Liptovský Hrádok is a town in northern Slovakia, in the region of Liptov.

History

First mentioned in 1341, Liptovský Hrádok was named after the nearby castle. The castle, also known as Liptovský Hrádok, was built originally for use of the forestry commission, hunters of the area and the Catholic Church. The castle was later modified and furnished in the style of Louis XVI. The name of the town and the castle literally means "little castle of Liptov". A salt processing facility was constructed in 1728 to collect salt for the Solivar Salt Works which now is part of Prešov, a Slovak city further to the East. This helped Liptovský Hrádok rise to some prominence in the region. The population centre of the town was the main street, which runs from the castle to the south continuing along to the Váh River and the hamlet of Prekážka. Before the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, Liptovský Hrádok was part of Liptó County within the Kingdom of Hungary. From 1939 to 1945, it was part of the Slovak Republic.

Geography and climate

The region of Liptovský Hrádok is bordered by the Low Tatras to the south and partially bordered by the West and High Tatras. The town is situated in the middle of the Liptov Basin created by the Váh River. It is in the centre of northern Liptov and lies on the confluence of the rivers Váh and Belá. The average altitude of the town is 637 meters above sea level. Liptovský Hrádok has a moist warm climate with an average temperature about 16 °C, while the more mountainous parts are colder. The temperature is about 18 - 23 C in the summer and in the winter about -10 °C. Rainfall is very frequent in this part and the weather often changes quickly. Snowfall stays on the ground approximately 140 days during the year. Facts about Liptovský Hrádok:

Cityscape and architecture

https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034943/http://az-europe.eu/data/albumy/GEO_PANORAMA/3848/panorama.jpg Drawing of Thomas Ender: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EdtSm1CwIPA/Rg6D-XjU47I/AAAAAAAAAQA/wTqLSdSWKuo/s400/0710lipt+hradok.jpg Castle and manson with lakelet/pond: https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090630/http://www.nasliptov.sk/image.php?url=files%2Fvylety%2F37.jpg&width=451&height=270&fit Viem from high peak Skalka at Hradná Street: https://web.archive.org/web/20140429195230/http://visitliptov.sk/hlp-image/800x532/userdata/dtb/3271/profil//skalka.jpg View at the part of "Limewood Alley" (Lipová alej) created in 1777: https://web.archive.org/web/20140430022911/http://visitliptov.sk/userdata/dtb/3293/profil/arboretum.jpg Internal part of the Castle in winter: http://i.sme.sk/cdata/9/62/6278479/hlavna.jpg

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, the town had 8,232 inhabitants. 97.11% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.37% Czechs, 0.72% Roma and 0.15% Hungarians. The religious make-up was 42.23% Lutherans, 31.74% Roman Catholics and 21.14% people with no religious affiliation.

Twin towns – sister cities

Liptovský Hrádok is twinned with: