Vrútky

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Vrútky (Template:Lang-de (rare); Template:Lang-hu) is a town in northern Slovakia, close to the city of Martin. It lies in the historic Turiec region.

Geography

The town lies at the confluence of Váh and the Turiec, in the Turčianska kotlina, near the Malá Fatra mountain range. It is located 3 km (2 mi) north of the city of Martin, with which it shares a public transport system, and 25 km (16 mi) from Žilina. Additionally, the governing body of the Veľká Fatra National Park is located in Vrútky.^[1]

History

The town was first mentioned in 1255 as villa Vrutk. However, a settlement had previously existed, and had the old Slavic name vrutok.^[2] By the end of the 13th century, the settlement had been divided into Dolné Vrútky and Horné Vrútky. By 1332, the settlement was an independent parish with the Gothic church of St. John the Baptist from 1285. In 1809, the settlement had 300 inhabitants. Construction of the Košice-Bohumín Railway (1870) and a track from Salgotarján (1872), with the construction of a railway workshop in 1873 brought economic development and the status of being a key railway junction.^[2] This new status was also reflected in the increased number of inhabitants, which rose from 915 in 1869, to 1,944 in 1880 and 4,345 in 1900. Between the years 1949-1954 and 1971-1990 the town was amalgamated with Martin under the name Martin-Vrútky.^[2] The town gained independence in the year 1990, when it separated from Martin.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, the town had 7,298 inhabitants. 96.01% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.33% Czechs 0.47% Roma and 0.33 Hungarians.^[3] The religious makeup was 50.34% Roman Catholics, 24.86% people with no religious affiliation, and 19.01% Lutherans.^[3]