Malacky
Malacky (German: "Malatzka", Hungarian: "Malacka") is a town and municipality in western Slovakia around north from capital Bratislava. From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. It is one of the centres of the region "Záhorie", between the Little Carpathians in the east and Morava River in the west and a cultural and economic hub for nearby villages such as Gajary, Kostolište, Veľké Leváre and Jakubov. The town is located on the large Prague-Brno-Bratislava highway, and many residents commute daily to Bratislava. The Little Carpathians mountain range  with its network of signposted trails provides excellent opportunities for mountain biking. Etymology. The origin of the name is uncertain. According to the first theory, the name refers to the Hungarian word "malacka" which means "piglet" in Hungarian and because the town seal features a pig. A drawback of this theory is that the Hungarian "malacka" is only a later borrowing from Slovenian and the name is older than the borrowing (Slovene "mladec" – a young man, in wide meaning also a young animal; Slovak equivalent is "mládenec"). Other theories derive the name from Slovak "mláky" (fens, swamps), "mlátiť" (to flail , to smash, thus a placename derived from "mlátiť" was "Mlaky" > "Malacky") or from the name of the Malina creek (recorded as "Maliscapotoca"). History. The name of the city was first mentioned in writing in 1206. During World War II, Malacky was captured on 5 April 1945 by troops of the Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front. Famous Buildings and Sites. The most prominent sites in Malacky include the Franciscan church of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the so-called "Palffy Palace" and the renovated synagogue. The church includes a precise from 1653 of the so-called Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta) that  Christ ascended to the Pretorium of Pilate. The Palffy Palace until recently was used as a hospital and is currently unoccupied. It has recently been acquired by the local municipality. Located in the center of Malacky is also a large renovated synagogue built in 1886 in Moorish Revival style which is now being used a cultural center. Adjacent to it there is sport arena "MALINA" containing two indoor swimming pools (25m and 12m) and a multifunctional hall used for handball, basketball, volleyball and indoor football. Economy. Swedspan, a subsidiary of IKEA, operates a large lumber plant just south  of the city. Additionally the Kuchyňa airbase, which is occasionally used by the US Air Force and other NATO air forces for training purposes, is located approximately east of the city. In September 2008, Slovak National Party (SNS) President Ján Slota facilitated the erection of a large Slovak cross near Malacky as a demonstration of Slovak nationalism. Demographics. According to the 2001 census, the town had 18,063 inhabitants. 96.68% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.02% Czechs and 0.51% Hungarians. The religious makeup was 70.35% Roman Catholics, 19.48% people with no religious affiliation, and 1.98% Lutherans. According to the 1910 census 75 % were slovaks. Twin towns — sister cities. Malacky is twinned with: