Dunajská Streda(Slovak pronunciation:[ˈdunajskaːˈstreda];Hungarian:Dunaszerdahely;German:Niedermarkt) is atownlocated in southernSlovakia(Trnavský kraj). Dunajská Streda is the most culturally significant town in theŽitný ostrovarea. The town has a population of 22,730, with ethnicHungariansforming the 72% majority.[4]
Dunajská Streda
Dunaszerdahely | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Dunajská StredTown Hall in April 2009 | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Dunajská Streda Location of Dunajská Streda in Trnava Region  Dunajská Streda Location of Dunajská Streda in Slovakia | |
| Coordinates:47°59′40″N17°37′10″E/ 47.99444°N 17.61944°E | |
| Country |  Slovakia |
| Region | Trnava |
| District | Dunajská Streda |
| First mentioned | 1250 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Zoltán Hájos (SMK-MKP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 31.45 km2(12.14 sq mi) |
| (2022) | |
| Elevation | 115[2]m (377[2]ft) |
| Population (2022)[3] | |
• Total | 22,892 |
| • Density | 730/km2(1,900/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2(CEST) |
| Postal code | 929 01[2] |
| Area code | +421 31[2] |
| Car plate | DS |
| Website | www |
Name
editThe name ofSyridahelwas first mentioned in 1256. Other early written forms of the name wereZeredahely(1270) andZredahel(1358). Szerdahely means "Wednesday (market)place" in Hungarian and it indicates the town had the privilege to hold a market on Wednesdays (although it was later changed to Fridays). (The Hungarian wordszerdais a loanword fromSlaviclanguages; the wordstredameans Wednesday inSlovak,with related words existing in other Slavic languages, meaning the middle (stred) day in the week. The attributeDuna-(Dunajská;i.e.Danubian) was added in the 19th century to distinguish it from other towns with similar names (in accordance with the "one town, one name" policy ofAustria-Hungary). The German nameNiedermarktmeans "Lower Market".
History
editAccording to archeological evidence the territory was inhabited in theNeolithic,Bronze,RomanandGreat Moravianperiod. The region was part of the arisingHungarian statesince the 10th century.
During the Middle and Modern Ages the settlement was a small market town located in the southern part ofPozsony county.It also functioned as a commercial and administrative centre for the neighbouring villages. After 1808, after 1854, and in 1960 it became amalgamated with several smaller settlements.
The first detailed description of the town came from a charter ofKing Charles I of Hungaryfrom 1341 when the king gave the estate ofPókaföldetocomesTamás. In the middle of the 15th century Szerdahely became anoppidum,or market town. The first conscription of the population happened in 1574 (26 royal serf families and 3 noble families). The next conscription in 1646 indicates that most citizen were craftsmen. The town was under the feudal jurisdiction of thePálffyfamily between 1600 and 1848. ManyJewscame in the 18th century. In 1880 the town had 4182 inhabitants out of which 3531 (84.43%) were Hungarian and 416 (9.95%) wereGermanby mother tongue. The number of the Jewish population was 1,874 (44.81%). In 1910 there were 4,679 (98.26%) Hungarian speakers (by mother tongue) from a total population of 4,762. In 1930, the town had 5,706 inhabitants, including 2,944 (51.6%) Hungarians, 2,186 (38.31%) Jews (mostly Hungarian-speaking) and 503 (8.82%) Slovaks. According to the 2021 census, 16,577Hungarians,4,386Slovaks,108Czechs,87Romani people,31Russians,30Vietnamese,and 29Ukrainianslive in the city, meaning a Hungarian majority of over 70%, the second highest Hungarian population among Slovak municipalities (after leadingKomárnowith 17,696 ethnic Hungarians).
After WWI
editIn 1919 the town became part ofCzechoslovakia.It was ceded toHungaryonce again by theFirst Vienna Awardin 1938, but was returned to Czechoslovakia in 1945 afterWorld War II.On June 15, 1944, 2,970 Jews from Dunajska Streda and vicinity were sent on a transport to Auschwitz.
