Snina
Encyclopedia
Snina is a town in Slovakia
located at the confluence of the Cirocha
river and the small river Pčolinka in the valley between the Beskydy foothills and the mountain of Vihorlat. It is the closest town with rail and bus connections to the Poloniny National Park
.
The town's rulers from 1321 to 1684 were from the Drugeth family, who came from Salerno
near Naples
. Later, the owner of the lordship of Snina was Terézia van Dernáthová, who was the granddaughter of Žigmung Drugeth. After her death in 1799, her five sons sold all the property to a businessman from Gemer
named Jozef Rholl. His children developed the region until 1857. They built an iron and steel works in the Jozef valley in 1809.
Starting in 1839 a traditional market took place in Snina four times a year, which aided the development of business and trade. An iron foundry was built in the Jozef valley in 1841. A well-known moulded statue of Hercules was placed next to the Snina manor-house and is the emblem of Snina to this day. During a decline in business in 1873, the iron and steel works completely vanished, so life for the citizens of Snina and its vicinity worsened rapidly and large-scale migration began. They left their homes and went to the USA, Canada
and western Europe
.
In 1876 Snina was a residence of the 10th region of the Zemplín area. The Roman Catholic classicist church from 1751 was modified at the beginning of the 19th century. A classicist Calvary in the cemetery dates from 1847. There is a manor-house from 1800 in the town set in a planned historical park, which is from the 19th century. In the courtyard of the manor-house is a public fountain with a well-known statue of Hercules from 1841. In the church's park there are monuments from World War II. There are also two military cemeteries from World War I near the town (Giglov has 130 graves of soldiers and Brehy has 153).
On May 1, 1949, construction of the Vihorlat Enterprise began, and production started on July 15, 1951. The construction and extension of the enterprise, which was aimed at medium heavy engineering production, created further employment opportunities in construction organisations, services and trade.
Along with the development of industry and services, housing developed. Housing estates and new family houses were constructed. The largest number of flats and family houses were built here between 1975 and 1990 for families displaced by the construction of the Starina reservoir
, when the inhabitants of seven villages had to be moved out.
, the town had 21,235 inhabitants. 86.78% of inhabitants were Slovaks
, 5.84% Rusyns
, 2.51% Ukrainian, 1.86% Roma and 0.58% Czechs
. The religious make-up was 56.03% Roman Catholics, 19.21% Greek Catholics, 13.59% Orthodox
, 5.90% people with no religious affiliation and 0.30% Lutherans.
Morské oko
is a lake located in the Vihorlat Mountains in the east of Slovakia.
Beautiful wooden churches can be found in several villages of the Snina region: Ruský Potok
, Uličské Krivé
, Kalná Roztoka
, Topoľa
and Hrabová Roztoka
.
A ski-lift in Parihuzovce
is 14 km (8.7 mi) from Snina.
On Magurica Mountain, there is a broadcasting tower of non-standard design. It is a 104 metres tall lattice tower with hexagonal cross section.
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...
located at the confluence of the Cirocha
Cirocha
Cirocha is a 56.6 km long river and tributary of Laborec in eastern Slovakia. It raises in the Bukovské vrchy mountains under the Ruské sedlo saddle at the Slovak-Polish border, flowing south and west after first few kilometres into the Starina reservoir, flowing further to the municipalities of...
river and the small river Pčolinka in the valley between the Beskydy foothills and the mountain of Vihorlat. It is the closest town with rail and bus connections to the Poloniny National Park
Poloniny National Park
Poloniny National Park is a national park in north eastern Slovakia at the Polish and Ukrainian borders, in the Bukovské vrchy mountain range, which belongs to the Eastern Carpathians. It was created on 1 October 1997 with a protected area of 298.05 km² and a buffer zone of 109.73 km²...
.
History
The oldest written records mentioning Snina date back to 1343. Snina as an oppidum (small town) is mentioned in port records ("porta" means the gate into a court yard) beginning in 1585. In 1598 the first census of houses was made and there were 75 houses in the town at that time. Between 1570 and 1630, it is evident from port records that Snina was the seat of the regional krajňa, or administrative district for the surrounding villages. In 1646 Snina was called "Szinna Varossa" and later "Civitas Szinna" in the archives. In 1785 Snina had 195 houses and 1,430 inhabitants.The town's rulers from 1321 to 1684 were from the Drugeth family, who came from Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
near Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. Later, the owner of the lordship of Snina was Terézia van Dernáthová, who was the granddaughter of Žigmung Drugeth. After her death in 1799, her five sons sold all the property to a businessman from Gemer
Gemer
Gemer is the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary. In the 19th century, and in the beginning of the 20th century, it was united with the Kishont region to form Gömör-Kishont county . Its territory is presently in southern Slovakia and northern Hungary...
named Jozef Rholl. His children developed the region until 1857. They built an iron and steel works in the Jozef valley in 1809.
