Levice

Geobox|Settlement
name = Levice
native_name =
other_name =
category = Town
etymology =
official_name =
motto =
nickname =

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image_caption = Town hall of Levice


symbol = Erb_mesta_Levice.gif
symbol_type =
country = Slovakia
country_

state =
region = Nitra
district = Levice
municipality =
landmark =
river = Hron
location =
elevation = 163
prominence =
lat_d =48 | lat_m =12 | lat_s =59 | lat_NS =N
long_d =18 | long_m =36 | long_s =29 | long_EW =E
highest =
highest_location = | highest_region = | highest_state =
highest_elevation =
highest_lat_d = | highest_lat_m = | highest_lat_s = | highest_lat_NS =
highest_long_d = | highest_long_m = | highest_long_s = | highest_long_EW =
lowest =
lowest_location = | lowest_region = | lowest_state =
lowest_elevation =
lowest_lat_d = | lowest_lat_m = | lowest_lat_s = | lowest_lat_NS =
lowest_long_d = | lowest_long_m = | lowest_long_s = | lowest_long_EW =
length = | length_orientation =
width = | width_orientation =
area = 60.996
area_land =
area_water =
area_urban =
area_metro =
population =35980 | population_date = 31 December 2006
population_urban =
population_metro =
population_density = auto
population_density_urban =
population_density_metro =
established = 1156
established_type = First mentioned
date =
government =
government_location = | government_region = | government_state =
government_elevation =
government_lat_d = | government_lat_m = | government_lat_s = | government_lat_NS =
government_long_d = | government_long_m = | government_long_s = | government_long_EW =
mayor = Štefan Mišák
leader =
timezone =

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map_caption = Location of Levice within Slovakia
map_background = Slovakia - background map.png map_locator = Slovakia
map_locator_x =
map_locator_y =
commons = Levice
statistics = [http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/prvav2.jsp?txtUroven420402&lstObec502031&Okruhzaklad MOŠ/MIS]
website = http://www.levice.sk
footnotes =

Levice (Audio|Sk-Levice.ogg|Slovak pronunciation: IPA|/lɛvit​͡sɛ/; _hu. Léva, _de. Lewenz) is a town in western Slovakia. The town lies on the left bank of the lower Hron river (Old Slavic name of the town was Leva, that means "the Left One").

The town is located in the north east corner of the Danubian Lowland (Podunajská nížina), 110 km east of Bratislava, 40 km sout east of Nitra, 42 mi north east of Nové Zámky, 32 km south west of Banská Štiavnica, 55 km south west of Zvolen and 25 km from the border with Hungary.

Historic region (comitatus): Tekov

District: Levice - the largest district in Slovakia

Town's heraldic animal: lion (in Slovak „Lev“)

Town's colours: green and yellow

History

Levice is first mentioned as Leua, one of villages submissed to the St. Martin's Church in Bratka (Baratka in Hungarian) in 1165.

Firstly attacked by Turks in 1544 - the town set aflame while the castle resisted. it was held by Turks for two decades, 1663- 1685. Under the Ottoman administration, "Leva" was the center of a sandjak, which was part of the Uyvar eyalet.

Ototman rule came to an end in the summer of 1685, when the Austrian Imperial Army led by general de Souches gained an important victory at the Battle of Levice, beneath the town's castle.

During the anti-Habsburg revolution of 1709, the fort was blown out by kuruces.

After the break-up of Austria-Hungary, the town was assigned to Czechoslovakia (confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon in 1920).

As part of the breakup of Czechoslovakia under the Munich Agreement, the town belonged again to Hungary from 1938 to 1945.

At the end of the Second World War it was returned to the restored Czechoslovakia, and with the peaceful division of its components became part of Slovakia, up to the present.

It was the hometown of Eugene Fodor (1905-1991), founder of Fodor's travel book company.

Demographics

Ethnicity (2001 census)

*Slovak (84.83%)
*Hungarian (12.23%)
*Czechs (1.04%)
*Romani (Gypsy) (0.36%)
*others.

