Galanta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Galanta | |
|---|---|
| Coat-of-arms N/A | |
| Region (kraj) | Trnava Region |
| District (okres) | Galanta District |
| Location | |
| Altitude | 118 m |
| Population | 16 000 (as of 2005) |
| Area | 31.85 km² |
| Time Zone • Summer DST |
CET: UTC+1 CEST: UTC+2 |
| Telephone prefix | +421-31 |
| Postal code | 924 XX |
| Car registration plate | GA |
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Galanta (Hungarian: Galánta, German: Gallandau) is a small town (about 16,000 inhabitants) situated in Slovakia. Its distance to the Slovak capital Bratislava is 50 km.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Galanta lies in the Danubian Lowland (Podunajská nížina), the warm southern part of Slovakia. There are many agricultural fields around Galanta, where wheat, corn, and other vegetables and fruits are grown.
[edit] History
Lands around Galanta were inhabited in the neolithics. The first written record about Galanta was in 1237 from the bill of Béla IV of Hungary. Until 1421, the settlement changed its hands between various noble families, but since then, the Esterhazy family had been determining the way of development for six centuries. In 1613 or 1614, Galanta was promoted to a town.
[edit] Features
Galanta is an old town where historical buildings were unfortunately destroyed during the Communist era of Czechoslovakia (1948-1989). There are two important historical buildings left. The first one is the Esterhazys' Castle and the second one a Renaissance castle. The Esterhazys' Castle is almost in ruins now as opposed to the Renaissance castle which was renovated in the 1990s.
[edit] Demographics (2001 census)
Ethnic groups:
- Slovaks (60.35%)
- Hungarians (36.80%)
- Roma (1.07%)
[edit] Notable citizens
The Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály spent most of his childhood in this town and composed the Dances of Galanta (1933, for orchestra) based on the folk music of this region.
[edit] Town twinning
Mikulov, Czech Republic (2003)
Paks, Hungary (1998)- Tótkomlós, Hungary (1999)
- Kecskemét, Hungary (1998)
Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia (2006)
Bečej, Serbia (2001)
[edit] External links
| edit | Municipalities of Galanta District |  |
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Galanta | Sereď | Sládkovičovo |
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