Handlová (,, before 1913 Handlova) is a town in the Prievidza District, Trenčín Region in the middle of Slovakia. It is made up of the three parts Handlová, Nová Lehota and Morovno.

Geography

It is located in the Handlovka brook valley, surrounded by the mountain ranges of Vtáčnik in the west and Žiar in the south, east and north, in the historical region of Hauerland. It is 15 km away from Prievidza and 20 km from Žiar nad Hronom. Besides the main settlement, it also has "parts" of Morovno (north-west) and Nová Lehota (south), both annexed 1976.

History

The town was established in 1376 and was inhabited by German settlers which were later known as the Carpathian Germans. The first known settler in Handlová was Peter Kricker from Kremnica, who came here together with 200 others to establish a settlement on a site called Krásny les (Beautiful Forest). At first the settlers lived just from crops and pastoral farming. Only much later, in the 18th century, did coal mining begin. Local miners at first worked mainly to supply the needs of nearby Bojnice Castle. In 1945, after World War II, Handlová underwent the biggest upheaval in its centuries-long history. Most of its ethnic German inhabitants were expelled from the town due to the so-called Beneš decrees. Of the original 12,800 people who lived there as late as in 1943, only 4,000 remained in Handlová by 1945. As a result, Handlová's character changed completely. It received town privileges in 1960. In 2009, the town suffered a major disaster during the 2009 Handlová mine blast, in which 20 people were killed. On 15 May 2024, Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico was shot in front of the House of Culture after a government meeting, in an assassination attempt. He was subsequently rushed to Handlová Hospital, before later being airlifted to F.D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica, where he underwent successful surgery.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, the town had 18,018 inhabitants. 96.14% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 0.85% Hungarian, 0.67% Czechs and 0.24% Germans. The religious make-up was 46.10% Atheists, 44.74% Roman Catholics and 2.42% Lutherans.

People

Twin towns – sister cities

Handlová is twinned with:

Genealogical resources

The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Statny Archiv in Nitra, Slovakia"