Topoľčany

Sister cities

• Luhačovice
• Küçükçekmece
• Mazingarbe
• Jászberény
• Artern
• Prilep
• Rybnik

History

Founded in the 9th century, Topoľčany was a regional market centre during the Middle Ages located on the western bank of the Nitra River and on a crossroads of trade routes. Topoľčany Castle was built in the 13th century northwest of the town; this considerable distance was due to the lowland location of Topoľčany. The castle lies on the slopes of Považský Inovec. During the 12th and 13th centuries, Topoľčany was owned by the Csak family, its best-known member being Matthew III Csák. In the 15th century, the castle was conquered and held by the Hussites for 3 years, who returned it for a fee of 9,000 ducats in 1434. In 1443 the countryside was pillaged by a rogue noble who had captured the castle, but was later evicted by the king and sent to Moravia. In the same year, and again in 1444, the town (and much of Carpathia) was struck by an earthquake. During the 16th and 17th centuries, there were a few large-scale fires that destroyed substantial parts of the town. Because the town was only north of the border between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy, Topoľčany was often raided by the Ottoman Turks during the Ottoman wars in Europe, notably in the years 1599 and 1643, when many citizens were taken into slavery. The town's population stagnated as a result. The town's location in a lowland thus proved a disadvantage in times of war as the town never grew big enough to erect city walls. For most of its history, Topoľčany's population was ethnically mixed. While the rural population was almost purely Slovak, the urban population consisted of Carpathian Germans, Jews, and Magyars. Jews immigrated to the town during the 16th-18th centuries. This ethnic mix came to an end in the first part of the 20th century, as industrialization attracted Slovaks from the…

Most-observed species

• Field Maple

  Acer campestre L. · Magnoliopsida
  156
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  151
• Hornbeam

  Carpinus betulus L. · Magnoliopsida
  151
• Sessile Oak

  Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. · Magnoliopsida
  148
• Turkey Oak

  Quercus cerris L. · Magnoliopsida
  138
• Cornelian-cherry

  Cornus mas L. · Magnoliopsida
  137
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  137
• Cypress Spurge

  Euphorbia cyparissias L. · Magnoliopsida
  135

Most recent

• M 3.9 — 2026-02-21
  11 km ESE of Šamorín, Slovakia
• M 2.8 — 2018-08-17
  1 km ENE of Tren?ianske Teplice, Slovakia
• M 4.1 — 2013-06-05
  4 km NE of Érsekvadkert, Hungary
• M 3.6 — 2006-03-13
  5 km NNW of Leopoldov, Slovakia
• M 3.1 — 2006-03-09
  3 km SSW of Tren?ianske Teplice, Slovakia
• M 3.5 — 2004-09-23
  12 km NNW of Dudince, Slovakia