Trnava
| Region | Trnava region |
|---|---|
| Location | Western Slovakia |
| Inhabitants | 70,191 |
| Area | 71 km2 |
| River | Trnávka |
| City parts | Sever, Juh Východ, Západ, Stred, Modranka |
| Transportation | train, bus |
| Distance from Bratislava | 50 km |
Trnava lies at an altitude of 479 ft (146 m) above sea level, in the middle of Trnava Hills. The city is surrounded by lowlands on two sides: the Danubian Lowland and the Váh River Plain. The Trnávka River crosses the city of Trnava, overlooked by the Považský Inovec and Little Carpathians Mountains.
Archaeological excavations show evidence of early settlements that dates back to the Stone Age. The first written record about the town is from 1211. The present town’s territory was also inhabited by Celtic tribes, as proven by a find of 30 silver coins from that period. Trnava was the first Slovak city to be awarded the privileges of royal town by the king Bela IV. In 1635, the Kingdom of Hungary´s first university was founded here. Since 1543 it has been the Archbishop of Ostrihom´s seat. The first train in the Slovak territory was laid between Trnava and Bratislava in 1846.
Its population ranks Trnava among the bigger towns in Slovakia. As a regional capital it is home to two universities and Roman-Catholic archbishopric. It has often been called "parva Roma," i.e. "Little Rome," or more recently, the "Slovak Rome," because it has always been a centre of culture and Roman Catholic Church.
Trnava has much to interest the visitor, for example there are 9 city churches. The impressive St. Nicholas´ Cathedral, constructed in the Late Gothic period, is situated on the St. Nicholas´ Square. The Holy Trinity Statue towers on the Trojičné Square. In the historical centre there are no remains of monuments from the Roman period, but you can see some buildings constructed in the Gothic and the Baroque period: the city tower, town hall, sacral monuments, the complex of Baroque university buildings and city fortifications. The town centre is a great place for shopping, relaxing walk around the square or the historical monuments. If you are interested, you can also visit theatre, museum, gallery or cinema.