In 1947–48, a portion of the town's Hungarian population was expelled to Hungary in accordance with Czechoslovakia's policies based oncollective guiltand later by theCzechoslovak-Hungarian population exchange.These people also had their Czechoslovak citizenship and all theirestatesandmovablesforfeited by the Czechoslovak state.
After WWII
editDuring thecommunistera the town underwent rapid modernisation andindustrialisation,which has left over 85% of the city's historical centre demolished and replaced withsocial-realistconcrete buildings typical of the era. This has also caused the city to lose its previous character. In the 1990s the centre of the town was totally rebuilt and revitalised according to the plans ofImre Makovecz,a Hungarian architect of the "organic" school. Today, it is one of the centres of the Hungarian national community in Slovakia and is the fastest growing city of southern Slovakia.
Sights
edit- TheRoman CatholicChurch of St. George was founded in 1010, and rebuilt 1329; in theGothicstyle in 1541. It was rebuilt again inBaroquestyle in 1742–43. In front of the church there is a memorial for theHungarian Revolutionin 1848–49.
- TheEvangelicalChurch was built in 1863–83 inRomanesqueRevival style. There is a newReformedChurch (1996) next door.
- The JewishSynagoguewas destroyed by a bomb in 1945, and the ruins were knocked down in 1955. There is aHolocaust Memorial(1991) on the lot today.
- The Yellow Castle was built by Márton Biró of Padányi in 1753, and was rebuilt in theNeoclassicalstyle in the 19th century. Today it is the home of the Csallóköz Museum.
- The Gallery of Contemporary Hungarian Artists from Slovakia
- Postmoderntown hall and commercial centre by Imre Makovecz.
Coat of arms
editThe 19th century seal of the market town depicted St Peter with the inscription "Sigillum Oppidi Szerdahely".According to the tradition the old coat-of-arms of the town depicted this figure in blue clothes, in a green field, on a silver shield, but it is disputed whether it was a real coat-of-arms or only a seal symbol. In 1910 the town applied to the State Municipality Registration Committee for a new seal without any picture (inscription:"Pozsony vármegye Dunaszerdahely község 1910"). After that the St Peter figure was finally dropped from the municipal symbols.
The modern symbol of the town is a talking coat-of-arms: "a split shield with the right field five times divided by blue and gold and with the left red field with the gold sign of Wednesday (Mercurius’ symbol)."The six stripes on the right symbolize the six villages amalgamated in the course of history to compose the modern town. The blue and gold colours refer to the river Danube and the large wheatfields of the region. The antique Mercurius/Wednesday symbol refer to the old Wednesday markets which gave the name of the town.
Demographics
edit
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 11,538 | — |
| 1980 | 18,715 | +62.2% |
| 1991 | 23,236 | +24.2% |
| 2001 | 23,519 | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 22,477 | −4.4% |
| 2021 | 23,044 | +2.5% |
| Source: Censuses[5][6] | ||
According to the 2021 census, out of 23,044 inhabitants there were 71.94% Hungarians, 19.03% Slovaks, 0.38% Roma, and 0.47% Czechs. The religious make-up was 56.11% Roman Catholics, 23.39% with no religious affiliation, 6.39% Calvinist, 12.44% others.[7]
In 1910, 50.2% of the population was Roman Catholic, 43.6% Jewish and 3.5% Calvinist.
Education
editThere are Slovak and Hungarian language secondary schools in the town, called Gymnázium Ladislava Dúbravu, Magyar Tanítási Nyelvű Magángimnázium and Vámbéry Ármin Magyar Tanítási Nyelvű Gimnázium.
