Trstená

Sister cities

• Žirovnice

History

In 1371, King Louis I of Hungary granted Duke Vladislaus II of Opole, Schwankomir (Vladislaus' notary and brother in law), Jan Hertel, a relative of Schwankomir from Einseidel in Silesia (and his sons, Jakub and Martin) and Vladislaus' brothers (Janko, Grimok, Junislav and Wismer) to establish a new town in the forest (from Zabiedov brook (Zadowa) to the Bukovina valley), near Tvrdošín. This new town was Trstená, a market town. The town's name comes from the word reed (Slovak: trstina). Jan Hertel and his descendants became the hereditary mayors ('advocati' or 'sculteti') of Trstená (initially Bingenstad). Hertel was allowed, even though he was not a nobleman, to establish a public bar, a slaughter house, a blacksmith's forgery, bakery, shops and toll houses. (Other bakers, publicans, shoemakers and craftsmen were excluded from the town.) He was given the right to build mills anywhere near the Oravica brook, to mine and sell rock and to hunt and fish throughout the locale. Hertel was also made the local magistrate and tax collector. Trstená developed trade with Poland, with goods such as salt, cloth and lead, and also developed a strong potters' guild. Trstená was home to a Jewish community until World War II. The Trstená synagogue and Jewish cemetery remain as evidence of their past presence. The latest cemetery headstones are dated in the 1930s. Trstená was occupied by German forces and after heavy shelling, was liberated by Russian forces. A memorial in the main square celebrates the liberation of the town. The synagogue, located behind the town's main hotel, the Roháč, is now a shoe shop. Its exterior is well maintained in pale blue and white. The entrance portal has Renaissance-Baroque features. The wasteland unmarked Jewish cemetery is located on a steep…

Geography

{{Slovak municipality/geo|617|

Most-observed species

• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,000
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  915
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  904
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  871
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  866
• Fieldfare

  Turdus pilaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  814
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  733
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  728

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2023-01-12
  2 km ENE of Karviná, Czechia
• M 4.1 — 2015-11-17
  3 km N of Che?mek, Poland
• M 3.2 — 2008-12-04
  1 km SW of Doubrava, Czechia
• M 3.2 — 2008-11-19
  Poland
• M 2.5 — 2008-04-20
  4 km E of Tychy, Poland
• M 2.6 — 2008-04-13
  0 km SW of Doubrava, Czechia