Petržalka

Geobox | settlement
name = Petržalka
native_name =
other_name =
category = Borough
etymology =
official_name =
motto =
nickname =

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image_caption =


symbol =
country = Slovakia
country_

state =
region = Bratislava
district = Bratislava V
municipality =
part =
river =
location =
elevation = 126
lat_d = 48
lat_m = 08
lat_s = 00
lat_NS = N
long_d = 17
long_m = 07
long_s = 00
long_EW = E
coordinates_type = region:SK_type:city
highest =
highest_lat_d =
highest_long_d =
lowest =
lowest_lat_d =
lowest_long_d =
area = 28.7
area_round = 1
population = 114862
population_density = auto
established =
date =
mayor =
timezone =
timezone_DST =
postal_code = 85XXX
area_code = 421-02
code = BA
code_type = Car plate
free =

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map_background = Slovakia - background map.pngmap_caption = Location of Petržalka in Slovakia
map_locator = Slovakia
website =
commons = Petržalka
footnotes =

Petržalka ( _hu. (Pozsony)ligetfalu, _de. Engerau) is the largest borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Situated on the right bank of the river Danube, it is home to approximately 115,000 people.

History

Historical records of Petržalka exist from 1225 . The settlement was originally inhabited by Pecheneg mercenaries on guard duty. Later, it became a recreation area famous for its gardens. In 1866, Petržalka had only 594 inhabitants and 103 houses.

* 1891 – Petržalka becomes permanently connected with Bratislava when the first railway bridge, 460 meters long, is built. Before this date only wooden bridges existed, but they were often damaged by frost and floods.

* 1910 – Of its 2947 inhabitants, 1997 speak German, 495 Hungarian, and 318 Slovak as their native language.

* 1919 - Petržalka is annexed by the Czechoslovak Legions on August 14.

* 1920s - Petržalka is the largest village in Czechoslovakia. [ [http://www.bratislavskenoviny.sk/11663/kultura/zaujimavosti-o-mestskej-casti-petrzalka Interesting facts about Petržalka ("Zaujímavosti o mestskej časti Petržalka")] ]

* 1938–1945 – Petržalka is annexed by Nazi Germany on 10 October 1938 on the basis of the Munich agreement. It is renamed "Engerau", and the Starý most bridge becomes a border bridge between the First Slovak Republic and Nazi Germany. Several thousand inhabitants of Slovak, Czech, and Hungarian ethnicity have to stay in Petržalka. They are considered citizens of Nazi Germany but are persecuted. The occupiers close down all Slovak schools, and the German language replaces Slovak. Non-Germans are not allowed to participate in public life, and the Gestapo arrest citizens who promote ideas opposing Nazism, including those active before the occupation. [ [http://mozaika.sme.sk/c/3538465/Okupacia-Petrzalky-hitlerovskym-Nemeckom-10101938-341945.html Occupation of Petržalka by the Nazi Germany ("Okupácia Petržalky hitlerovským Nemeckom (10.10.1938 - 3.4.1945)")] . Jaroslav Gustafik at SME.sk.]
* November 1944 – March 1945 – Petržalka ("Engerau") is the site of a labour camp for Hungarian Jews, who were deployed at the construction of the Südostwall. Out of 2000 prisoners, at least 497 die from inhuman treatment and during the death march to Bad Deutsch-Altenburg. [ [http://www.slovak-jewish-heritage.org/database.php?LangID=1&MonumentID=144&form_TypeID=6&form_RegionID=0&form_LocationID=0 slovak-jewish-heritage.org: Petržalka Holocaust Memorial] ] [ [http://www.nachkriegsjustiz.at/ns_verbrechen/juden/Kuretsidis_Diss.php nachkriegsjustiz.at: Vorstellung der Dissertation von Claudia Kuretsidis-Haider (in German)] ] [ [http://www.doew.at/information/mitarbeiter/beitraege/kurets1.html Engerau-Prozesse (review article, in German)] ]

*1945 – Petržalka is, along with the rest of Bratislava, liberated on April 4. It is returned to Czechoslovakia after World War II.

*1945 – On 5 May, 90% of the Hungarian population of Bratislava is forced into internment camps in Petržalka. Murders of Hungarians are also reported. [cite web |publisher= |url=http://politika.transindex.ro/?cikk=6092|title=Transindex |date=no date |accessdate=23 March |accessyear=2008 |language=Hungarian] [ [http://www.dunabogdany.hu/hirado/2007aprilis/emlekezzunk.html Dunabogdány honlapja ] ]

* 1946 – Petržalka officially becomes a part of Bratislava on 13 February.

* 1977 – Construction of the housing blocks known as "panelák" begins.

* 2001 – Of its 117,227 inhabitants, 108,600 are Slovak, 4259 Hungarian, 1788 Czech, and 219 German.

* 2003 – Pope John Paul II visits Petržalka and celebrates a Sunday Liturgy.

