Trnava

The name of the city is derived from the name of the creek Trnava. It comes from the Old Slavic/Slovak word tŕň ("thornbush") which characterized the river banks in the region. Many towns in Central and Eastern Europe have a similar etymology including Trnovo in Slovakia as well as Tarnów (Poland), Tarnow (Germany), Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria), Târnăveni (Romania), Trnava and Trnavac (Serbia), and Tyrnavos (Greece) among others. In Hungarian, the original name had gradually evolved into Tyrna which influenced also later German and Latin forms. When it developed into an important market town, it received the Hungarian name of Nagyszombat (Sumbot 1211), literally "Great Saturday", referring to the weekly market fairs held on Saturdays (Hungarian: szombat). …

Permanent settlements on the city's territory are known from the Neolithic period onwards. During the Middle Ages, an important market settlement arose here at the junction of two important roads – from Bohemia to Hungary and from the Mediterranean to Poland. The first written reference to Trnava dates from 1211. In 1238, Trnava was the first town in (present-day) Slovakia to be granted a town charter (civic privileges) by the king. The former agricultural center gradually became a center of manufacture, trade, and crafts. By the early 13th century, the king of Hungary had invited numerous Germans to settle in Trnava; this settlement increased after the Tatar invasion in 1242. At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, a part of Trnava was enclosed by very long city walls. The original Hungarian and Slovak market settlement and the Germans stayed behind this wall. …

The municipality lies at an altitude of 144 metres (472 ft) and covers an area of 71.53 km2 (27.62 sq mi) (2025). It is located in the Danubian Lowland on the Trnávka river, around 45 kilometres (28 mi) north-east of Bratislava, 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Nitra and around 70 kilometres (43 mi) from the Czech border. The closest mountain ranges are the Little Carpathians to the west and the Považský Inovec to the north-east of the city. Trnava lies in the north temperate zone and has a continental climate with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between warm summers and cold winters.

In literature Humanist scholar János Zsámboky dedicated to his birthplace Latin language poem Tirnaviae patriae meae arma, published in his 1564's Emblemata. In his 1938's adventurous novel Trnava, ruža krvavá (Trnava The Bloody Rose) Slovak historical fiction author Jožo Nižnánsky depicted the atmosphere of Trnava in time of Rákóczi's War of Independence. Juraj Červenák set his historical mystery novel Lovec čertov (The Devil Hunter) in Trnava and its surroundings. In cinema Posledná bosorka (The Last Witch), a 1957 Slovak film's plot is set in Trnava of the 18th century. Divadlo Jána Palárika (Ján Palárik Theatre) is a professional Slovak-language theatrical company with an established permanent scene under the auspices of Trnava region authorities. …

Having a long industrial tradition back to the early beginnings of the 20th century, Trnava has been known country-wide for mechanical engineering ever since. Although the former socialist-era manufacturer Trnavské automobilové závody (Trnava automobile works) collapsed after Velvet Revolution, since 2003 Trnava has been noted for car-making again due newly built Stellantis Trnava Plant. Stellantis Trnava Plant is a core industrial site in region and country as well, being third largest mechanical engineering company in Slovakia. Important mechanical engineering plant at Trnava suburbs is subsidiary of ZF Friedrichshafen supplying systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. Formerly a division of ZF, Boge Rubber & Plastics Group plant in Trnava is a producer of vibration control technology and lightweight components for the automotive industry. …

As early as in the Middle Ages, Trnava was an important centre of Gothic religious and lay architecture – St. Nicolas's Church, St. Helen's Church, and several church monastery complexes (Clarist, Franciscan and Dominican) were built in this period. The Renaissance (16th century) added a town tower to Trnava's silhouette. Nicolas Oláh ordered the erection of the Seminary and the Archbishop's Palace. Péter Bornemisza and Huszár Gál, the leading personalities of the Reformation in the Kingdom of Hungary, were active in Trnava for a short time. The town ramparts were rebuilt to a Renaissance fortification as a reaction to the approaching Turkish danger from the south. The 17th century was characterized by the construction of the Paulinian Church that bears badges of Silesian Renaissance. Trnava was gradually redesigned to Baroque. The erection of the St. …