Handlová

Handlová
Municipality
[mapframe not available on SimWiki] Interactive map of Handlová
Coordinates: 48.73°N 18.76°E / 48.73; 18.76
Country	Slovakia
Region	Template:Country data Trenčín Region
District	Prievidza District
First mentioned	1367
Government
• Mayor	Silvia Grúberová
Elevation	465 m (1,526 ft)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	972 51
Area code	+421 46
Vehicle registration plate (until 2022)	PD
Website	www.handlova.sk

Handlová (; German: Krickerhau, Hungarian: Nyitrabánya, before 1913 Handlova) is a town in the Prievidza District, Trenčín Region in the middle of Slovakia. It is made up of the three parts Handlová, Nová Lehota and Morovno.

Geography

The municipality lies at an altitude of 465 metres (1,526 ft) and covers an area of  ().

It is located in the Handlovka brook valley, surrounded by the mountain ranges of Vtáčnik in the west and Žiar in the south, east and north, in the historical region of Hauerland. It is 15 kilometres (9 miles) away from Prievidza and 20 km (12 mi) from Žiar nad Hronom.

Besides the main settlement, it also has "parts" of Morovno (north-west) and Nová Lehota (south), both annexed 1976.

History

The town was established in 1376 and was inhabited by German settlers which were later known as the Carpathian Germans. The first known settler in Handlová was Peter Kricker from Kremnica, who came here together with 200 others to establish a settlement on a site called Krásny les (Beautiful Forest). At first the settlers lived just from crops and pastoral farming. Only much later, in the 18th century, did coal mining begin. Local miners at first worked mainly to supply the needs of nearby Bojnice Castle.

In 1945, after World War II, Handlová underwent the biggest upheaval in its centuries-long history. Most of its ethnic German inhabitants were expelled from the town due to the so-called Beneš decrees. Of the original 12,800 people who lived there as late as in 1943, only 4,000 remained in Handlová by 1945. As a result, Handlová's character changed completely. It received town privileges in 1960.

In 2009, the town suffered a major disaster during the 2009 Handlová mine blast, in which 20 people were killed.

On 15 May 2024, Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico was shot in front of the House of Culture after a government meeting, in an assassination attempt. He was subsequently rushed to Handlová Hospital, before later being airlifted to F.D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica, where he underwent successful surgery.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1970	17,111	—
1980	17,777	+3.9%
1991	17,835	+0.3%
2001	18,018	+1.0%
2011	17,766	−1.4%
2021	16,199	−8.8%
Source: Censuses

Population statistic (10 years)

Year
Count
Difference

Population statistic

Year
Count
Difference

It has a population of  people (31 December ).

People

• Jozef Lenč, political scientist, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava
• Peter Paliatka, designer, sculptor and university pedagogue
• Martin Škrtel, Slovak footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Handlová is twinned with:

• Konopiska, Poland
• Sárisáp, Hungary
• Voerde, Germany
• Zábřeh, Czech Republic

See also

• List of municipalities and towns in Slovakia

Genealogical resources

The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Statny Archiv in Nitra, Slovakia"

• Roman Catholic church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1642-1939 (parish A)
• Lutheran church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1735-1950 (parish B)

External links

• * Surnames of living people in Handlová
• Handlovské ikonické stavby-HAIKONY