Šenkvice

History

Early settlements from the Neolithic and Bronze Age were found in the town, as well as signs of human activity during Ancient Roman times. The first written record of the village can be found in a letter by the Hungarian king Béla IV from 1256. The town was burned down during the Mongol invasion. Soon, the area was resettled by German settlers. In 1547 the village has experienced an influx of Croatians, who were fleeing from the advancing Ottoman Empire. More Croatians from the town of Hrvatska Kostajnica came in 1594 and founded a small settlement nearby, originally called Malé Šenkvice. Later, it merged into Šenkvice. In 1682, the town has built fortifications around the Church of Saint Anne, where the inhabitants hid during Ottoman incursions. During the Middle Ages, the village built its first church, roughly in 1350 in Gothic style. The church has burned down and was replaced by a new one in the second half of the 16th century. This church was later expanded and in 1666 rebuilt in Renaissance style with some Baroque elements. The church has retained this look till today. After the Ottomans were driven off, the town began stagnating. Not even the opening of a railroad line connecting Šenkvice with Pezinok in 1845 has revived the village, and only after the founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918 the town started experiencing growth, thanks to an influx of new companies.