Rimavská Sobota (Rimaszombat, Großsteffelsdorf) is a town in southern Slovakia, in the Banská Bystrica Region, on the Rimava river. It has 24,374 inhabitants (2006). The town is a historical capital of the Gemer and Malohont county (from 1850 to 1922).

Geography

It is located around 250 km east of Bratislava and around 100 km from Banská Bystrica. The town, along with the district lies in the Rimava river valley in the Slovenské rudohorie mountains, in the Southern Slovak Basin. There are two protected areas close to the town in the district, Cerová vrchovina to the south and Muránska planina National Park to the north.

The town is composed of 11 parts/boroughs: Bakta, Dúžava, Kurinec, Mojín, Nižná Pokoradz, Rimavská Sobota, Sabová, Sobôtka, Včelinec, Vinice and Vyšná Pokoradz.

History

The first traces of settlement in the town's territory come from the Neolithic. Other archaeological discoveries are dated to the middle and late Bronze Age and Iron Age. Several tribes have passed through the area, including Celts, Germanic tribes and several others during the Migration Period. The Slavs have settled here most likely the 7th and 8th centuries. The old Hungarian tribes came at the beginning of the 10th century and settled in the 11th century. Medieval town was probably founded in the second half of the 11th century and became a market town.

The first written record about Rimavská Sobota was in 1271 as Rymoa Zumbota and belonged to the Archbishop of Kalocsa, who owned the land from 1150 to around 1340. In 1334 the ownership changed to Tamás Széchenyi from Transylvania. The town received a privilege charted in 1335 on the basis of the Buda municipal law. In the first half of the 15th century, it was a small town, and economic development had begun, when the first guilds were established. However, it was interrupted by Turkish occupation, first in 1553–1593 and then in 1596–1686. The town was growing again in the 18th century, with the guilds of tanners, weavers, shoe-makers and others being set up. It became a free privileged town in the 1790s. From 1850 to 1922 it was the capital of the Gemer and Malohont county. Industry started to develop in the 20th century, with a cannery being established.

After break-up of Austria-Hungary, the town was occupied by the Czechoslovak Legions in January 1919. However, the army of the Hungarian Soviet Republic came to the town in May 1919, but control reverted to Czechoslovakia in July 1919. After the First Vienna Award in 1938, the town belonged to Hungary to the end of 1944. During the Socialist Czechoslovakia, food industry developed here, for example sugar factory was established in 1966 and meat processing plant in 1977.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, there were 25,088 people living in the town, with majority of them being Slovaks (59.28%), with a significant minority of Hungarians (35.26%), with a small percentage of Roma (3.01%) and others. The religion make-up was: 47.84% Roman Catholics, 25.44% without denomination, 10.33 Protestants and 5.26% not specified.

Partner towns

• Kolín, Czech Republic
• Ózd, Hungary
• Tiszaújváros, Hungary
• Salonta, Romania
• Świętochłowice, Poland

References

External links

• Official website
• Webcamera and useful info