Myjava

Geographically, Myjava is situated  in the western part of Slovakia, but this town belongs to  theTrenčín region, which is part of Central Slovakia. It is a district city. It is located in the hills of Myjava, and at the foothills of the White Carpathian and the nearby the Little Carpathian Mountains. The river Myjava flows through the town. It is 10 km away from the Czech border and 100 km from Bratislava. The area is 48.54 km2 and the population is about 11 893. Myjava is divided into 21 sectors. 

Myjava was established in 1533 and it alternately belonged to the Čachtice and Branč estates. It was colonized by two groups of inhabitants: refugees fleeing from the Ottomans in southern Upper Hungary and inhabitants from north-western and northern Upper Hungary. During the Revolution of 1848, the first Slovak National Council met on the 19th of September in the town as a result of the Slovak Uprising. Today, the house of  Anna Kolény, the place in which they met for the first time, is now a part of the Museum of the Slovak National Councils (SNR) , and a part of the Slovak National Museum network.  The decline of crafts at the end of the 19th century , coupled with national and economic oppression , were signified by emigration to the USA (New York , Chicago , Pittsburgh, Cleveland) and also to Canada and Argentina . After the 2nd world war it was necessary to rebuild the entire city, especially houses, flats and at the same time schools, social, and health care centres.
Some of these centres are sitll here today, and some new have also been built. Alongside the road to Stará Myjava there is a hospital and a drug store. In Myjava there are two high schools and three elementary schools. One of the high schools is our Gymnazium which celebrated it’s 70 year aniversary this year. Myjava lives for football. The football club Spartak Myjava was founded on August  8th 1920 and the stadium was reconstructed in 2013. If you are a sports maniac you should visit the modern sports complex where the outdoor and an indoor swimming pools  are situated, an ice-hockey rink, a fitness centre, a sauna, and a bowling alley. The winter season provides guests with skiing on a snow slope with a ski lift in Stará Myjava. 

 

For Myjava, folklore is a tradion,like other towns and villages throughout Slovakia. There are three folklore groups: Kopaničiarik (for children) and the Folk group KOPA (for adults). The biggest event in Myjava is MFF – Myjava Folklore Festival, which takes place in June in the amphitheater in Trnovce, a part of Myjava. Typical for its folk music, dancing, markets and, of course, slivovica. Other events you can annually attend in Myjava are: Michal's market, the Christmas fair, The Slovak Championships in motocross, the construction of the maypole and others.

If you love history, then you would definetelly like the historical monuments in Myjava. In 1785 the Protestant church was built , on which there is a plaque devoted to Daniel Krman . It is built in baroque-classic style.  In front of it there is Štefánik's memorial which is regarded to be a top example of the european cubism style. On Štefánik's sqaure there is a monument to SNP.
Folk traditions of the Kopaničiarsky region are represented at a Farmhouse in Tura Lúka (Gazdovský dvor). The complex consists of an with the exposition of a typical 19th century homestead from the 19th century . The region also offers excellent  conditions for mountain biking, hiking , ski touring and downhill skiing. As I mentioned, slivovica (plum brandy) belongs to Myjava like the Statue of Liberty belongs to NY. You can even visit a distillery and see how is this “elixir“ is made.


If you live in Myjava, you know how beautiful and rich this town is. If not, you should make a visit to this unforgettable place. You can find anything there, you just  need to look for it.


by Nina Nôžková

Year 1, Issue 2