Nitra

The first mention of Nitra dates back to the 9th century. The name of the city is derived from the Nitra River. The name is Indo-European, but the question of its pre-Slavic or Slavic origin has not been satisfactorily answered. Nitra might be derived from the old Indo-European root neit-, nit- 'to cut' or 'to burn' using the derivational element -r- (see also slash-and-burn agricultural technique). The same root is still present in the Slovak verb nietiť 'to make a fire', but also in other Indo-European languages like Latin nitere 'to burn' or in German schneiden 'to cut'. Another view of the origin of the name is related to Latin Novi-iter or Neui-iter 'new territory behind the limes'. The hypothetical Latin name could have been adopted by the Quadi and later by the Slavs. The first written records also contain the suffix -ava (Nitrava). …

The oldest archaeological findings in Nitra are dated to around 25,000-30,000 years ago. The locality has been inhabited in all historical periods in the last 5,000-7,000 years. Several European archaeological cultures and groups were named after important archaeological discoveries in Nitra or its near surroundings - Nitra culture, Brodzany-Nitra group, or Lužianky group of Lengyel culture. The people of Madarovce culture had built the first fortification on Castle Hill by around 1,600 BCE. In the Iron Age, a large hillfort was built on Zobor Hill and additional smaller hillforts on the Lupka Hill and in Dražovce (700-500 BCE). Several Celtic settlements are known from the 5th-1st centuries. The Celts minted silver tetradrachms known as coins of the Nitra type and probably also built a hillfort in the locality Na Vŕšku. …

The municipality lies at an altitude of 167 metres (548 ft) and covers an area of 107.97 km2 (41.69 sq mi) (2025). It is located in the Nitra River valley in the Danubian Lowland, where the bigger part of the city is located. A smaller part is located at the southernmost reaches of the Tribeč mountains, more precisely at the foothill of the Zobor mountain 587 metres (1,926 ft). It is around halfway between Slovak capital Bratislava, 92 kilometres (57 mi) away and central Slovak city of Banská Bystrica, 118 kilometres (73 mi) away. Other towns in the surroundings include Trnava to the west (53 km), Topoľčany to the north (35 km), Levice to the east (42 km), and Nové Zámky (37 km) and Komárno (71 km) to the south. A national natural reservation called Zoborská lesostep is located within the city's boundaries. Nitra lies in the humid continental climate with four distinct seasons. …

Nitra is home to several museums and galleries. The Museum of the Nitra Region supervises a collection of objects in several fields (Archaeology, Ethnography, Numismatics, Geology, and Zoology). Since 1993, it has also had an exhibition of the most precious artifacts discovered by the Archeological Institute in Nitra. The exhibition contains more than 2,200 gold, silver, and other objects, among them golden-plated plaques from (pre-)Great Moravian hillfort Bojná. The Diocesan Museum of the Nitra Diocese on the Nitra Castle exhibits the facsimile of documents and archaeological discoveries closely connected to the origin of Christianity in Slovakia, including the oldest manuscript from the territory of Slovakia (the Nitra Gospel Book, 1083). Open-air museum "Osada Lupka" is a reconstruction of a Slavic village from the early Middle Ages. …

GDP per capita in 2008 for the whole Nitra region was €10,508, which was below Slovakia's average (€12,395). Nitra's enterprises were a brewery, a grain mill, food processing plants, and other food-related industries. In the new free trade economy after 1989, and after entering the European Union and the Euro currency club, only the wine bottling plant is left. Out of the factories started under the communist regime, 1948–1989, the plastic processing plant is still doing well. The most prevalent industries are electronics and car parts, concentrated in the new business park. The city plans to have a balanced budget of 42 mil€ in 2011. The flight operator Aero Slovakia has its head office on the grounds of Nitra Airport.

Points of interest in the area include the Nitra Castle, the old town, and the adjacent hill, named Zobor, overlooking the city. Notable religious structures located in Nitra are St. Emmeram's Cathedral in Nitra castle, a Piarist church of St. Ladislaus and the adjacent monastery. The oldest church of the city is the Saint Stephen church, which was built in the 11th-12th century, although the foundation of the building was constructed in the 9th century. The monastery on Piaristicka street was founded in the 13th-14th century. Its dominant church of St. Ladislaus was later destroyed by a fire and remodelled in 1742–1748 in baroque style. Two towers were also added. The main altar has a statue ornamentation with the portraits of Saint Stephen and Ladislaus I of Hungary. …