Towns Involved in the Project
 

Iliašovce (Spišská Nová Ves District)
Levoča (Levoča District)
Mníšek nad Hnilcom (Gelnica District)
Nálepkovo (Gelnica District)
Rudňany (Spišská Nová Ves District)

Spišská Nová Ves (Spišská Nová Ves District)
Spišské Podhradie (Levoča District)
Spišský Hrhov (Levoča District)
Spišský Štvrtok  (Levoča District)
Švedlár (Gelnica District)

 

 

NÁLEPKOVO

Background
Nálepkovo is an old mining town in the Hnilec Valley, a border municipality of the Gelnica district that is inhabited by descendants of Spiš Germans. At present it has 2,650 inhabitants, including 996 Roma. After the closure of the engineering works factory  engineering works factory ZŤS in Prakovce, which used to be a major employer for the valley’s inhabitants, the number of unemployed increased dramatically. During the wintertime the unemployment rate is about 54%; in the spring and summer seasons this number drops to about 40%, due to seasonal work.

Architectural monuments of Nálepkovo include the Baroque Catholic church (1770-81), the Evangelical church (1785), and the former Town Hall, built at the end of the 18th century and then re-built in the 20th century. The nearby climatic spa “Čiernohorské kúpele”, established in 1847, is now a resort and tourist spot.

The Nálepkovo Local Authority is the most industrious and prosperous in the Hnilec valley, and it utilizes the financial resources stemming from this to invest in village development. During the past ten years it has changed so much that it is now hardly recognizable, with the most significant changes dealing with: The transformation of village enterprises to commercial companies, The construction of 16 housing units in the Romany locality Grün, The construction of 16 other housing units for young families in the municipality, The construction of a retirement home and reconstruction of the park and town hall, The completion of the construction of a ski lift and sports facilities, and The reconstruction of non-housing premises into six tenant apartments.

Changes in the municipality have been implemented under the guidance of the mayor, Dušan Daniel, who is in office for his second term. The municipality has flourished due to his organizational and management abilities. Although the mayor initially expressed certain doubts about the program’s contribution in the municipality, he changed his mind completely after the first projects were submitted. According to his words, he was happily surprised by the ideas that were formed in people’s minds, as some of those ideas would have never occurred to him. It is mainly due to his efforts that the cooperation between the municipality and the program has been so productive.

Seven NGOs work in the municipality: The Union of Women, The Slovak Red Cross, Sports Club Nálepkovo, The Association of Slovak Fishermen, The Slovak Hunter Association, The Firefighter Union, and the NGO Education – Our Hope for the Future. After ETP began its activities in the municipality, other informal groups were established: Romany organizations from the localities Grün and Hámor. An agricultural group and a group of women-tailors are also starting to initiate activities.

History
Archaeological evidence indicates that the area around the community of Nálepkovo was settled in the Neolithic Period.

The oldest written reference to Vondrišel (the name of the village until 1948) dates from the reign of the Hungarian king Ladislav IV (1272-1290). At that time, the village was settled by colonists from Germanic countries. Owing to granted privileges and the promising development of mining and iron-working in the 14th century, Vondrišel acquired the status of a landlord town (Oppidum), i.e., the town belonged to landlords. By the 19th century, it belonged to the Máriássy family. During the 16th century, its area was enlarged through the annexation of the territory of another small village called Tichá Voda (Stillbach). In the past, the people of Vondrišel lived from mining, ironworking, smelting and woodworking. Iron-working was, however, of crucial importance. During the period from the 14th to the 20th century, there were several ironworks in this small town. The long traditions of iron-working are evidenced not only with the denomination of one quarter of the city: “Treti Hamor” which means in Slovak “the Third Ironworks”, but with numerous written documents with municipal seals bearing symbols of iron-working, including crossed pincers and a hammer. These are also displayed in the contemporary town’s coat-of-arms.

In the 16th century the town kept its German character, as Reformation ideas, spreading from Germanic countries, took root. By the second half of the 16th century Vondrišel was primarily a Protestant community. This lasted until the 18th century, when the proportion of Protestants to Catholics changed gradually and Catholicism became the dominant religion.

In 1600, Vondrišel was hit by a great plague that reduced the local population severely. The history of the town was also deeply influenced by anti–Habsburg uprisings between 1600-1711. During the 18th century, however, mining and smelting bloomed and flourished. At that time, the village’s number of inhabitants grew. The next century, however, brought the decline of mining, and so the people of Vondrišel lived from the land, woods, crafts, and later from two saw mills. Spinning and dying enterprises were also developed. Iron ore was mined in Nálepkovo until 1968.

Involvement with the Program
The initiative of organizations and associations in the municipality has been displayed through cooperation with YOUR SPIŠ. Prime examples of this are the Union of Women’s Weaving Workshop project, the aim of which is develop the techniques of weaving and encourage unemployed women to start their own related business activities, and on the Slovak Red Cross’s Rehabilitation Center project, which aims to solve some of the health problems of the municipal population. In addition, newly established organizations in the neighborhoods Grün and Hámor are implementing projects aimed at supporting community life and improving the living surroundings.