Medzilaborce

Medzilaborce (Russian Меджилабірці / Medschylabirzi ; Hungarian Mezőlaborc ) is a city in the far northeast of Slovakia with 6531 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019). It is the seat of an okres within the Prešovský kraj administrative unit .

The Medzilaborce region has always been one of the poorest in the area. The Russians have lived here for a long time - an ethnic group whose language is closely related to Ukrainian , but also has similarities with Slovak and Polish .

geography

Medzilaborce is located in the Lower Beskids region , more precisely in the Laborecká vrchovina mountainous region , about 10 kilometers south of the border with Poland (border crossing Radoszyce - Palota ). The name Medzilaborce (literally: intermediate Laborec village) refers to the Laborec river , which has its source about 10 km from the city and the left bank of the Vydraňka increases in the urban area . The municipal area is divided into flat plains along the Laborec and Vydraňka on the one hand and flysch-covered slopes with " local mountains" Kyčera and Magura east and Kamjana west of the Laborectal on the other. The city center is located at an altitude of 326 m nm and is 42 kilometers from Humenné , 83 kilometers from Prešov , 118 kilometers from Košice 118 km and about 500 kilometers from the capital Bratislava (road distances).

The city consists of the districts Borov (incorporated in 1971), Medzilaborce and Vydraň (incorporated in 1964).

Neighboring municipalities are Habura and Kalinov in the north, Komańcza (in Poland) in the northeast, Palota in the east, Ňagov in the southeast, Krásny Brod in the south, Rokytovce in the west and Miková in the northwest.

history

Medzilaborce was mentioned in writing for the first time in 1347 as Mezobrod and was one of 92 settlements in the Drugeth area with its seat in Humenné. This lasted until the 17th century, when in 1684 the Csáky family took over the local estates. In 1557 the village had 10 portals . In 1612 a saw and two mills were founded in Medzilaborce, in 1631 the first restaurants and food markets. The inhabitants were almost exclusively employed as foresters and farmers and the standard of living was low, even for the standards of the time. In 1828 there were 98 houses and 715 inhabitants, the last big landowners came from the Andrássy family .

In 1873 Medzilaborce was connected to the Hungarian-Galician Railway , first to Humenné, then in 1874 via the Lupków Tunnel to Przemyśl in what was then Galicia . During the First World War Medzilaborce suffered great damage when Brusilov's troops managed to break through the main Carpathian ridge at the end of November 1914 and set up a command staff in the village. In May 1915, Russian troops had to withdraw again. Not far from the town, a serious railway accident occurred on September 26, 1915 : A freight train with 30 tank cars filled with petroleum got out of control on a downward slope and crashed into a hospital train . 36 people died.

Until 1918, the place in Semplin County belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary and then came to Czechoslovakia or now Slovakia. In the first Czechoslovak Republic, too, there was great poverty in the area and there were several waves of emigration. A steam saw went into operation in 1922, but there was virtually no industry in the area.

After the Second World War, Medzilaborce received city status.

Economy and Infrastructure

The glass and machine industries have the longest tradition in Medzilaborce.

In the glass industry it was since 1970 the branch of the Jappencke Sklarne with 600 employees. After the privatization, the company was dissolved. Glass LPS continues the 45 year old tradition of the glass industry in Medzilaborce and continues to produce the crystal chandeliers and cut crystal pendants.

Transporta began in the city's machine industry. Vihorlat later employed 1200 people. Privatization and the crisis in the machine industry have ruined the factory. Kovostroj and Labstroj act as successors in the machine industry.

Important employers:

Glass LPS Ltd.
Kovostroj Inc.
Labstroj Ltd.

Glass LPS, manufacturer of crystal chandeliers

traffic

The city is located on the Slovak main railway line Michaľany – Łupków and is thus connected to the district town of Humenné and Poland.

The regional road II / 559 from Humenné to Čertižné also runs through Medzilaborce .

population

A small majority of the population speaks Russian as their mother tongue, but a noteworthy proportion of the speakers indicate “Slovak” as their nationality.

The population composition of the 2011 census was as follows:

nationality	number	proportion of
Slovaks	2,560	37.60%
Russians	2,419	35.53%
Roma	646	9.49%
Ukrainians	210	3.08%
other / k. A.	974	14.30%
total	6,809	100%

When asked about the mother tongue, a different picture emerged:

native language	number	proportion of
Russian	3,485	51.18%
Slovak	1,462	21.47%
Romanes	756	11.10%
Ukrainian	121	1.78%
other / k. A.	265	3.89%
total	6,809	100%

Culture

The Russians maintain various traditions, customs and traditions, folk songs, folk dances, etc.
Particularly attractive in the region is the Lower Beskydy Mountains with many opportunities for hiking and relaxation.

Orthodox Church
View of the main street
Church in the Vydraň district
Museum of Modern Art

Of particular importance is the Warhol Family Museum of Modern Art, which is dedicated to Andy Warhol and his art. The Warhols come from the municipality of Miková (7 km northwest of Medzilaborce). In the museum there are important documents about Andy Warhol and his family. The museum is the only one of its kind in Europe and was the first in the world to be established in 1991. The second is in Pittsburgh . The documentary “ Absolut Warhola ” by Polish director Stanisław Mucha is dedicated to this museum and the area around Medzilaborce.

Every year at the end of June there is a two-day culture and sports festival in Medzilaborce.

Town twinning

Poland Kozienice , Poland
Czech Republic Náměšť nad Oslavou , Czech Republic

Others

In Medzilaborce there is a military cemetery where around 350 soldiers who died in the First World War were buried. In 2010, the cemetery was renovated with the help of soldiers from the German Federal Armed Forces and the Slovak armed forces , as was the one in neighboring Čabiny .

Individual evidence

↑ 2011 census: Population of the municipalities by nationality (PDF)

↑ 2011 census: Population of the municipalities by mother tongue (PDF)

↑ German Embassy Pressburg Newsletter of the month June 2011 ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on Radio Slovakia International on June 22, 2010, accessed on August 15, 2010 @1@ 2

Web links

Commons : Medzilaborce - collection of images, videos and audio files

Medzilaborce's unofficial website

[1] 2011 census: Population of the municipalities by nationality (PDF)

[2] 2011 census: Population of the municipalities by mother tongue (PDF)