Púchov
Púchov
| Púchov | |
| Town | |
 A museum in Púchov
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| Country | Slovakia |
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| Region | Trenčín |
| District | Púchov |
| River | Váh |
| Elevation | 265 m (869 ft) |
| Coordinates | 49°07′12″N 18°19′50″E / 49.12°N 18.33056°E |
| Area | 41.496 km² (16.022 sq mi) |
| Population | 18,658 (2005) |
| Density | 450 / km² (1,165 / sq mi) |
| First mentioned | 1243 |
| Mayor | Marián Michalec |
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 020 01 |
| Area code | +421-42 |
| Car plate | PU |
   Location of Púchov in Slovakia
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  Location of Púchov in the Trenčín Region
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| Wikimedia Commons: Púchov | |
| Statistics: MOŠ/MIS | |
| Website: www.puchov.sk | |
Púchov (German: Puchau; Bulgarian: Пухов; Hungarian: Puhó) is an industrial town in the centre of Púchov District in Slovakia, with a population close to 20,000.
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Geography
It is located on the main train line between Bratislava and Košice. It is half way between Trenčín and Žilina, two major Slovak cities, approximately 30 minutes train from both cities.
The Váh river crosses Púchov, and there is a small dam open to public crossing.
The health resort Nimnica (until 1990 part of Púchov) is situated in the vicinity and is a starting point for tours to Javorníky and White Carpathians mountains.
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History
Historically, the town was settled since time immemorial (finds from the Palaeolithic, Bronze Age, La Tène period, Roman period) and the extensive La Tène and Roman period settlements gave name to the archaeological Púchov culture, which also extends to Moravia and Poland. The first written reference dates back to 1243, the town status stems from 1471. Many Czech and Moravian refugees (Moravian Brethren) settled in the town after the Battle of White Mountain and in the 17th century. The Brethren became famous throughout the Kingdom of Hungary for the production of soft drapery.
Demographics
According to the 2001 census, the town had 18,833 inhabitants. 97.4% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.3% Czechs and 0.2% Roma. The religious make-up was 71.4% Roman Catholics, 13.8% Lutherans, and 11.3% people with no religious affiliation.
Economy
It is a strong industry base - home to Matador and Continental plants, producers of tyres, and Makyta, a producer of fashion clothes. Matador is a 20 minute walk from the train station in Púchov, while the city center is a 10 minute walk in the other direction.
Sport
The sport number one in the town is soccer. The local team FK Matador Púchov had several successful seasons in the Slovak highest league, but currently is only in the Slovak second league. Among other sports, there has been a long tradition of swimming. Several of the best swimmers made it to the European championship. Some other sport clubs worth mentioning are the volleyball and handball one. The local ice hockey team is actually the Slovak National Ice Hockey Team under 20. The team named "Slovakia 20" is a permanent member of the highest Ice Hockey league. This was done as an experiment to help the young players to get more tough matches and increase their motivation.
Culture and education
The town has several high schools and a branch of the Slovak University of Technology.
- ^ a b "Municipal Statistics". Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20071116010355/http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
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