Gelnica


Gelnica is a town in the Košice Region of Eastern Slovakia. It has a population of 6,076.

Names

The name comes from the name of the river Hnilec derived from Slavic word hnilý. The initial g in the German form Göllnitz indicates that the name was adopted by Germans before the spirantisation of Slavic g to h in the Slovak language. The current Slovak name Gelnica comes from this secondary German form. The Hungarian Gölnicbánya refers to the town's mining activity.

Geography

It is located in the northern part of the Slovak Ore Mountains, in the Hnilec river valley, which flows a few kilometres downstream into Hornád. The town lies at the both banks of Hnilec, has an altitude of, and is located around from Košice.

History

chiefly from Bavaria began to settle the formerly Slavic settlement during the 13th century. By 1264 it was an established mining town and became a royal mining town of the Kingdom of Hungary by 1276, from where the first mentioned is recorded. For many years Gelnica was a chief mining town in the Spiš region of Slovakia. Silver, copper, but also gold, quicksilver, lead and iron ore were mined in the mines. Between 1465–1520, Gelnica lost most of its privileges. The town's population in the second half of the 16th century is estimated at 1000 people, whereby the ratio of Germans and Slovaks, who were the main ethnic groups, is estimated to have been 3:1. The German population was expelled in 1945.

Sights

The town includes the ruins of a medieval castle, destroyed by a fire in 1685. Other attractions include a Gothic church and Renaissance town hall, both remodelled along Baroque lines, and a mining museum.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, the town had 6,404 inhabitants. 95.92% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.55% Roma, 0.84% Germans and 1.02% Czechs. The religious makeup was 72.00% Roman Catholics, 15.88% people with no religious affiliation, and 4.03% Lutherans and 3.28 Greek Catholics.

Twin towns — sister cities

Gelnica is twinned with: