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Revision as of 02:20, 18 October 2006
Template:Infobox Slovak town Zvolen (German: Altsohl, Hungarian: Zólyom) is a town in central Slovakia, close to Banská Bystrica, on the Hron river. It is the seat of a district (okres). The town has a historical center with an ancient castle.
History
Zvolen has been inhabited since the Paleolithic. In the 9th century, a Slavic settlement became a regional centre of what is now central Slovakia. The territory became part of the Kingdom of Hungary during the Middle Ages and in the 11th and 12th centuries, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe, Pustý hrad, was constructed. The town was granted town privileges by King Béla IV in the 1230s. Later, King Louis I the Great built a new castle, which became a popular hunting resort of the Hungarian kings. Zvolen was the capital of Zvolen County until the 1760s.
Zvolen is an important railroad hub and has a large timber factory and a technical university. An airport in nearby Sliač offers direct flights to Prague. The town square was modernised in 2002 and local businesses are popular with tourists. In wintertime an ice rink is constructed in the center and festive celebrations run throughout December.
Famous residents
- Bálint Balassi, poet and nobleman
- Karol Beck, tennis player
- Ján Lašák, ice hockey player
- Vladimír Maňka, politician
- Vladimír Mečiar, politician
- František Velecký, actor
External links
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Zvolen Castle
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Town centre
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Town centre
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