Ethnic tensions
editIn June 1887 the synagogue was set on fire and 64 more Jewish buildings in the city. In the same year the Jewish quarter was sacked and delinquents attacked Jews in the street and their homes. Not until military units were alerted did the attacks stop. The damage was heavy and about 80 Jewish families were left homeless.[citation needed]
May 1944, Jewish males under the age of 48 were drafted to work squads in different areas. On that same date the order to establish a ghetto in Dunajska Streda was issued. Three streets on the Eastern side of the synagogue were set aside for the Jewish population. Within 48 hours all the Jews in town had to leave their houses and move into the ghetto that was run by officers of the Hungarian army. Immediately upon leaving their houses army personnel and town residents broke into them and looted the possessions that were left behind. In the middle of May 1944 Jews from about 70 towns, including Samorin and Magendorf, were sent to the ghetto too. On June 8, 1944, came the announcement of the evacuation from the ghetto. The first stage was assembling all the Jews in the synagogue building and courtyard, and several days later the actual deportation began.[citation needed]
A 2008 soccer match betweenFC Dunajska StredaandSlovan Bratislavawas disrupted by Slovak riot police after only 15 minutes injuring more than 60 people, many of whom lost consciousness or suffered injuries including concussion and broken jaws.[8]Local policemen stormed Hungarian nationals, who were at the game to support the home team and to protest the burning of a Hungarian flag at an earlier game.[8]flags withÁrpád stripes,were being waved and the home crowd sang theHungarian national anthembefore kickoff.[8] Press reports from the scene said that the police failed to act against Bratislava supporters who were throwing smoke bombs, noise grenades and other missiles on the pitch.[8]Based on videos posted on the internet showing the incident from various angles the supporters were not doing anything that would warrant such an intervention by police.[8]Five days after the game the Slovak police presented a photo as evidence, showing one of the supporters raising his fist to throw a punch, but police officers can not be seen on the image.[8]Spontaneous demonstrations were held inBudapestat the embassy and the consulate of Slovakia on the night of the incident.[8]Protesters lit candles to honor the victims and burned a Slovak flag.[8]
Famous people
edit- Ármin Vámbéry,orientalist
- Ján Ďurica,footballer
- István Sarlay (1894–1962), Lieutenant Colonel, First World War hero /battles in Bosnia-Hercegovina/, awarded by Signum Laudis with swords /Military Merit Medal (Austria-Hungary)/, Silver Medal of Bravery 1st Class, Silver Medal of Bravery 2nd Class, Bronze Medal of Bravery, Karl-Cross,Wound Medal (Austria-Hungary)/2x wounded/ etc.
- Andrew Steiner(1908-2009), Czechoslovak-American architect
- Herman Steiner(1905–1955), United States Chess Champion, 1948–1950
- Dajana Filistovová (1984–Present) European Mixed Table Tennis Championship Winner 2001 and 3 time bronze medalist.
- Yehuda Aszód(1796-1866), Hungarian rabbi and halakhist
Twin towns – sister cities
editDunajská Streda istwinnedwith:[9]
Berehove,Ukraine
Dalaman,Turkey
Gödöllő,Hungary- Győr,Hungary
Jimbolia,Romania
Jindřichův Hradec,Czech Republic- Odorheiu Secuiesc,Romania
Senta,Serbia- Subotica,Serbia
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (www.statistics.sk)."Hustota obyvateľstva - obce".www.statistics.sk.Retrieved2024-02-08.
- ^abcd"Základná charakteristika".www.statistics.sk(in Slovak). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2015-04-17.Retrieved2022-03-31.
- ^Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (www.statistics.sk)."Počet obyvateľov podľa pohlavia - obce (ročne)".www.statistics.sk.Retrieved2024-02-08.
- ^"2021 Census".www.scitanie.sk.2021-01-01.Retrieved2022-01-23.
- ^"Statistical lexikon of municipalities 1970-2011"(PDF)(in Slovak).
- ^"Census 2021 - Population - Basic results".Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2021-01-01.
- ^"2021 Census".www.scitanie.sk.2021-01-01.Retrieved2022-01-23.
- ^abcdefgh"Mindenkit ütöttek a rendőrök Dunaszerdahelyen".Index.hu.2008-11-01.Retrieved2024-06-20.
- ^"Partnerské mestá".dunstreda.sk(in Slovak). Dunajská Streda.Retrieved2021-03-24.
Genealogical resources
editThe records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Statny Archiv in Bratislava, Slovakia"
- Roman Catholic church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1673-1942 (parish A)
- Lutheran church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1823-1946 (parish A)
- Reformated church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1783-1926 (parish B)
External links
edit
- Dunaszerdahely historical website
- FC DAC 1904,Footballclub of Dunajská Streda
- [1],Dunajská Streda Town Hall official website
- Surnamesof living people in Dunajska Streda