Bojnice

Bojnice
Bojnice
Town
	Town of Bojnice and Bojnice Castle
	Coat of arms
	Bojnice Location of Bojnice in the Trenčín Region Bojnice Location of Bojnice in Slovakia
	Coordinates: 48°46′45″N 18°35′00″E / 48.77917°N 18.58333°E
Country	Slovakia
Region	Trenčín
District	Prievidza
First mentioned	1113
Government
• Mayor	Ladislav Smatana
Area
• Total	19.92 km2 (7.69 sq mi)
Elevation	291 m (955 ft)
Population (2021)
• Total	4,983
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	972 01
Area code	+421 46
Car plate	PD
Website	www.bojnice.sk

Bojnice (German: Weinitz; Hungarian: Bajmóc) is a historical town in east Slovakia located on the Nitra river, near the city of Prievidza. The town is situated just below the Bojnice Castle. It has a population of around 5,000.

Bojnice is best known for its popular tourist attractions, among them being the largest zoo in Slovakia and the Bojnice castle, and generally for being one of the oldest spa towns in Slovakia.

Geography

Bojnice lies in the upper Nitra river valley, under the Strážov Mountains. It is located very near the city of Prievidza with which it shares a common public transport system.^{[citation needed]} Other major cities nearby include Žilina 60 kilometres to the north and Trenčín 65 kilometres to the west.

History

The town's history is closely connected to that of Bojnice Castle. The town was first mentioned in writing in 1113, when it was mentioned as a settlement under the castle. Bojnice was granted town privileges in 1366.

Landmarks

The town is most known for the Bojnice Castle, first mentioned in 1113 and originally built as a wooden fort, it was over time built as a stone castle and in the 20th century in the Romantic style. Today, it is a popular tourist attraction. The castle has appeared in many international films and a well-known international festival of spectres takes place there every year. It is built on travertine rock with a natural cave.

The Bojnice zoo was founded in 1955. In 2006 it had 355 different species and more than 1,800 animals.

Bojnice is also known for its spa. The therapeutic springs were mentioned in 1549 for the first time. Today they treat patients with disorders of the locomotor system, with rheumatic diseases, post traumatic conditions, conditions after orthopaedic disturbances of the spine of adolescents, neurological diseases and occupational diseases.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, the town had 5,006 inhabitants. 97.06% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 0.68% Czechs and 0.24% Germans (Carpathian Germans).^[5] The religious make-up was 74.55% Roman Catholics, 19% people with no religious affiliation and 2% Lutherans.^[5]

Notable people

Karina Habšudová, tennis player
Miloslav Mečíř, tennis player, Olympic winner
Andrej Sekera, Dallas Stars (National Hockey League) defenseman
Mirka Vavrinec, tennis player
Zuzana Paulechová, classical pianist
Antonia Liskova, Italian actress
Erika Pochybova Johnson, artist
Juraj Kucka, footballer
Anna Záborská, Member of the European Parliament
Ján Vlasko, slovak footballer

Twin towns — sister cities

Bojnice is twinned with:^[6]

References

^ "Počet obyvateľov podľa pohlavia - obce (ročne)". www.statistics.sk (in Slovak). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
^ ^a ^b "Hustota obyvateľstva - obce [om7014rr_ukaz: Rozloha (Štvorcový meter)]". www.statistics.sk (in Slovak). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Základná charakteristika". www.statistics.sk (in Slovak). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
^ ^a ^b "Hustota obyvateľstva - obce". www.statistics.sk (in Slovak). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
^ ^a ^b "Municipal Statistics". Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
^ "Partnerské mestá". bojnice.sk (in Slovak). Bojnice. Retrieved 2019-09-09.