Blatné

History

The name of the village, Blatné, was derived from the Slovak word for mud, Blato. The area around the town has been very flat and muddy, thus the name. Prior to 1948, the village has often been referred to as Šarfia, an approximate Hungarian translation. Even though the current name has been officially established in 1948 and the town has a negligible Hungarian minority, most inhabitants still refer to the village as Šarfia. Recent archeological digs found marks of habitation as early as sixth millennium BC. In addition to habitation marks, a burial ground was found. In 2001, another burial ground, this time from Bronze Age, was found. The first written reference to Blatné was made in the 13th century. In 1390, a Gothic church was built. It survived until today, after an extensive baroque renovation in the 18th century. The town also boasts a number of religious sculptures, dating from 1736 (John of Nepomuk), 1801 (main cemetery cross), 1801 (Saint Florian) and more.