Topolcany

Topolcany is  (situated)  in the south-west of Slovakia. It is a small town. It has thirty thousand inhabitants. It has a population of thirty thousand people.

The river Nitra flows/ runs near (the edge/outskirts of) the town. The town is situated in a valley surrounded by three mountain ranges.  

The town is eight hundred years old. / the history of the town dates back to the 12^th century.

In the main square are historical buildings, the church and the Town hall. The main square is dominated by two historical buildings, the Roman catholic church and the Town hall. The mayor has his office in the Town hall and the town council has its meetings there, too.

Along the river are embankments, which were built in the last century. As a result the town has not been flooded in the recent years. the embankment is a popular place for walking or jogging. In the past people named the area near the river “Venice” because of regular floods.

Nowadays there are two large housing estates in the area. One is called  “The east” and the other “The south”. Thousands of people live in apartment blocks/buildings on these housing estates.

There are plenty of benches and pavement cafés in the main square. If you want to take a rest, have a chat with a friend or have a cup of coffee, this is the right place.

There are lots of shops, too. If you want to shop for groceries, toiletries, stationery or something else, all shops are within walking distance either in the square or in the nearby streets.

In every corner of thesquare is a statue of a saint placed on a column. There is also a fountain behind the church. Outside the town hall, you will see a statue of a man, sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall with his feet on a sack. The statue is called “Žochar”. it is a nickname for an inhabitant of Topolcany. It means a man with a sack. It is believed that workers like him used to carry sacks of corn during harvest.

A few markets are held by the town in spring, summer and autumn. Today the stands sell junk or clothes. in the past farmers used to sell cows and pigs.

Tourists looking for a place to stay shouldn´t expect any huge hotels. However, there are a few nice guesthouses which offer accommodation and serve meals.

Even our school´s hall of residence operates as a hostel. Hostels offer the cheapest accommodation.

The name of the town comes from an old Slavic word meaning “warm/hot”. The name probably refers to hot springs which were here at the time of the first settlement.

In the neighbouring villages you can visit ruins of castles which are worth seeing.

The town has cultural, medical, transport, sports facilities, several stadiums and sports halls, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a railway and bus station, a hospital, a library, a cinema and a few important factories like Hyza or Decodom.

The nearest theatre is in Nitra and the nearest opera is in Bratislava.