Pukanec
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pukanec | |
| Village | |
| Country |  Slovakia |
|---|---|
| Region | Nitra |
| District | Levice |
| Elevation | 354 m (1,161 ft) |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 26.196 km² (10 sq mi) |
| Population | 2,077 (31 December 2005) |
| Density | 79 /km² (205 /sq mi) |
| First mentioned | 1075 |
| Mayor | Jana Bahnová |
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 935 05 |
| Phone prefix | 421-36 |
| Car plate | LV |
   Location of Pukanec in Slovakia
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  Location of Pukanec in the Nitra Region
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| Website: http://www.pukanec.sk | |
| Source: [1] | |
Pukanec (German: Bugganz / Puk(k)an(t)z, Hungarian: Bakabánya) is a village and municipality in the Levice District in the Nitra Region of southern Slovakia.
Contents |
[edit] History
In the past, it was one of the nine free royal mining towns, where silver and other precious ore was mined. In historical records was first mentioned in 1075 under name villa Baka a location in a region of todays Pukanec and Devičany. This note describes the borders of ownership of land given by Hungarian King to the Monastry in Hronský Beňadik[[1]]. Outside this borders there was a land of miners. And in this document there is only one "villa Baka" mentioned, what means that there was only one Baka - with Slovak inhabitants. Afterwards in later notes from the 11. and 12. ct. AD the Nemeth and Toth Baka are mentioned as two separated settlements. The Toth Baka - the slovak one, is older. And as far we know the first German colonist arrived here in the 12.ct. AD, what means that the mention from the year 1075 is a mention of Toth Baka, what is todays Devičany. As far as we know, the Nemeth Baka - that means the german one, was established later by german Schwabs. And todays Pukanec is an prodigy of this german Baka. Lacking of records put this to discussion, but maybe one day an systemathick archaeological excavations would reveal the truth. The name Pukanec comes from Bukan which was the exclusive name of the grand noble family of Hunt-Poznan, the first known owner of Baka[[2]]. In 1270 the first written mention about silver ore is made. In 1323, King Charles I of Hungary granted town rights to Pukanec. Just 22 years later, it became a free royal mining town. In 1405. King Sigismund declared a free mining enterprise and ordered to build fortifications. From 1424 until 1548, along with other mining towns it was property of queens. On April 1564, the Turks expanding from the south appeared below the city gates, but were fought off until 1 October 1640, when they raided and sacked the town, as well as once more in 1664. She was a sanjak of Uyvar eyalet as Bukabak for 22 years in Ottoman Empire. Those events marked the beginning of decline of Pukanec, when the mines were slowly depleted. Towards the end of the 18th century, only one mine was still rich in gold. The last record about mining in Pukanec was in 1842, though some mining activity continued until 1891. In 1876, Pukanec was degraded from the royal free mining town to a municipality belonging to the Hont county.
[edit] Geography
The village lies at an altitude of 354 metres and covers an area of 26.196 km². It has a population of 2067 people. It is located near the Štiavnica Mountains, in the Sikenica river valley. It is located around 18 km northeast of Levice.
[edit] Demographics
The village is approximately 95.7% Slovak, 0.6% Hungarian, and 1.1% Roma.
[edit] Facilities
The village has a public library a gym and football pitch.
