Martin, Slovakia
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| Martin | |
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| Region (kraj) | Žilina Region |
| District (okres) | Martin District |
| Location | |
| Altitude | 398 m |
| Population | 59,449 (as of 2004) |
| Area | 67.74 km² |
| Time Zone • Summer DST |
CET: UTC+1 CEST: UTC+2 |
| Telephone prefix | +421-43 |
| Postal code | 03601 |
| Car registration plate | MT |
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Martin (Slovak: Turčiansky Svätý Martin until 1950, Hungarian: Turócszentmárton, German: Turz-Sankt Martin, Latin: Sanctus Martinus / Martinopolis) is a town in northern Slovakia, situated on the Turiec river, under the Lesser Fatra mountains, near the city of Žilina. The population numbers approximately 60,000. It is the center of the Turiec region and the District of Martin.
The first recoded reference to Martin in written sources is dated to 1264 under the name of Zenthmarton. The settlement was granted the status of a royal town in 1340.
The town became the foremost Slovak cultural center in the 19th century. Several cultural institutions (including Slovak Matica and Slovak National Museum) were founded there. Most political activities leading to the Slovak national emancipation in the 19th and early 20th centuries were organized in or from Martin. The town lost its importance after Bratislava became the capital of Slovakia in 1918. Today, it is the seat of the Slovak National Library and Slovak Matica.
The oldest building is a Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours (13th century). The Slovak National Museum placed its ethnographic collection to Martin. An open air museum in the suburbs Jahodnícke háje exhibits the traditional rural architecture and folk traditions of the region of Turiec. The Slovak National Cemetery is the official Slovak hall of fame, inspired by the Panthéon in Paris.
A school of medicine (part of Comenius University) is also situated in Martin.
[edit] Famous people
- Janko Alexy, painter
- Miloš Alexander Bazovský, painter
- Martin Benka, painter
- Barbora Bobulová, actress
- Zdeno Cíger, ice hockey player
- Andrej Kmeť, scientist
- Miloslav Schmidt, organizer of fire brigades
- Róbert Švehla, ice hockey player
[edit] External links
| edit | Municipalities of Martin District |  |
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Martin | Vrútky |
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