Towns
Involved in the Project
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Iliašovce (Spišská Nová Ves District) |
Spišská Nová Ves (Spišská Nová Ves District) |
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MNÍŠEK NAD HNILCOM |
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Background
The village of Mníšek nad
Hnilcom, with its 1,680 inhabitants, is one of the larger municipalities of the
Hnilec valley. It is notable for its exceptionally clean environment and highly
developed collective social life. The ancestors of the present population are
Carpathian Germans, and therefore a great deal of the population is of German
nationality. Their mentality bears the signs of distinctive German preciseness
and decency. The most numerous ethnic group, however, is the Roma – about 300
of them live in the municipality. A major problem of the municipality is
unemployment, as it has recently reached the level of 32.6%.
Mníšek is a small mining and metal refining town, in an area where gold, silver, copper and iron were mined. Furnaces and smelting plants existed here until Modern Times. In the village, at the present time, there is a woodworking industry, a farm “Obnova”, a car club “Automotoklub” and a very good retail network. On the river of Hnilec, a small hydroelectric plant has been built. It was completed in 2000.
Places of interest to see in Mníšek n. / Hnilcom are the Roman Catholic church of the Holy Cross founded in the 13th century, the Protestant church from the 80’s in the 18th century and Luther´s house which dates from the middle of the 20th century. It is used for worship and practising church music. The house also contains mining insignia and uniforms.
The mayor, Ľudovít Kujnisch, is already in office for his second term. During his service, significant changes have occurred in the municipality, such as the construction of sidewalks and roads, a skating rink, and tennis courts. The most significant recent contribution has been the completion of a gas distribution system in the municipality and the start of a water pipeline construction.
In Mníšek, there are eight active NGOs: The Civic Cultural Center Homo sapiens, the Association of Carpathian Germans, a Sports Club, the Collective of Physically Handicapped Individuals, the Slovak Red Cross, and a Bee-keepers Club. HOMOSAPIENS is preparing a children theater ensemble’s performance of Melalo, while the Sports Club is constructing an outdoor dancing area.
History
The oldest archaeological
evidence of Mníšek’s existence dates from the Bronze Age (1300-750 years B.C.).
At that time it was an unprotected settlement.
This little town developed on the site of a hermitage, or close to it. The first written reference to the hermitage can be found in the charter issued by the Hungarian king Belo IV from 1255. Later, in 1322, it is referred to as a village near Gelnica. It was settled by German colonists who gave it a proper name – Einsiedel. The newer Hungarian name – Remete, and the Slovak name – Mníšek, were derived from the original Latin name of the hermitage (Locus Heremitorii). Burghers from Gelnica played an important role in the settlement of the Hnilec river valley (where Mníšek nad Hnilcom is situated). Some of them even owned Mníšek and Švedlár (another small town in the valley). Later these mining localities fell again to the Hungarian king. In about 1465, he donated them (together with the other mining towns Gelnica, Smolník, and Štós), to the Zápoľský family – the owners of the Spiš castle. After the family died out, the Spiš castle and its huge dominion were taken over by the Thurzo family (1531-1636), and then by the Csakys (1638-1848). As such, between the 15th and 19th centuries, Mníšek nad Hnilcom developed as a mining town belonging to landlords. Besides mining, the people of Mníšek depended upon metallurgy and smelting to earn a living. Several craft guilds of butchers, joiners, wheelwrights, coopers and locksmiths also existed in the village.
In 1884, a section of the narrow-gauge railroad to Smolnicka Huta was put into operation. It was used until 1965, when it was discontinued because it was no longer efficient.
Involvement with the Program
Since the very beginning of YOUR
SPIŠ’s activities in the municipality, both the mayor and municipal council
have displayed great interest in cooperation. This enthusiasm for the program
was demonstrated by the municipality’s provision of space and facilities for
program activities.
During the YOUR SPIŠ community activists’ involvement in the village, community members have organized themselves into two other informal associations: a Romany group called Kloport Farmers (from an area of Mníšek called Kloport) and the Mníšek Women’s Group. The Kloport Farmers are oriented towards farmers’ work – breeding farming animals, woodcutting work, etc. The Mníšek Women’s Group is interested in renewing old handicrafts traditions – weaving, bobbin lace work, ceramics manufacturing, artistic crafts, etc.