Croats in Slovakia
Encyclopedia
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
(Hrvati in Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
, Chorváti in Slovak
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
) are an ethnic minority in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, numbering 850 people according to the 2001 census, although the relatively compact Croatian community may number as many as 3500 people. The Croatian minority has a member in the Slovak Council for Minorities.
Croats mainly live in the Bratislava Region
Bratislava Region
The Bratislava Region is one of the administrative regions of Slovakia. Its capital is Bratislava. It is the smallest of the eight regions of Slovakia.-Geography:...
. They came there during the Ottoman wars in Croatia, with most arriving between 1530 and 1570. This emigration started after the Battle of Mohács
Battle of Mohács
The Battle of Mohács was fought on August 29, 1526 near Mohács, Hungary. In the battle, forces of the Kingdom of Hungary led by King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia were defeated by forces of the Ottoman Empire led by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent....
in 1528, with most of the migrants coming from the Sisak
Sisak
Sisak is a city in central Croatia. The city's population in 2011 was 33,049, with a total of 49,699 in the administrative region and it is also the administrative centre of the Sisak-Moslavina county...
region, Kostajnica
Kostajnica
Kostajnica can refer to:* Kostajnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a town on the right bank of river Una, in Bosnia* Hrvatska Kostajnica, a town on the left bank of river Una, in Croatia* Kostajnica , a village near Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, Čazma
Cazma
Čazma is a town and municipality in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Croatia. It is part of Moslavina.-Geography:Čazma is situated 60 kilometers east of Zagreb and only 30 kilometres from the center of the region - Bjelovar....
, Križevci, Slunj
Slunj
Slunj is a town in the mountainous part of Central Croatia, located along the important North-South route to the Adriatic Sea between Karlovac and Plitvice Lakes National Park, on the meeting of the rivers Korana and Slunjčica...
, and Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
.
Traditionally Croat-populated villages in Slovakia are Chorvátsky Grob
Chorvátsky Grob
Chorvátsky Grob is a village and municipality in western Slovakia in Senec District in the Bratislava region.The village's name Chorvátsky means Croatian. This refers to the Croatian people that have lived in the area since the early 16th century...
(Hrvatski Grob), Čunovo
Cunovo
Čunovo is a small part of Bratislava, Slovakia, in the southern area near the Hungarian border. It is located close to the Gabčíkovo - Nagymaros Dams.- History :...
, Devínska Nová Ves
Devínska Nová Ves
Devínska Nová Ves ) is a borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Its western borders are formed by the Morava River, which also represents the national border between Slovakia and Austria....
(Devinsko Novo Selo), Rusovce
Rusovce
Rusovce castle")) is a borough in southern Bratislava on the right bank of the Danube river, close to the Hungarian border.- History :In the 1st century, there was a Roman settlement named Gerulata in today's Rusovce area. The first preserved written reference to the settlement is from 1208. It...
(Rosvar) and Jarovce
Jarovce
Jarovce is a small borough of Bratislava, Slovakia.- History :The village was first mentioned in 1208 under the name Ban. During the Ottoman wars, many Croats settled here in the 16th century . They are still a strong minority...
(Hrvatski Jandrof).
Croatian organisations in Slovakia include the Croatian Cultural Alliance as well as several smaller folklore groups. The writer of the first Croatian-Slovak dictionary, Ferdinand Takač is a Croat from Chorvátsky Grob.
Since Slovak independence, the Croats of Slovakia have maintained good ties with other autochthonous Croatian communities in Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
The current President of Slovakia
President of Slovakia
The President of Slovakia is the head of state of Slovakia. The President is directly elected by the people for five years, and can be elected for a maximum of two consecutive terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
Ivan Gašparovič
Ivan Gašparovic
Ivan Gašparovič is a Slovak politician and law professor who has been the President of Slovakia since 15 June 2004. He is also the first Slovak president to be re-elected.-Biography:...
is of Croat descent.