Pukanec
Encyclopedia
Pukanec is a village and municipality
in the Levice District
in the Nitra Region
of southern Slovakia
.
In historical records Pukanec was first mentioned in 1075 under the name villa Baka, a location in the region of today's Pukanec and Devičany. This note describes the borders of ownership of land given by the Hungarian King to the Monastery in Hronský Beňadik Hronský Beňadik
. Outside these borders there was a land of miners. And in this document there is only one "villa Baka" mentioned, which means that there was only one Baka - with Slovak inhabitants.
Afterwards in later notes from the 11th and 12th centuries AD Nemeth and Toth Baka are mentioned as two separate settlements. The Toth Baka - the Slovak one, is older. And as far as is known the first German colonist arrived in the 12th century AD, which means that the mention from the year 1075 is a mention of Toth Baka, which is today's Devičany. As far as we know, the Nemeth Baka - the German one ("Nemeth" is a Hungarian word referring to Germans), was established later by Schwabian Germans. Today's Pukanec is descended from the German Baka.
Lacking of records to put this to discussion, perhaps future systematic archaeological excavations will reveal the truth.
The name Pukanec comes from Bukan which was the exclusive name of the grand noble family of Hont-Pázmány
, the first known owner of Baka http://vvv.juls.savba.sk/ks/2005/2/ks2005-2.txt. In 1270 the first written mention about silver ore is made. In 1323, King Charles I of Hungary
granted town rights to Pukanec. Just 22 years later, it became a free royal mining town. In 1405. King Sigismund
declared a free mining enterprise and ordered to build fortifications. From 1424 until 1548, along with other mining towns it was property of queens. On April 1564, the Turks, attacking from the south, appeared below the city gates but were repulsed until 1 October 1640 when they successfully raided and sacked the town. The Turks again raided and sacked Pukanec in 1664. She was a sanjak
of Uyvar
eyalet as Bukabak for 22 years in Ottoman Empire
. Those events marked the beginning of Pukanec's decline, when the mines were slowly depleted. Towards the end of the 18th century, only one mine was still rich in gold. The last record about mining in Pukanec was in 1842, though some mining activity continued until 1891. In 1876, Pukanec was demoted from the royal free mining town to a municipality belonging to the Hont
county.
, in the Sikenica river valley. It is located around 18 km northeast of Levice
.
, 0.6% Hungarian, and 1.1% Roma.
a gym
and football pitch
.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the Levice District
Levice District
Levice District is a district inthe Nitra Region of western Slovakia. It is the largest of Slovakia's 79 districts.The west of the district was in the Hungarian county of Tekov until 1918, while the east of the district was in Hont County: Farná in the south was in the county of Esztergom .-...
in the Nitra Region
Nitra Region
The Nitra Region is one of the administrative regions of Slovakia.-Geography:This region with a long history is situated in the southwest of Slovakia, mostly in the eastern part of the Danubian Lowland. It is divided into two sub-units: the Danubian Flat in the south-west, with eastern part of the...
of southern Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
History
In the past, it was one of the nine free royal mining towns, where silver and other precious ore was mined.In historical records Pukanec was first mentioned in 1075 under the name villa Baka, a location in the region of today's Pukanec and Devičany. This note describes the borders of ownership of land given by the Hungarian King to the Monastery in Hronský Beňadik Hronský Beňadik
Hronský Benadik
Hronský Beňadik is a village in central Slovakia...
. Outside these borders there was a land of miners. And in this document there is only one "villa Baka" mentioned, which means that there was only one Baka - with Slovak inhabitants.
Afterwards in later notes from the 11th and 12th centuries AD Nemeth and Toth Baka are mentioned as two separate settlements. The Toth Baka - the Slovak one, is older. And as far as is known the first German colonist arrived in the 12th century AD, which means that the mention from the year 1075 is a mention of Toth Baka, which is today's Devičany. As far as we know, the Nemeth Baka - the German one ("Nemeth" is a Hungarian word referring to Germans), was established later by Schwabian Germans. Today's Pukanec is descended from the German Baka.
Lacking of records to put this to discussion, perhaps future systematic archaeological excavations will reveal the truth.
The name Pukanec comes from Bukan which was the exclusive name of the grand noble family of Hont-Pázmány
Hont-Pázmány
Hont-Pázmány was the name of a gens in the Kingdom of Hungary. The Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum mentions that the ancestors of the family arrived, in the late 9th century, to the court of Grand Prince Géza of the Magyars from the Duchy of Swabia .The clan Hontpaznan was...
, the first known owner of Baka http://vvv.juls.savba.sk/ks/2005/2/ks2005-2.txt. In 1270 the first written mention about silver ore is made. In 1323, King Charles I of Hungary
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...
granted town rights to Pukanec. Just 22 years later, it became a free royal mining town. In 1405. King Sigismund
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
declared a free mining enterprise and ordered to build fortifications. From 1424 until 1548, along with other mining towns it was property of queens. On April 1564, the Turks, attacking from the south, appeared below the city gates but were repulsed until 1 October 1640 when they successfully raided and sacked the town. The Turks again raided and sacked Pukanec in 1664. She was a sanjak
Sanjak
Sanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
of Uyvar
Nové Zámky
Nové Zámky is a town in southwestern Slovakia.-Geography:The town is located on the Danubian Lowland, on the Nitra River, at an altitude of 119 metres. It is located around 100 km from Bratislava and around 25 km from the Hungarian border. It is a road and railway hub of southern...
eyalet as Bukabak for 22 years in Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Those events marked the beginning of Pukanec's decline, when the mines were slowly depleted. Towards the end of the 18th century, only one mine was still rich in gold. The last record about mining in Pukanec was in 1842, though some mining activity continued until 1891. In 1876, Pukanec was demoted from the royal free mining town to a municipality belonging to the Hont
Hont
Hont is the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary and then shortly of Czechoslovakia...
county.
Geography
The village lies at an altitude of 354 metres and covers an area of 26.196 km². It has a population of 2067 people. It is located near the Štiavnica MountainsŠtiavnica Mountains
The Štiavnica Mountains are a volcanic mountain range southern central Slovakia. They are part of Inner Western Carpathians and the Slovenské stredohorie Mountains...
, in the Sikenica river valley. It is located around 18 km northeast of Levice
Levice
Levice is a town in western Slovakia. The town lies on the left bank of the lower Hron river. The Old Slavic name of the town was Leva, which means "the Left One"....
.
Demographics
The village is approximately 95.7% SlovakSlovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
, 0.6% Hungarian, and 1.1% Roma.
Facilities
The village has a public libraryLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
and football pitch
Association football pitch
An association football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define...
.