# Nové Mesto nad Váhom

Nové Mesto nad Váhom (Slovak pronunciation:; German: Neustadt an der Waag, Neustadtl, Waag-Neustadtl, Waagneustadtl, Waag-Neustadt; Hungarian: Vágújhely, Vág-Újhely) is a town in the Trenčín Region of Slovakia.

## Geography

District town located at the northern edge of the Danubian Hills at the foothills of the northern end of the White Carpathians, on the Váh river. Other mountains nearby are the White Carpathian and the Považský Inovec. It is situated 27 km from Trenčín and 100 km from Bratislava and has an area of 32.583 km$^2$. The Town parts are: Mnešice, Izbice, Javorinaská, Hájovky, Samoty, Luka, Centrum, Rajková (northern city), Záhumenice.

## Places of interest

* Zelená voda Lakes 1 km - watersports, windsurfing, fishing, sports centre, camping area, disco and music festival place
* Čachtice Castle 6 km - home of Elizabeth Báthory
* Beckov Castle 5 km
* Tematin Castle 12 km
* the most famous Slovak Spa town Piešťany 18 km
* Trenčín 22 km
* Veľká Javorina Mountain (SK-CZ border) 15 km
* Ski Resort Kálnica 7 km
* Ducové - the Great Moravian Empire settlement 16 km
* Romanesque church in Haluzice 12 km

## History

Lands in the place of today's Nové Mesto nad Váhom were inhabited in the prehistoric ages, as many artefacts from the Stone and Bronze Ages were discovered. In the local part Mnešice a prehistoric settlement was discovered.
The first written record about Nové Mesto nad Váhom was in 1263, when King Béla IV of Hungary granted freedoms for the loyalty during the Mongol invasions. It belonged to the Benedictine order, later to Matthew III Csák and others. It received its town privileges in 1550. Industry developed in the 19th century and was mainly focused at processing agricultural products.
Before the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, Nové Mesto nad Váhom was part of Nyitra County within the Kingdom of Hungary. From 1939 to 1945, it was part of the Slovak Republic.

## Sport

Slovak Bandy Association has organised rink bandy practice in Nové Mesto nad Váhom.

## Monuments

* Fortified Roman-Reneissance-Baroque Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
* Renaissance Vicariage Palace
* Renaissance church fortification
* Renaissance-Baroque Ghillanys' Palace (17th Century)
* Renaissance Nadasdys' Palace (16th Century)
* Protestant Church (1787)
* St. Ondrej Church (1643)
* Baroque Chapel in Hurbanova St. (18th Century)
* Baroque St. Rochus Chapel (18th Century)
* Plague Memorial on the main square (1696)
* St. Florian Statue (1762)

## Demographics

According to the 2001 census, the town had 21,327 inhabitants.
98.1% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.1% Czechs 0.6% Roma. The religious make-up was 56% Roman Catholics, 23.3% people with no religious affiliation, and 13.8% Lutherans.

## Transport

* Railway - the town lies on the most important trans-Slovak railway track Bratislava - Kosice and a local railway branch connects Nové Mesto nad Váhom with Veselí na Moravě in the Czech Republic; express trains stop at Nové Mesto nad Váhom Station. Fast trains Bratislava-Kosice route every one to two hours, regional trains to Bratislava, Žilina, Veselí na Moravě approximately ten times a day. Arriva Express Train connects the town with Prague and Nitra daily.
* Road - main motorway D1 Bratislava - Zilina, local roads to Piešťany Spa, Trenčín, Stará Turá, Strání (SK-CZ state border)
* Public transport in the town - blue local busses stop at all the stops in the town area; the town public transport bus service RED BUS line 1 (Hajovky-Centrum-Railway station/Bus station - Industrial zone/MILEX) and line 2 (Railway station/Bus station - Centrum - Mnešice)
* Buses - blue local buses "SAD" join the town with all the villages within the district; the bus station is just right at the train station about 10 mins walk from the town centre; long-haul bus services join the town with all the important towns in Slovakia and Czech Republic
* Airport - the nearest airport Piešťany Airport (PZY) no scheduled flights; scheduled flights from Bratislava M.R. Stefanik Airport (BTS) (100 km southwest, 55min. drive by motorway D1)
* Taxi service - taxi stand at railway and bus station

## Notable people

* Dominik Černý, racewalker
* Stibor of Stiboricz (ca. 1348–1414) and his wife the Dutchess Dobrochna
* Ede Horn [de] (German: Eduard Horn), born Ignacz Einhorn (1825–1875), a Hungarian Jewish economist, politician
* Ernest Nagel (1901–1985), philosopher of science
* Ľudmila Podjavorinská (1872–1951) writer, lived in Nové Mesto nad Váhom since 1910
* Jela Špitková (born 1947), violinist
* Salomon Stricker (1834–1898), Jewish pathologist

## Twin towns — sister cities

Nové Mesto nad Váhom is twinned with:
* Uherský Brod, Czech Republic