Vrbové
Encyclopedia
Vrbové is a town
in the Trnava Region
of Slovakia
. It has a population of 6,309 as of 2005. The town lies around 8 km (5 mi) northwest from Piešťany
.
The Čerenec Dam (0.46 km²), situated to the northwest of the town, is a recreation area.
domain . Vrbové received its town charter in 1437, and was devastated by Turkish
troops in 1599. The town was famous for its grain markets, promoted mainly by Jews, who made up a large part of the town's population. In the late 20th century, the town was home to clothing (Trikota works), trading and wood-processing industries.
, the town had 6,249 inhabitants. 98.75% of inhabitants were Slovaks
and 0.59% Czechs
. The religious make-up was 75.48% Roman Catholics, 10.80% people with no religious affiliation and 10.67% Lutherans.
It is also the birthplace of:
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Trnava Region
Trnava Region
The Trnava Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions.-Geography:It is located in the middlewest part of Slovakia and forms a territorial band between the Bratislava Region and the rest of Slovakia, between Austrian and Czech borders in the north and Hungarian border in the south...
of 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 has a population of 6,309 as of 2005. The town lies around 8 km (5 mi) northwest from Piešťany
Pieštany
Piešťany is a town in Slovakia. It is located in the western part of the country within the Trnava Region and is the seat of its own district. It is the biggest and best known spa town in Slovakia and has around 30,000 inhabitants.-History:...
.
Characteristics
The town features an originally Gothic church from 1397, an Evangelical Lutheran church from 1928-1929 (on the site of an older Protestant church of 1784), a baroque curia from the 17th century, an oriental-style synagogue from 1883, and a modern St. Gorazd Church.The Čerenec Dam (0.46 km²), situated to the northwest of the town, is a recreation area.
History
The present-day town is a very old settlement. In Slavic languages the town's name means willow. The first written reference to the town stems from 1332. at that time it was part of the Čachtice CastleCachtice Castle
The Čachtice Castle is a castle ruin in Slovakia next to the village of Čachtice. It stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and has been declared a national nature reserve for this reason...
domain . Vrbové received its town charter in 1437, and was devastated by Turkish
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
troops in 1599. The town was famous for its grain markets, promoted mainly by Jews, who made up a large part of the town's population. In the late 20th century, the town was home to clothing (Trikota works), trading and wood-processing industries.
Vrbové is infamous for its past as a Jewish ghetto. During World War II, the entire town of Vrbové was a ghetto for the Jewish population of the Piešťany province of Slovakia. The ghetto was liquidated by the Slovak Nazis known as the Hlinka GuardHlinka GuardHlinka Guard was the militia maintained by the Slovak People's Party in the period from 1938 to 1945; it was named after Andrej Hlinka.The Hlinka Guard was preceded by the Rodobrana organization, which existed from 1923 to 1927, when the Czechoslovak authorities ordered its dissolution...
and the German SS; most of the Jewish people were deported to the death camp at Auschwitz. Most of Vrbove's Jewish population was gassed in Auschwitz's gas chambers.http://www.igougo.com/travelcontent/journalEntryOverview.aspx?ReviewID=1230914&EntryID=15035
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 6,249 inhabitants. 98.75% 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...
and 0.59% 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 75.48% Roman Catholics, 10.80% people with no religious affiliation and 10.67% Lutherans.
People
- Rabbis: Vrbové is the birthplace of Rabbi Yosef Chaim SonnenfeldYosef Chaim SonnenfeldYosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, also spelled Zonnenfeld, was the Chief Rabbi and co-founder of the Edah HaChareidis, Haredi Jewish community in Jerusalem, during the years of the British Mandate of Palestine. He was originally given the name "Chaim", however, the name "Yosef" was added to him while he...
, the famed Chief RabbiChief RabbiChief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of Jerusalem. Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann was born there in 1843. Its most famous Rabbi was Rabbi Yitschack Weiss, the author of many important works: Siach Yitschack, Elef Ksav, Avnei Beis Hayotser, Hagada Shel Pesach Siach Yitschack, Bina leitim and many more. He was killed in the Holocaust in 1942. His works were sponsored by The Werner family from Vrbové and published by Shem Olam in Bnei Brak. The Chief Rabbi of Vrbové, Samuel Reich, son of the renowned Rabbi Koppel Reich, survived the holocaust and emigrated to Jerusalem, where he later died. Before the Second World War he founded a Commerce school which was later nationalized.
It is also the birthplace of:
- Móric BeňovskýMóric BenovskýMaurice Benyovszky, born as Benyovszky Móric Ágost? , was a Hungarian count with Hungarian, Polish and Slovak ancestry. He was a globetrotter, explorer, colonizer, writer, chess player, ruler of a community in Madagascar, a French colonel, Polish military commander, and Austrian soldier...
the discoverer - Elo Šándor :sk:Elo Šándor the Slovak writer
- the bishop Pavol Jantausch :sk:Pavol Jantausch