TRNAVA

Geographical Conditions:

Trnava is situated in the Danube lowlands on the Trnavská tabula (Trnava table), bordered by the Little Carpathian Mountains on the northwest. The town is 50 km northeast of Bratislava. Near Trnava flows the longest Slovak river (Váh) with its tributaries – Dudváh, Parná, Trnávka. The landscape image of a wavily lowland and downs is affected by the intensive agriculture production based on exploitation of a high-quality soil. The biotic environment is reshaped by human activity; the original oak and oak-hornbeam forests were removed. The only nature reserve of the Trnava Ponds (at the south fringe of the city) is a significant ornithological locality.
Climate: warm and moderately dry lowlands climate with average temperatures of –4oC to –1oC in January and of 19.5 oC to 20.5oC in July; the annual rainfall is varying between 530 and 650 mm.

Political Location / Administrative Function:
Trnava is the 7th largest city in Slovakia – 69563 inhabitants (2001).
Within the administrative structure of the Slovak Republic (79 districts, 8 counties), it plays both the role of a district capital and the county capital (Trnava county established in 1996). In the cross-border region Vienna – Bratislava, Trnava represents the secondary first category centre that has the similar importance as such towns as St. Pölten, Znojmo, Sopron, Wiener Neustadt and Eisenstadt.
According to the Urbanisation Concept of Slovakia, Trnava is located on the main urbanisation hub, which begins in Bratislava and continues through the Váh valley. This hub is crossed in Trnava with a secondary hub that is one of the connections between Slovakia and Moravia.

Historical Development:
1211 – first written reference about Trnava
1238 – Trnava, as one of the first towns in Slovakia, was granted the free royal town privileges by the Hungarian King Belo IV
1271, 1273 – Premysl Otakar captured the town
1432 – the Hussites conquered Trnava
17th century – anti Habsburg revolts led by Gabriel Bethlen and later by Imrich Tokoly
1635-Cardinal Peter Pázmány found Trnava University, the sole Hungarian university of that time
1777 - the university moved to Buda and Trnava lost its priority of significant university seat
1792 – foundation of the Slovak Education Craftmanship led by Anton Bernolák
1846 – the first railway in Hungary opened between Bratislava and Trnava (horse), in 1872 with steam engines
1921 – territorial plan of Trnava – the first of this kind in Slovakia
1977 – foundation of the Slovak Clerical Province
1987 – historical centre proclaimed as town historic reserve

Economical System
(Pleas give a brief description and quantitative rates, if accessible)
Economical Structure: diversified, number of economic subjects in 2001: 5713 (trade and commerce: 2190, industry: 654, commercial services: 940…)

Firms predominant Types: machinery (formerly TAZ car factory; PSA car factory in construction, Sachs, Swedwood), electrical industry (Sony, Invensys), chemical industry (artificial glass factory – Skloplast), food processing industry (sugar factory)

Transportation System: access by motorway, railway (project of high-speed railway Bratislava-Žilina in preparation), city public transport

Economical Trend: positive perspective of economic development

Unemployment: 10.7% of economic active population (12/2003); 13.0% (12/2001)

Job Opportunities: 36,668 workplaces (1999), 7,2% in primary sector (agriculture), 35,5% in secondary sector (industry), 57,3% in tertiary sector (services); 3000 new job opportunities in prospect in the car factory (since 2006)

Typical Product: industry, services, university education and research, culture, tourism

Informal economic Activities: not significant

Estate Market: intensive and speculative; steep rise of property prices since 2003 (50-100% increase)