* 2005 – Daniel Tupý is stabbed to death on the Tyršovo embankment. His death provokes a nationwide uproar, mass marches, and protests against the various extremists groups in Slovakia. [ [http://www.sme.sk/c/3568233/Tupy-Legislativa-chrani-skor-pachatelov.html Tupý: Legislatíva chráni skôr páchateľov] , SME.sk, November 3, 2007] (There is now a memorial [http://www.talaljuk-ki.hu/index.php/article/articleview/820/1/71/ Szlovák emlékművet avatnak a szélsőségek áldozatainak] , Találjuk ki Közép-Európát?, 2005 (Hungarian)] [http://www.spectator.sk/articles/view/25265/9/ Culture shocks] , "The Slovak Spectator", November 27, 2006 (English)] to the victims of racism and neo-Nazism at the site of the murder.)

Names

The name Petržalka first appeared in the 1920s and refers to vegetables and herbs that were grown there ("peteršílj" means "parsley"). The older German name is "Engerau" or "Ungerau". The Hungarian name is "Pozsonyligetfalu", short form "Ligetfalu".

Local parts

Petržalka is divided into three official parts, "Dvory", "Lúky" and "Háje", and further into unofficial parts, "Ovsište", "Janíkov dvor", "Kopčany", "Zrkadlový háj", "Starý háj", and "Kapitulský dvor".

Characteristics

As of 2008, Petržalka is connected to Bratislava by five bridges. It is the most densely populated residential district in Central Europe. [cite web |url=http://visit.bratislava.sk/en/vismo/dokumenty2.asp?id_org=700014&id=1074&p1=1852 |title=Bratislava Projects at MIPIM 2007 – Petržalka City|date=3 January 2007| accessmonthday = January 23 |accessyear=2008 |format=PDF|publisher=City of Bratislava|pages=p. 8|quote=Petržalka City will definitely change the face of the largest and most densely populated housing estate in Central Europe: the network of grey prefabricated buildings will be transformed into a fully-fledged town with a self-contained multi-purpose centre.]

Petržalka is primarily a residential area, with most people living in blocks of flats called "paneláks", a neologism for buildings built from concrete panels joined together to form the structure, which were widely deployed throughout the Eastern Bloc during the communist era. As the borough was built primarily as a residential area, it has no clearly defined centre.

Petržalka was sometimes referred to as the Bronx of Bratislava [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20000123/ai_n9624658 Shake & Slovak] , The Sunday Herald, January 23, 2000] because of a high crime rate and drug dealing, but as of 2008 the crime rate had become similar to that of the other boroughs.Fact|date=May 2007

Important institutions include the congress and exposition centre Incheba and Petržalka railway station. Sad Janka Kráľa is one of the oldest municipal parks in Europe. [cite web |publisher=City of Bratislava |url=http://visit.bratislava.sk/en/vismo/dokumenty2.asp?id_org=700014&id=1039&p1=2544 |title=Environment |date=26 February 2007 |accessmonthday = January 23 |accessyear=2008] There is also the Arena Theatre, established in 1828, one of the oldest theatres in Bratislava.

Education and sport

The University of Economics is based in Petržalka, with campuses situated in different locations around Bratislava.

There are 11 elementary schools and 19 kindergartens administered by the borough. [cite web |publisher=Petržalka |url=http://www.petrzalka.sk/buxus/generate_page.php?page_id=568 |title=Elementary schools directory ("Adresár základných škôl") |date=no date |accessmonthday = January 23 |accessyear=2008 |language=Slovak] [cite web |publisher=Petržalka |url=http://www.petrzalka.sk/buxus/generate_page.php?page_id=569 |title=Kindergartens directory ("Adresár materských škôl") |date=no date |accessmonthday = January 23 |accessyear=2008 |language=Slovak] Gymnasium high schools include the state-administered Albert Einstein [ [http://einsteinova.sk/ Albert Einstein Gymnasium website] ] and Pankúchova 6 gymnasiums [ [http://www.gympaba.sk/ Pankúchova 6 Gymnasium website] ] and the private Mercury Gymnasium. [ [http://www.sgm.sk/ Mercury Private Gymnasium website] ]

The borough is also known for its football club, Artmedia Bratislava, a participant in the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League.

Transport

Petržalka is connected to the rest of Bratislava by five bridges, of which three are used for local traffic (Nový Most, Starý most and Most Apollo) and two for international traffic (Lafranconi Bridge and Prístavný most). It is located near a major international motorway junction, where the D1 and D2 motorways meet. The only railway station is located in the western part and is primarily used for international traffic and for trains to and from Vienna.

Public transportation uses buses, which connect Petržalka with the other boroughs. In 1989, construction of a subway began, but it was stopped shortly after the Velvet Revolution broke out. Instead, a high-speed tram (light rail) line is planned, and its construction is to begin in 2008. [cite web |publisher=City of Bratislava |url=http://visit.bratislava.sk/en/vismo/dokumenty2.asp?id_org=700014&id=1070&p1=1848 |title=Petržalka South City Development Area |date=1 March 2007 |accessmonthday = January 23 |accessyear=2008]

Gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.petrzalka.sk/en/buxus/generate_page.php?page_id=2016 Official municipal website]
* [http://www.panoramy.net/thumbnails.php?album=15&lang=english Panoramic photo gallery of Bratislava-Petržalka]