Svätý Jur

Geobox | settlement
name = Svätý Jur
category = Town
etymology =
official_name =
motto =
nickname =


image_caption =


symbol = Erb Svaty jur.gif
country = Slovakia
country_

state =
region = Bratislava
district = Pezinok
municipality =
parent = Bratislava a okolie
parent_type = Tourism region
river =
location =
elevation = 180
lat_d = 48
lat_m = 15
lat_s = 07
lat_NS = N
long_d = 17
long_m = 12
long_s = 56
long_EW = E
coordinates_type = region:SK_type:city
highest =
highest_lat_d =
highest_long_d =
lowest =
lowest_lat_d =
lowest_long_d =
area = 39.874
area_round = 3
population = 4929
population_date = 2006-12-31
population_density = auto
established = 1209
established_type = First mentioned
date =
mayor = Alexander Achberger
timezone =

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map_background = Slovakia - background map.png map_caption = Location in Slovakia
map_locator = Slovakia
map1 = Bratislava Region - outline map.svg
map1_background = Bratislava Region - background map.png map1_caption = Location in the Bratislava Region
map1_locator = Bratislava Region
map1_size = 128
commons = Svätý Jur
statistics = [http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/prvav2.jsp?txtUroven410107&lstObec507989&Okruhzaklad MOŠ/MIS]
website = [http://www.svatyjur.sk/english.php www.svatyjur.sk]
footnotes =

Svätý Jur ( _de. Sankt Georgen, _hu. Szentgyörgy) is a small town northeast of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The name means Saint George. Between 1960 and 1990, the forced the town to use a "non-religious" name Jur pri Bratislave. Svätý Jur has a population of almost 5,000.

Geography

Svätý Jur is situated in the Pezinok District of the Bratislava Region in southwestern Slovakia. The surrounding areas include large vineyards in the nearby Little Carpathians and the unique Šúr swamps, a protected area.

History

The archaeological excavations date the settlement back to the Hallstatt period and the Quadi period. In the 9th century, a Great Moravian castle was built there. Svätý Jur was first mentioned in a written source in 1209 and received a town charter in 1299. It became a royal free town in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1647. Despite a construction of the city walls between 1603 and 1664, Svätý Jur was devastated by the Ottoman Turks in 1663. The Ottoman troops also destroyed the White Castle (Slovak: "Biely Kameň"), which had been an important administrative center of the region until then.

In the 18th and 19th centuries and into the 20th century, the population was largely German, but the Germans were forced out after World War II.

In 1840, the first (horse) railway in the Kingdom of Hungary was built from Bratislava to the town.

Landmarks

The most remarkable historical monument is the Gothic church of St. George, built in the 13th century. The sandstone altar from 1527 is an example of a transition between the Gothic and Renaissance styles. The stained glass windows were designed by Janko Alexy in 1950. The wooden bell tower from the 17th century protects a bell from 1400. The bell cracked due to a fire in 1802 and after repair in 1848 was damaged again. There is a fame that this bell was buried during the period of the Ottoman raids and was accidentally found by a rooting pig afterwards.

A Great Moravian castle was built in the 9th century and it was abandoned in the 14th century. 1,693 metres of the walls have been preserved, but their height is now lower than the original 10 metres.

Other places of interest include a Renaissance manor house, a Baroque church of Trinity, a Piarist monastery from 1720, and the ruins of the city walls.

Svätý Jur is also well-known for the largest raceway in Slovakia.

Biely Kameň Castle

The castle of Biely Kameň was mentioned for the first time in 1217. It was the seat of the counts of Svätý Jur until 1609, when they moved to a more comfortable manor house in the town. The castle was partially destroyed by an Ottoman raid in 1663. The ruins are still visible.

Population

In 2006, Svätý Jur had a population of 5,186. According to the 2001 census, 97.5% of inhabitants were Slovaks. The Roman Catholicism is the most popular religion (72.5%), but there is also a significant number of atheists (15.9%) living in the village. [http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html Municipal Statistics from the Statistical Office of the Slovak republic]

External links

* [http://www.svatyjur.sk/english.php Official site of Svätý Jur]
* [http://www.svatyjur.tk/ Unofficial site of Svätý Jur]
* [http://www.rzfoto.sk/svatyjur Photos of Svätý Jur]
* [http://www.castles.sk/biely-kamen.php Short description of Biely Kameň Castle]

References