Stará Turá is a small town of 9172 citizens located at the centre of the “Kopaničiarsky“ region. It was first mentioned in 1392- a hundred years before the discovery of America and it was ratified in 1467 when town locals caught the bandit Ján Švehla.
Probably the most famous native from Stará Turá is Kristína Royová, who, together with her sister Mária took part in a lot of social work that improved the local people´s lives. Her book ´Bez Boha na svete´ has been translated into many languages, even Chinese. An important point in the town´s history was the building of Chirana – a factory famous for manufacturing of medical equipment before World War II. This factory gave work to many people and increased the number of citizens rapidly, but it all also had a negative side effect- nearly all the old houses in Stara Tura were replaced by large blocks of flats, so the name Stará, which means old in English, became quite debatable. Now, historical architecture is actually best preserved in the local settlements and small villages, called ´kopanice´, where you can sometimes feel as if time has stopped. Although most of the houses in the settlements are now just weekend cottages, 14% of the town´s citizens still have permanent residence there. Nowadays, there are many ways and opportunities to spend your free time in Stará Turá, although, sadly many young people don´t realise it. You can attend various clubs in the centre for free time or the art school. You can play for a local football, basketball, ping-pong or skittles team or take hiking and cycling trips in the beautiful countryside surrounding the town. There are great places to go for short walks. You could also go fishing in the local ponds, Dubník I. and II.
by Ľuboš Rybnikár
Year 2, Issue 1