Breza (Slovakia)

Breza is a municipality in the far north of Slovakia with 1631 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) and belongs to the Okres Námestovo within the Žilinský kraj .

geography

The municipality is located in the Podbeskydská vrchovina mountains on the Biela Orava at the confluence with the Mútňanka and the Kýčera . The municipality is quite mountainous and particularly densely forested in the northern part; the altitude varies from 630 m nm to 1051 m nm. The town center is at an altitude of 660 m nm and is ten kilometers from Námestovo .

Neighboring municipalities are Beňadovo in the north, Lokca in the east and southeast, Vasiľov in the south and Krušetnica in the west.

history

The place was founded during the Wallachian colonization of the area and was first mentioned in writing in 1593 as Breza . The village belonged to the estate of the Arwaburg , administered by hereditary bailiffs and is said to be named after a birch grove . As with many other places in the area, early history is closely linked to the Thurzo family. A mill and a saw are mentioned in 1619, but the village was devastated several times during the Kuruzzi Wars . In 1828 there were 171 houses and 1,180 inhabitants who were employed in cattle breeding, as weavers, manufacturers of wooden dishes, but also as seasonal agricultural workers; Nevertheless, unemployment and poverty were widespread, so that there were several waves of emigration, especially to North and South America. There were cholera epidemics in 1831 and 1873 .

The place in Arwa County belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary until 1918 and then became part of Czechoslovakia or now Slovakia. After the Second World War, Breza was electrified and connected to the public water supply and public facilities such as B. new elementary school, cultural center (created in Action Z ) and health center.

population

According to the 2011 census, Breza had 1572 inhabitants, of which 1557 were Slovaks, five Czechs and one Pole. Nine residents gave no answer. 1527 residents belonged to the Roman Catholic Church, three residents to the Evangelical Church AB and one resident to the Greek Catholic Church. 17 residents had no denomination and the denomination of 24 residents has not been determined.

Results after the 2001 census (1468 inhabitants):

By ethnicity:

99.52% Slovaks
0.34% Czechs
0.07% Poland

By denomination:

98.37% Roman Catholic
0.75% non-denominational
0.68% no information
0.20% Protestant

Attractions

Roman Catholic Church from 1810
Classical style chapel at the cemetery

Individual evidence

Web links

Commons : Breza (Slovakia) - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Entry on e-obce.sk (Slovak)

[1] 2011 census by ethnicity (Slovak)

[2] 2011 census by denomination (Slovak)