Starting in 1839 a traditional market took place in Snina four times a year, which aided the development of business and trade. An iron foundry was built in the Jozef valley in 1841. A well-known moulded statue of Hercules was placed next to the Snina manor-house and is the emblem of Snina to this day. During a decline in business in 1873, the iron and steel works completely vanished, so life for the citizens of Snina and its vicinity worsened rapidly and large-scale migration began. They left their homes and went to the USA, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
.
In 1876 Snina was a residence of the 10th region of the Zemplín area. The Roman Catholic classicist church from 1751 was modified at the beginning of the 19th century. A classicist Calvary in the cemetery dates from 1847. There is a manor-house from 1800 in the town set in a planned historical park, which is from the 19th century. In the courtyard of the manor-house is a public fountain with a well-known statue of Hercules from 1841. In the church's park there are monuments from World War II. There are also two military cemeteries from World War I near the town (Giglov has 130 graves of soldiers and Brehy has 153).
On May 1, 1949, construction of the Vihorlat Enterprise began, and production started on July 15, 1951. The construction and extension of the enterprise, which was aimed at medium heavy engineering production, created further employment opportunities in construction organisations, services and trade.
Along with the development of industry and services, housing developed. Housing estates and new family houses were constructed. The largest number of flats and family houses were built here between 1975 and 1990 for families displaced by the construction of the Starina reservoir
Starina reservoir
Starina reservoir is a water reservoir in eastern Slovakia, Snina District, located in the Poloniny National Park. It is most important source of drinking water in the area, built on the headwaters of the river Cirocha. Building started in 1981...
, when the inhabitants of seven villages had to be moved out.
Demographics
According to the 2001 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, the town had 21,235 inhabitants. 86.78% of inhabitants were Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
, 5.84% Rusyns
Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...
, 2.51% Ukrainian, 1.86% Roma and 0.58% Czechs
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
. The religious make-up was 56.03% Roman Catholics, 19.21% Greek Catholics, 13.59% Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
, 5.90% people with no religious affiliation and 0.30% Lutherans.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Snina is twinned with:| Stalowa Wola Stalowa Wola Stalowa Wola is the largest city and capital of Stalowa Wola County with a population of 64,353 inhabitants, as of June 2008. It is located in southeastern Poland in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... Sambir Sambir Sambir is a city in the Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Sambir Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. It is located at around , close to the border with Poland.-History:... , Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... |
Surroundings
Sninský kameň (1005 m), the most visited mountain of the Vihorlat mountain range, is located 5 km (3.11 mi) from Snina. It is a protected natural formation which dominates the southern sky-line. This rock formation consists of two andesite blocks. The nearby surroundings abound in rare endemic flora. Marked trails from Snina lead to the top.Morské oko
Morské oko (Slovakia)
Morské oko is a lake in the Vihorlat Mountains in east Slovakia. It is at 618 m, covers 0.13 km² with a maximum depth of 25.1 m. It is a national nature reserve since 1984 and part of the Vihorlat Protected Landscape Area...
is a lake located in the Vihorlat Mountains in the east of Slovakia.
Beautiful wooden churches can be found in several villages of the Snina region: Ruský Potok
Ruský Potok
Ruský Potok is a village and municipality in Snina District in the Prešov Region of north-eastern Slovakia. In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1635...
, Uličské Krivé
Ulicské Krivé
Uličské Krivé is a village and municipality in Snina District in the Prešov Region of north-eastern Slovakia. In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1478. The municipality lies at an altitude of 285 metres and covers an area of 19.132km²...
, Kalná Roztoka
Kalná Roztoka
Kalná Roztoka is a village and municipality in Snina District in the Prešov Region of north-eastern Slovakia.-History:In historical records the village was first mentioned around 1554 to 1568. In 1877 the villages of Kalná and Roztoka came together to form the current village.The village is known...
, Topoľa
Topola
Topola is a town and municipality situated in the Šumadija region of Serbia. It was the place where Karađorđe, a Serbian revolutionary, was chosen as the leader of the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire in 1804. The local St...
and Hrabová Roztoka
Hrabová Roztoka
Hrabová Roztoka is a village and municipality in Snina District in the Prešov Region of north-eastern Slovakia.-Geography:...
.
A ski-lift in Parihuzovce
Parihuzovce
Parihuzovce is a village and municipality in Snina District in the Prešov Region of north-eastern Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 445 metres and covers an area of 9.521 km². It has a population of about 28 people.-External...
is 14 km (8.7 mi) from Snina.
On Magurica Mountain, there is a broadcasting tower of non-standard design. It is a 104 metres tall lattice tower with hexagonal cross section.