Vráble is a small town in the Nitra District, Nitra Region, western Slovakia.

Etymology

The name derives from vrábeľ - a Slovak dialect name of sparrow (vrabec).

Geography

It is located in the Danubian Hills on the Žitava river, about 15 km south-east-east from Nitra. The cadastral area of the town has an altitude from 140 to 240 m ASL. There's a small dam called Vodná nádrž Vráble west of the town. The town has three parts: Vráble proper, and the former villages of Dyčka and Horný Ohaj (both annexed 1975).

History

The oldest evidence of the settlement of Vráble comes from the Neolithic age (6000-2000 BC). The first written reference is from 1265 as Verebel. In Vráble, there was the oldest post-station. The city kept an agricultural character in the 19th and 20th centuries. Economic development has influenced the architecture of the city. Before the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, Vráble was part of Bars County within the Kingdom of Hungary. From 1939 to 1945, it was again part of Hungary as a result of the First Vienna Award.

Demographics

The town had Hungarian majority in the 17th century according to the Turkish tax census. According to the 2001 census, the town had 9,493 inhabitants. 93.32% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 4.69% Hungarians, 0.78% Roma and 0.55% Czechs. The religious make-up was 88.41% Roman Catholics, 8.53% people with no religious affiliation and 0.62% Lutherans.

Fidvár archaeological site

One of the largest urban agglomerations of the Bronze Age in Europe was found at Fidvár near Vráble. The area of 20 hectares makes it larger than the contemporary Mycenae and Troy. The settlement was inhabited by about 1,000 people and buildings were built around streets. Three ditches strengthened the fortifications. The site is also the northernmost known tell in Central Europe dating from the Early Bronze Age. It was an important centre for the exploitation of nearby gold and tin deposits. The settlement is attributed to the Unetice culture and subsequent Mad'arovce culture.

Twin towns — sister cities

Vráble is twinned with: