The Hron is a 271 km long left tributary of the Danube and the second-longest river in Slovakia. It flows from its source in the Low Tatra Mountains (below Kráľova hoľa) through central and southern Slovakia, emptying into the Danube near Štúrovo and Esztergom. Major cities and towns on the Hron are Brezno, Banská Bystrica, Sliač, Zvolen, Žiar nad Hronom, Žarnovica, Nová Baňa, Tlmače, Levice, Želiezovce, and Štúrovo. The river's basin covers 5465 km2, which is approximately 11 percent of Slovakia's territory. Hron is a popular destination of water tourism.

Etymology

The name is probably of Germanic origin; *Granahua: gran – spruce, ahua – water.

History

The name of the river was mentioned for the first time in 170, when Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations at the Hron river. The first recorded medieval name was Gron (1075). From the 17th century until the 1930s, the river was used for wood transport.