Hron is a 298 km long left tributary of the Danube

Danube

The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....

 and the second longest river 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...

. It flows from its source located in the Low Tatra

Low Tatra

The Low Tatras or Low Tatra is a mountain range of the Inner Western Carpathians in central Slovakia.It is located south of the Tatras proper, from which it is separated by the valleys of the Váh and Poprad rivers . The valley formed by the Hron River is situated south of the Low Tatras range...

 mountains (under Kráľova hoľa

Králova hola

Kráľova hoľa is the highest mountain of the eastern part of the Low Tatras in central Slovakia. Four rivers rise at its foot: Čierny Váh, Hnilec, Hornád, and Hron...

) through central and southern Slovakia, pouring into the Danube near Štúrovo

Štúrovo

Štúrovo is a town in Slovakia, situated on the River Danube. Its population in 2005 was 11,172.The town is situated opposite the Hungarian city of Esztergom. The Mária Valéria bridge connects the settlements. The bridge was destroyed in 1944 during World War II, but reconstructed in...

 and Esztergom

Esztergom

Esztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there....

. Major cities and towns situated on the Hron are Brezno, Banská Bystrica

Banská Bystrica

Banská Bystrica is a key city in central Slovakia located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. With 81,281 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia...

, Sliač

Sliac

Sliač is a small spa town located in central Slovakia, on the Hron river, between Banská Bystrica and Zvolen. The town is known for its healing hot springs and for an airport which has been used for military as well as civil purposes...

, Zvolen

Zvolen

Zvolen |Slatina]] rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. With its ancient castle, the town has a historical center, which represents the seat of an okres .-History:...

, Žiar nad Hronom

Žiar nad Hronom

Žiar nad Hronom is a town in Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia.-Geography:It is located in the Žiar Basin, on the Hron river, around 40 km from Banská Bystrica and 170 km from Bratislava...

, Žarnovica

Žarnovica

Žarnovica is a town and municipality in the Žarnovica District, Banská Bystrica Region in Slovakia. The town is situated in the Hron river valley. As of 2005, it had a population of 6,501 people.-Geography:...

, Nová Baňa

Nová Bana

Nová Baňa is a small town in the west of central Slovakia and the largest town of the Žarnovica District, located in the Banská Bystrica Region.- Geography :...

, Tlmače

Tlmace

Tlmače is a town and municipality in the Levice District in the Nitra Region of Slovakia.- History :In historical records the town was first mentioned in 1075 as Talmach. It has town status since 1986. From 1970 to 1994 the villages of Malé Kozmálovce and Veľké Kozmálovce were part of the town.-...

, Levice

Levice

Levice is a town in western Slovakia. The town lies on the left bank of the lower Hron river. The Old Slavic name of the town was Leva, which means "the Left One"....

, Želiezovce, and Štúrovo.

The river's basin covers approximately 11% of Slovakia's territory.

History

The name of the river was mentioned for the first time in 170

170

Year 170 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Clarus and Cornelius...

, when Roman Emperor

Roman Emperor

The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...

 Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations

Meditations

Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161–180 CE, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy....

at the Hron river. The first recorded medieval name was Gron (1075). From the 17th century until the 1930s, the river was used for wood transport.