Religious makeup

Roman Catholic (majority), Reformed Protestant (Calvinist), Moravian Brethren (the biggest congregation in Slovakia), Lutheran, Baptist, Old Catholic Church, Adventist of the 7th Day, Modrý kríž (Blue Cross), several Charismatic and Pentecostal communities, Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslim community (non-practising), Jewish community (non-practising), atheists

Economy

Production

textiles, cosmetics, furniture, products of locally obtained Golden Onyx, machinery and construction components, cereals, meat, eggs, dairy products, soda drinks, malt, wine (Levická frankovka – is a local red-wine trademark), one of Slovakia's two nuclear power plants is in Mochovce, 12 km north west of Levice.

Education

8 elementary schools (7 secular including 1 Hungarian, 1 Roman-Catholic school), ordinary High School, Hungarian Calvinist High School (Lyceum), Business Academy, Pedagogical and Social Academy, Secondary Technical School, Secondary Agricultural School and various apprentice schools

Levice is the birthplace of geographer Kálmán Kittenberger (1881-1958).

Main sights

*Castle, built in Gothic style as a road-guarding fort sometime to the end of 13th century.
*Dobo Chateau, built by István Dobó, a hero of the siege of Eger, in 1560s.

Places of worship

*St Joseph's Church, Roman-Catholic, accompanied by a baroque Franciscan convent, close to the entrance to the chateau, break of 17th and 18th centuries .
*St Michael's Church - Roman-Catholic, St Michael's street (Sv. Michala), 2nd half of 18th century
*Church of the Holy Spirit - Roman-Catholic, at the Rybniky quarter, break of 20th and 21st centuries
*Chapel of St Urban - Roman-Catholic, F. Hecku street, 1770s
*Evanjelický a. v. kostol - Lutheran, Cs. armady street, 1840s to 1930s
*Zborový dom (Congregational House) - Lutheran, next to the latter
*"Kostol Reformovanej cirkvi"' - Calvinist, Sv. Michala street, end of 18th century
*"Zborový dom (Congregational House)"' - Brethren Church, S. Chalupku street, 1983-85
*"Synagogue"' - Jewish, K. Kittenberger street, half of 19th century

Other sights

*Schoeller's Mill - built to the end of 19th century, production cancelled in 1998, rebuilt to a complex of luxury shops, offices, dwellings and entertainment facilities.
*Main square - a good collection of Art-Nouveau and eclectic buildings.
*Town hall - erected in 1902, second floor built-up while lifting the roof by a screw mechanism in 1927.
*Teachers Academy - secondary school, E point of the Kalvaria hill, N of the main square, built in 1911 as a mix of the late Art-Nouveau and Italian trecento-influenced historism.

Functionalist architectures

*District Court Building - corner of Mlynska and Zahradna streets, projected by Milan Michal Harminc
*Fried's House - corner of L. Stura and Sv. Michala streets
*Strasser's House - Sturova street, next to the Fried's House
*Fertsek Brothers House - corner of Soltesova square and Ceskoslovenskej armady street
*Munk's House - corner of Mlynska and Zahradna streets
*Reitmann's House - Mlynska street, a passage to I. Krasku street
*Eisler's House - corner of Mlynska and L. Stura streets
*Police District Headquarters Building - former Seat of District Authority, crossing of Kalvinske square and Sv. Michala street
*Health Ensurance Company Building - M. R. Stefanik street, later Infant Hospital

Nearby places of interest

*Horšianska Dolina (Horša Valley) - nature preserve with unique plant and animal endemics, folk architecture in Horša
*Kalinčiakovo - well preserved tiny Romanesque church from the 12th century and the swimming pool of Margita-Ilona
*Hronský Beňadik - medieval fort-monastery with Gothic entrance, tombs and memorabilia of Hungarian noblemen
*Želiezovce– Neoclassical residence of Count Eszterhazy, and Soví zámoček (Owl Chateau) where the Austrian composer Franz Schubert taught music
*Santovka– mineral water springs and swimming pool
*Brhlovce– cavelike dwellings cut into volcanic rock, nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site
*Čajkov– known for local folk costumes and the annual wine harvest festival
*Pukanec– tiny mining town once enjoying the status of Free royal town, still known for hand-made pottery
*Sitno– volcanic peak in the Štiavnica Mountains, Celtic funeral place, medieval castle ruins, and a botanic nature reserve featuring rare rose species

References

External links

* [http://levice.sk/ Official town web site]
* [http://infolev.info/ info about Levice /SK/]