Svätý Jur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Svätý Jur (German: Sankt Georgen, Hungarian: Szentgyörgy) is a suburb of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Between 1960 and 1990, the Communist government forced the town to use a "non-religious" name Jur pri Bratislave. Svätý Jur has a population of more than 5,000.
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[edit] Geography
Svätý Jur is situated in the Pezinok District of the Bratislava Region in south-western Slovakia. The surrounding areas include large vineyards in the nearby Little Carpathians and the unique Šúr swamps, a protected area.
[edit] History
The archaeological excavations date the settlement back to the Hallstatt period and the Quadi period. In the 9th century, a Great Moravian castle was built there. Svätý Jur was first mentioned in a written source in 1209 and received a town charter in 1299. It became a royal free town in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1647. Despite a construcion of the city walls between 1603 and 1664, Svätý Jur was devastated by the Ottoman Turks in 1663. The Ottoman troops also destroyed the White Castle (Slovak: Biely Kameň), which had been an important administrative center of the region until then.
[edit] Landmarks
The most remarkable historical monument is the Gothic church of St. George, built in the 13th century. The stone altar from 1527 is an example of a transition between the Gothic and Renaissance styles. The stained glass windows were designed by Janko Alexy in 1950. The wooden bell tower from the 17th century protects a bell from 1400.
A Great Moravian castle was built in the 9th century and it was abandoned in the 14th century. 1,693 metres of the walls have been preserved, but their height is now lower than the original 10 metres.
Other places of interest include a Renaissance manor house, a Baroque church of Trinity, a Piarist monastery from 1720, and the ruins of the city walls.
Svätý Jur is also well-known for the largest raceway in Slovakia.
[edit] Biely Kameň Castle
The castle of Biely Kameň was mentioned for the first time in 1217. It was the seat of the counts of Svätý Jur until 1609, when they moved to a more comfortable manor house in the town. The castle was partially destroyed by an Ottoman raid in 1663. The ruins are still visible.
[edit] Population
In 2006, Svätý Jur had a population of 5,186. According to the 2001 census, 97.5% of inhabitants were Slovaks. The Roman Catholicism is the most popular religion (72.5%), but there is also a significant number of atheists (15.9%) living in the village.
[edit] External links
- Official site of Svätý Jur
- Professional photography of Svaty Jur
- Photos of Svätý Jur
- Short description of Biely Kameň Castle
| edit | Municipalities of Pezinok District |  |
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Modra | Pezinok | Svätý Jur |
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