres (1,296 ft)above sea level and covers an area of 67.74 square kilometres (26.2 sq mi).[5] It is located in northern Slovakia, in theTuriec Basin, just south of the confluence of theTuriec river withVáh. Mountain ranges in the proximity of the city areMalá Fatra (Lesser Fatra) andVel’ká Fatra (Greater Fatra); more to the south are theŽiar andKremnica Mountains. The nearest major cities areŽilina, 30 kilometres (19 mi) away to the north-west,Banská Bystrica, 60 kilometres (37 mi) away to the south-east and capitalBratislava, 230 kilometres (143 mi) to the south-west (by road). Martin has 10 boroughs: Jahodníky, Ľadoveň, Stred, Sever, Košúty, Podháj, Stráne, Priekopa, Tomčany, and Záturčie.
Martin lies in thenorth temperate zone and has acontinental climate with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between hot summers and cold, snowy winters. Average annual temperature is around 7 °C (45 °F) and average annual rainfall is 750–860 mm (29.5–33.9 in); most of the rainfall is in June and in the first half of July. Snow cover lasts from 60 to 80 days per year.
Martin has a population of 50,346 (as of December 31, 2024).[9] Since the end of the 1990s, when the population reached its top (more than 60,000), every year a slight decrease has been observed. According to the 2001census, 94.9% of inhabitants wereSlovaks, 1.6%Czechs, 0.5%Romani, and 0.2%Hungarians. The religious makeup was 44.1%Roman Catholics, 31.2% people with no religious affiliation, and 17.2%Lutherans.[5]
According to the 2011census, 81.7% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.0% Czechs, 0.09% Roma, 0.2% Hungarians, and 16.2% did not specify nationality. The religious makeup was 34.3% Roman Catholics, 28.3% people with no religious affiliation, 21.1% did not specify religion, and 13.2% Lutherans.[10]
Martin (east view) andVeľká Fatra.The tallest waterfall (38 m) inMalá Fatra near MartinCity centre of Martin
The oldest building is aRomanesque church dedicated toSaint Martin of Tours (13th century). TheSlovak National Museum placed its ethnographic collection in Martin. An open-air museum in the suburbs, theMuseum of the Slovak Village (Jahodnícke háje), exhibits the traditional rural architecture and folk traditions of the region ofTuriec. TheSlovak National Cemetery is the official Slovak hall of fame, inspired by thePanthéon inParis. The Slovak Chamber Theatre in Martin was established in 1944 as the second professional theatre company in Slovakia. The theatre building is a landmark of the city center.
Martin is surrounded byMalá Fatra andVeľká Fatra mountains, which in winter offer excellent conditions for skiing.
There is a historicmansion in the town of Záturčie in the Martin district.
Martin is home to aVolkswagen Group-ownedautomotive industry productionplant, under the Volkswagen Slovakia, a.s. subsidiary. Opened in 2000, it employs approximately 800 people. The city was hit hard in 2008 by therecession, as Volkswagen was forced to lay off over 200 workers. Other major industrial companies include ŽOS Vrútky (rail vehicles industry) or Prefa Sučany (concrete prefabricates).
The Danish shoe companyECCO is located near the Kosuty II borough in an industrial park. This park also hosts other companies such as MAR SK, GGB, and Zinkpower.
The university hospital employs approximately two thousand personnel: doctors, nurses, and other staff. The printing company Neografia has clients in more than 15 European countries, where Neografia exports the decisive part of its production of books. Due to the economic crisis, the unemployment rate rose to 10%, but was still below the national average rate. In March 2018, the unemployment rate was under 4%.[11] Many inhabitants work in the nearby townŽilina, which is an important industrial center and a major city of the region.
Martin is home to theJessenius Faculty of Medicine, which is one of three medical schools in Slovakia. Among its international students are up to 500 Norwegian and 100 Icelandic medical students.
The city's system of primary education consists of nine public schools, two private primary schools (BellAmos School), and two religious primary schools, enrolling in total of 5,027 pupils. There is a plan to build a five-story high school near the main square. When completed, it will be the largest educational building in Slovakia apart from universities. The school will be named afterAndrej Hlinka, a former Slovak politician.[12]
Secondary education is represented by two gymnasia with 828 students,[13] three specialized high schools with 1,050 students (Business Academy Martin),[14] and three vocational schools with 2,501 students (data as of 2007[update]).[15]
Public transport is not only in Martin itself, but it also extends to the surrounding town ofVrútky and to three villages (Bystrička,Lipovec,Turčianske Kľačany).
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