Modrý Kameň Kékkő | |
|---|---|
 Modrý Kameň Castle | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Coordinates:48°14′N19°20′E / 48.24°N 19.33°E /48.24; 19.33 | |
| Country |  Slovakia |
| Region |  Banská Bystrica Region |
| District | Veľký Krtíš District |
| First mentioned | 1290 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mária Bednárová |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.64 km2 (7.58 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 250 m (820 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,664 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 992 01[2] |
| Area code | +421 47[2] |
| Car plate | VK |
| Website | www |
Modrý Kameň (lit. "Blue Stone";German:Blauenstein;Hungarian:Kékkő) is atown andmunicipality in theVeľký Krtíš District of theBanská Bystrica Region of southernSlovakia.
It is located on theKrupina Plain (Slovak:Krupinská planina) on theKrtíš andRiečka rivers. It is around 5 km fromVeľký Krtíš and 50 km fromZvolen. With a population of around 1,600, it is thesecond smallest town in Slovakia.
The name of the town was first mentioned asKeykkw in 1290. The name of the settlement means "Blue Rock". Ruins of the castle Modrý Kameň stand on a rock pinnacle above the town. The castle was built in the second half of the 13th century by the ancestors of theBalassa noble family. They had to recapture the castle from the sons of Casimir of theHont-Pázmány clan by a siege in 1290. The castle was captured byOttoman troops in 1576, because its guard fled when they heard the approaching Ottomans. The castle was given up and subsequently destroyed by Ottoman troops in 1593. It was restored between 1609 and 1612 by Sigismund Balassa. The castle was ravaged many times during the 17th century, so it became ruined and abandoned. The Balassa family built a new Baroque mansion house on the side of the castle hill in the early 18th century; stones of the former castle were used in the mansion building operations. The last member of the Balassa noble family died in 1899. After the demise of the Balassa family, the Almásy noble family became the proprietors of Modrý Kameň castle. They sold the demesne to theCzechoslovak state in 1923.
In 1910 the settlement had a population of 1,347, consisting mostly ofSlovak inhabitants, though a significantHungarian minority lived in Modrý Kameň as well. Modrý Kameň belonged toNógrád (Novohrad) county until the end ofWorld War I. The settlement was the center of the Modrý Kameň district (Slovak:okres Modrý Kameň,Hungarian:Kékkői járás) between 1912 and 1960. An electric network was built in 1943.
DuringWorld War II, an illegal antifascist communist organization operated in the settlement. During theSlovak National Uprising, Modrý Kameň was the center of the national revolutionary committee of the district, and partisan groups operated on the outskirts.
Modrý Kameň was pronounced a town in 1969.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,793 | — |
| 1980 | 1,586 | −11.5% |
| 1991 | 1,374 | −13.4% |
| 2001 | 1,434 | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 1,555 | +8.4% |
| 2021 | 1,620 | +4.2% |
| Source: Censuses[4][5] | ||
According to the 2001census, the town had 1,434 inhabitants. 92.82% of inhabitants wereSlovaks, 2.79%Roma, 2.02%Hungarians and 0.35%Czechs.[6] The religious make-up was 79.22%Roman Catholics, 8.44% people with no religious affiliation and 7.60%Lutherans.[6]
Modrý Kameň istwinned with:
Bercel, Hungary
Media related toModrý Kameň at Wikimedia Commons
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