Topoľčany Nagytapolcsány | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Town hall in Topoľčany | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Coordinates:48°33′N18°11′E / 48.55°N 18.18°E /48.55; 18.18 | |
| Country |  Slovakia |
| Region |  Nitra Region |
| District | Topoľčany District |
| First mentioned | 1173 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | JUDr. Alexandra Gieciová |
| Area | |
• Total | 27.58 km2 (10.65 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 187 m (614 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 24,086 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 955 01[2] |
| Area code | +421 38[2] |
| Car plate | TO |
| Website | www |
Topoľčany ([ˈtɔpɔʎtʂani]ⓘ;Slovak:Veľké Topoľčany before 1920;Hungarian:Nagytapolcsány) is a town in theNitra Region ofSlovakia. The population is around 25,000 in total. The town's population is nicknamedŽochári (singl.Žochár) (producers, or owners of "mosses").
The Nitra River flows through a wide valley between the two mountain ranges that are visible from the town:Tribeč (to the east) andPovažský Inovec (to the west). It is best known for the birthplace of the currentprime minister of Slovakia,Robert Fico.
The name Topoľčany was assumed to be derived fromSlovak:topoľ (poplar tree).[4] Groves of these trees were once abundant on the banks of theNitra River, thus the local settlers got the name*Topoľčane 'those living among poplars'.[4]
Founded in the 9th century, Topoľčany was a regional market centre during theMiddle Ages located on the western bank of the Nitra River and on a crossroads of trade routes.
Topoľčany Castle was built in the 13th century 18 km northwest of the town; this considerable distance was due to the lowland location of Topoľčany. The castle lies on the slopes of Považský Inovec.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, Topoľčany was owned by theCsak family, its best-known member beingMatthew III Csák. In the 15th century, the castle was conquered and held by theHussites for 3 years, who returned it for a fee of 9,000 ducats in 1434. In 1443 the countryside was pillaged by a rogue noble who had captured the castle, but was later evicted by the king and sent toMoravia. In the same year, and again in 1444, the town (and much of Carpathia) was struck by an earthquake.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, there were a few large-scale fires that destroyed substantial parts of the town. Because the town was only 60 km north of the border between theOttoman Empire and theHabsburg monarchy, Topoľčany was often raided by theOttoman Turks during theOttoman wars in Europe, notably in the years 1599 and 1643, when many citizens were taken into slavery. The town's population stagnated as a result. The town's location in a lowland thus proved a disadvantage in times of war as the town never grew big enough to erect city walls.
For most of its history, Topoľčany's population was ethnically mixed. While the rural population was almost purelySlovak, the urban population consisted ofCarpathian Germans,Jews, andMagyars. Jews immigrated to the town during the 16th-18th centuries. This ethnic mix came to an end in the first part of the 20th century, asindustrialization attracted Slovaks from the surrounding areas and the number of Magyars decreased after the creation ofCzechoslovakia followingWorld War I.
The Jewish (about 3,200 people) and German populations substantially decreased duringWorld War II. The 550 to 700 Jews from Topoľčany who survived theHolocaust and returned to their homes found themselves strangers in their native town, without property and in many cases without citizenship. Because most of the Jews in Topoľčany spoke Hungarian or German, they had declared their ethnicity in the last pre-war Czechoslovak census as Magyar or German rather than Jewish or Slovak. TheBeneš decrees after World War II expelled Hungarian and German speakers, both Jews and Christians. Additionally, most of Topoľčany's pre-war businesses had been owned by Jews, but were taken over by Slovaks during the war. The Jews that survived the war initially tried to stay and rebuild their lives, even after theTopoľčany pogrom of 24 September 1945, but by 1949 all of the remaining Jewish population emigrated.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 14,720 | — |
| 1980 | 22,413 | +52.3% |
| 1991 | 28,968 | +29.2% |
| 2001 | 28,968 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 27,177 | −6.2% |
| 2021 | 25,249 | −7.1% |
| Source: Censuses[5][6] | ||
Topoľčany is predominantly inhabited by Slovaks, with small minorities ofRomani andHungarians. In 2004-05 there were also a number ofCzechs andPoles living in the town, as Topoľčany was the host of a joint Slovak-Czech-Polish military operation intended to prepare Slovakia for joiningNATO.
The majority of the population isRoman Catholic (there are two churches of this denomination including one on the central square), and there are also a minority ofProtestants (one church). The historicsynagogue was destroyed by fire during World War II.
| Year | 1994 | 2004 | 2014 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | 32,156 | 28,728 | 26,421 | 23,985 |
| Difference | −10.66% | −8.03% | −9.21% |
| Year | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 24,086 | 23,985 |
| Difference | −0.41% |
It has apopulation of 23,985 people (31 December 2024).[8]
| Ethnicity | Number | Fraction |
|---|---|---|
| Slovak | 23,107 | 91.51% |
| Not found out | 1904 | 7.54% |
| Total | 25,249 |
In year 2021 was 25,249 people by ethnicity 23,107 asSlovak, 1904 as Not found out, 222 asCzech, 85 as Other, 55 asHungarian, 47 asRomani, 32 asUkrainian, 30 asRussian, 27 asVietnamese, 27 asGerman, 17 asRomanian, 15 asPolish, 13 asRusyn, 12 asItalian, 12 asAlbanian, 8 asMoravian, 7 asChinese, 6 asJewish, 5 asCroatian, 5 asBulgarian, 4 asTurkish, 4 asEnglish, 3 asCanadian, 3 asFrench, 2 asIrish, 2 asSerbian, 1 asSilesian, 1 asAustrian, 1 asIranian and 1 asGreek.
| Note on population |
|---|
| The difference between the population numbers above and in the census (here and below) is that the population numbers above are mostly made up of permanent residents, etc.; and the census should indicate the place where people actually mainly live. For example, a student is a citizen of a village because he has permanent residence there (he lived there as a child and has parents), but most of the time he studies at a university in the city. |
| Religion | Number | Fraction |
|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic Church | 16,350 | 64.76% |
| None | 5348 | 21.18% |
| Not found out | 2370 | 9.39% |
| Evangelical Church | 540 | 2.14% |
| Total | 25,249 |
In year 2021 was 25,249 people by religion 16,350 fromRoman Catholic Church, 5348 from None, 2370 from Not found out, 540 fromEvangelical Church, 125 fromGreek Catholic Church, 73 from Ad hoc movements, 67 from Christian Congregations in Slovakia, 66 from Other, 48 fromEastern Orthodox Church, 43 fromSeventh-day Adventist Church, 38 fromBuddhism, 31 fromIslam, 29 fromApostolic Church, 27 from Paganism and natural spirituality, 26 fromCalvinist Church, 21 fromJehovah's Witnesses, 19 from Other and not ascertained christian church, 6 fromOld Catholic Church, 6 from Czechoslovak Hussite Church, 5 fromHinduism, 4 fromJewish community, 4 fromUnited Methodist Church and 3 fromBaptists Church.
Topoľčany has ahumid continental climate (Köppen:Dfb).
| Climate data for Topoľčany | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.7 (35.1) | 4.7 (40.5) | 9.7 (49.5) | 15.8 (60.4) | 20.1 (68.2) | 24.2 (75.6) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.0 (78.8) | 20.5 (68.9) | 14.6 (58.3) | 8.2 (46.8) | 2.8 (37.0) | 14.5 (58.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.8 (30.6) | 1.3 (34.3) | 5.2 (41.4) | 10.6 (51.1) | 15.0 (59.0) | 19.0 (66.2) | 20.6 (69.1) | 20.3 (68.5) | 15.4 (59.7) | 10.3 (50.5) | 5.4 (41.7) | 0.6 (33.1) | 10.2 (50.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.4 (25.9) | −1.9 (28.6) | 0.9 (33.6) | 5.2 (41.4) | 9.7 (49.5) | 13.5 (56.3) | 14.9 (58.8) | 14.8 (58.6) | 10.7 (51.3) | 6.5 (43.7) | 2.7 (36.9) | −1.7 (28.9) | 6.0 (42.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 48.1 (1.89) | 45.7 (1.80) | 47.6 (1.87) | 48.8 (1.92) | 87.4 (3.44) | 84.1 (3.31) | 81.9 (3.22) | 81.0 (3.19) | 73.3 (2.89) | 58.0 (2.28) | 54.3 (2.14) | 49.4 (1.94) | 759.6 (29.89) |
| Source: Weather.Directory[12] | |||||||||||||
A large armybarracks, airfield and heliport are located in the town; during theCommunist era there were about 2,000 troops stationed in the town. The surrounding forests are full of abandonedbunkers.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]
There are four main industries in Topoľčany: the Topvar brewery (owned bySABMiller), kitchen furniture producer Decodom, cableware producer SEWS (owned by aJapanese company), and the clothing company Ozeta (producer of suits and jackets). The large "ZTS" factory, a heavy machinery producer in neighboringTovarníky, is no longer a major employer.
The educational infrastructure is made up ofkindergartens,elementary schools,high schools (both general and specialised) and formerly a branch of a Bratislava-baseduniversity. However, most of the town's young people go toNitra,Bratislava, orTrnava for higher education.
Slovak Bandy Association, founded in 2017, is organising andrink bandy sessions in various localities, for example Topoľčany.[24]
Luhačovice, Czech Republic
Prilep, North Macedonia
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Küçükçekmece, Turkey
Rybnik, Poland
Artern, Germany
Mazingarbe, France| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
