Krahule
Encyclopedia
Krahule is a village
in Žiar nad Hronom District
in the Banská Bystrica Region
of central Slovakia
. It is the only municipality in Slovakia that officially uses German
along with Slovak
.
miners as a forest homestead village.
Throughout its history, most of the area legally belonged to the Crown and the village was administered by a local judge. In 1601 there were 39 houses in the village. A 1640-year decree appointed Paul König as Judge, after the death of James König. The first chapel and the first school were built in 1788. In 1806 the Baroque-Classical style Roman Catholic St. John Nepomuk Church was dedicated. In 1828 there were 635 inhabitants, entirely German
speakers, mostly local miners and farmers, in 57 houses. From 1895 there was a state funded Bobbin lace making school.
In 1899 Hungarian
authorities officially changed the name of the village to Kékellő against the will of the inhabitants. After 1918 the Czechoslovak state restored the name Blaufuß.
Over 1944 and 1945 many Carpathian Germans
fled the advancing Soviet army and never returned. The Communist regime then renamed the town "Krahule" in 1948 and brought in Slovak settlers.
From 1980 to 1992 the town was a part of the Kremnica
municipality.
In the 2001 census 35 of the then 144 residents indicated that they were Carpathian German (Karpatendeutsche). Thus Krahule was the only town in Slovakia
that crossed the 20% proportional minority threshold mark. The Krahule municipality therefore adopted German
as the second official language in addition to Slovak
.
In the same census 89 people gave their religion as Roman Catholic. One person described himself as a Hussite
, 21 residents reported to be without confession and 21 Protestant.
Today the town is a popular winter sports and hiking venue. Krahule is located directly above Kremnica on a high terrace about 880 feet in the Kremnické vrchy (Kremnitzer Bergen) mountains.
The current Mayor, or Bürgermeister, is Miroslav Schwarz.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Žiar nad Hronom District
Žiar nad Hronom District
Žiar nad Hronom District is a district in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. Until 1918, the district was part of the county of Tekov.- Municipalities :The names in bold represent towns.*Bartošova Lehôtka*Bzenica*Dolná Trnávka...
in the Banská Bystrica Region
Banská Bystrica Region
The Banská Bystrica Region is one of the Slovak regions in the country of Slovakia in Europe.-Geography:It is located in the central part of Slovakia and has an area of 9,455 km². The region is prevailingly mountains, with several ranges within the area. The highest of them are the Low Tatras...
of central 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 is the only municipality in Slovakia that officially uses German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
along with 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...
.
History
The town was first mentioned in writing in 1331 as Blaufuß (literally "blue" + "foot") and was created by GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
miners as a forest homestead village.
Throughout its history, most of the area legally belonged to the Crown and the village was administered by a local judge. In 1601 there were 39 houses in the village. A 1640-year decree appointed Paul König as Judge, after the death of James König. The first chapel and the first school were built in 1788. In 1806 the Baroque-Classical style Roman Catholic St. John Nepomuk Church was dedicated. In 1828 there were 635 inhabitants, entirely German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
speakers, mostly local miners and farmers, in 57 houses. From 1895 there was a state funded Bobbin lace making school.
In 1899 Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
authorities officially changed the name of the village to Kékellő against the will of the inhabitants. After 1918 the Czechoslovak state restored the name Blaufuß.
Over 1944 and 1945 many Carpathian Germans
Carpathian Germans
Carpathian Germans , sometimes simply called Slovak Germans , are a group of German language speakers on the territory of present-day Slovakia...
fled the advancing Soviet army and never returned. The Communist regime then renamed the town "Krahule" in 1948 and brought in Slovak settlers.
From 1980 to 1992 the town was a part of the Kremnica
Kremnica
Kremnica is a town in central Slovakia. It has some 5,700 inhabitants. The well-preserved medieval town built above important gold mines is the site of the oldest still-working mint in the world.-History:...
municipality.
In the 2001 census 35 of the then 144 residents indicated that they were Carpathian German (Karpatendeutsche). Thus Krahule was the only town 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...
that crossed the 20% proportional minority threshold mark. The Krahule municipality therefore adopted German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
as the second official language in addition to 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...
.
In the same census 89 people gave their religion as Roman Catholic. One person described himself as a Hussite
Hussite
The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus , who became one of the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation...
, 21 residents reported to be without confession and 21 Protestant.
Today the town is a popular winter sports and hiking venue. Krahule is located directly above Kremnica on a high terrace about 880 feet in the Kremnické vrchy (Kremnitzer Bergen) mountains.
The current Mayor, or Bürgermeister, is Miroslav Schwarz.