Modrý Kameň
Modrý Kameň
Kékkő | |
|---|---|
Modrý Kameň Castle | |
|
Flag Coat of arms | |
Modrý Kameň Location of Modrý Kameň in the Banská Bystrica Region Modrý Kameň Location of Modrý Kameň in Slovakia | |
| Coordinates: 48°14′N 19°20′E / 48.24°N 19.33°E | |
| Country | Slovakia |
| Region | Banská Bystrica Region |
| District | Veľký Krtíš District |
| First mentioned | 1290 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mária Bednárová |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.64 km2 (7.58 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 250 m (820 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,630 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 992 01[3] |
| Area code | +421 47[3] |
| Vehicle registration plate (until 2022) | VK |
| Website | www |
Modrý Kameň (lit. "Blue Stone"; German: Blauenstein; Hungarian: Kékkő) is a town and municipality in the Veľký Krtíš District of the Banská Bystrica Region of southern Slovakia.
Geography
The municipality lies at an altitude of 250 metres (820 ft)[3] and covers an area of 19.64 km2 (7.58 sq mi) (2024).[4]
It is located on the Krupina Plain (Slovak: Krupinská planina) on the Krtíš and Riečka rivers. It is around 5 km from Veľký Krtíš and 50 km from Zvolen.
History
The name of the town was first mentioned as Keykkw in 1290. The name of the settlement means "Blue Rock". Ruins of the castle Modrý Kameň stand on a rock pinnacle above the town. The castle was built in the second half of the 13th century by the ancestors of the Balassa noble family. They had to recapture the castle from the sons of Casimir of the Hont-Pázmány clan by a siege in 1290. The castle was captured by Ottoman troops in 1576, because its guard fled when they heard the approaching Ottomans. The castle was given up and subsequently destroyed by Ottoman troops in 1593. It was restored between 1609 and 1612 by Sigismund Balassa. The castle was ravaged many times during the 17th century, so it became ruined and abandoned. The Balassa family built a new Baroque mansion house on the side of the castle hill in the early 18th century; stones of the former castle were used in the mansion building operations. The last member of the Balassa noble family died in 1899. After the demise of the Balassa family, the Almásy noble family became the proprietors of Modrý Kameň castle. They sold the demesne to the Czechoslovak state in 1923.
In 1910 the settlement had a population of 1,347, consisting mostly of Slovak inhabitants, though a significant Hungarian minority lived in Modrý Kameň as well. Modrý Kameň belonged to Nógrád (Novohrad) county until the end of World War I. The settlement was the center of the Modrý Kameň district (Slovak: okres Modrý Kameň, Hungarian: Kékkői járás) between 1912 and 1960. An electric network was built in 1943.
During World War II, an illegal antifascist communist organization operated in the settlement. During the Slovak National Uprising, Modrý Kameň was the center of the national revolutionary committee of the district, and partisan groups operated on the outskirts.
Modrý Kameň was pronounced a town in 1969.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,793 | — |
| 1980 | 1,586 | −11.5% |
| 1991 | 1,374 | −13.4% |
| 2001 | 1,434 | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 1,555 | +8.4% |
| 2021 | 1,620 | +4.2% |
| Source: Censuses[5][6] | ||
| Year | 1994 | 2004 | 2014 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | 1437 | 1459 | 1615 | 1630 |
| Difference | +1.53% | +10.69% | +0.92% |
| Year | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 1659 | 1630 |
| Difference | −1.74% |
It has a population of 1630 people (31 December 2024).[8]
Ethnicity
| Ethnicity | Number | Fraction |
|---|---|---|
| Slovak | 1523 | 94.01% |
| Not found out | 69 | 4.25% |
| Hungarian | 32 | 1.97% |
| Romani | 25 | 1.54% |
| Total | 1620 |
In year 2021 was 1620 people by ethnicity 1523 as Slovak, 69 as Not found out, 32 as Hungarian, 25 as Romani, 11 as Czech, 4 as Canadian, 3 as Italian, 2 as Other, 1 as Rusyn, 1 as Russian, 1 as Polish, 1 as German and 1 as English.
Note on population The difference between the population numbers above and in the census (here and below) is that the population numbers above are mostly made up of permanent residents, etc.; and the census should indicate the place where people actually mainly live.
For example, a student is a citizen of a village because he has permanent residence there (he lived there as a child and has parents), but most of the time he studies at a university in the city.
Religion
| Religion | Number | Fraction |
|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic Church | 1073 | 66.23% |
| None | 313 | 19.32% |
| Evangelical Church | 117 | 7.22% |
| Not found out | 64 | 3.95% |
| Total | 1620 |
In year 2021 was 1620 people by religion 1073 from Roman Catholic Church, 313 from None, 117 from Evangelical Church, 64 from Not found out, 15 from Greek Catholic Church, 13 from Ad hoc movements, 7 from Other, 4 from Christian Congregations in Slovakia, 2 from Calvinist Church, 2 from Eastern Orthodox Church, 2 from Paganism and natural spirituality, 2 from Baptists Church, 1 from Old Catholic Church, 1 from Other and not ascertained christian church, 1 from Jehovah's Witnesses, 1 from Hinduism, 1 from Seventh-day Adventist Church and 1 from Buddhism.
Sights
- A Roman Catholic church was built in 1879
- A Baroque chapel of St Anna was built in 1759
- Modrý kameň Castle Museum (Marionette and toy museum, Valentine Balassi poet's life and work, Ethnographic exhibition of the region, A look at the history of dental technology and stomatology)
Twin towns – sister cities
Modrý Kameň is twinned with:
- Bercel, Hungary
Gallery
-
Aerial photo of the castle
-
View from the castle to the city
References
- ^ "Hustota obyvateľstva - obce [om7014rr_obc=AREAS_SK, v_om7014rr_ukaz=Rozloha (Štvorcový meter)]". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
- ^ "Počet obyvateľov podľa pohlavia - obce (ročne) [om7101rr_obce=AREAS_SK]". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
- ^ a b c d "Základná charakteristika". www.statistics.sk (in Slovak). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ^ "Hustota obyvateľstva - obce [om7014rr_obc=AREAS_SK, v_om7014rr_ukaz=Rozloha (Štvorcový meter)]". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
- ^ "Statistical lexikon of municipalities 1970-2011" (PDF) (in Slovak).
- ^ "Census 2021 - Population - Basic results". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2021-01-01.
- ^ a b "Počet obyvateľov podľa pohlavia - obce (ročne) [om7101rr_obce=AREAS_SK]". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
- ^ "Počet obyvateľov podľa pohlavia - obce (ročne) [om7101rr_obce=AREAS_SK]". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
- ^ "Population - Basic results". www.scitanie.sk. Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ "Population - Basic results". www.scitanie.sk. Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ "Population - Basic results". www.scitanie.sk. Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
External links
- Media related to Modrý Kameň at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Castle Museum