Modra

History

The first traces of habitation go back to the 3rd millennium BCE, and the first permanent habitation dates back to the time of Great Moravia, when the Slavs lived there. The first mention of Modra was in 1158 in a document of the Géza II of Hungary, when it belonged to the bishop of Nitra. After the Mongol invasion of 1241, the settlement was reconstructed by the German colonists. The first mention of vineyards goes back to 1321. The settlement received its town privileges in 1361 and became a free royal town in 1607. The town fortifications with three gates were constructed in 1610–1647. Since the 17th century, it has been one of the leading craft centers in present-day Slovakia. The ceramic industry and majolica production started in the 19th century. In 1883, a school of ceramics was established, where through the skillfulness of Habaners, the so-called Slovak ceramics were created. The railway track from Bratislava to Trnava bypassed the town in the 1840s, as the local magistrate refused to allow the railway construction.