Svinia

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Wikipedia

Svinia
Municipality
Flag of Svinia
Flag
Svinia is located in Prešov Region
Svinia
Svinia
Location of Svinia in the Prešov Region
Svinia is located in Slovakia
Svinia
Svinia
Location of Svinia in Slovakia
Coordinates: 49°01′N 21°08′E / 49.02°N 21.13°E / 49.02; 21.13
Country Slovakia
Region Prešov Region
DistrictPrešov District
First mentioned1249
Government
 • MayorMiroslav Nawrat (Independent)
Area
[1]
 • Total
15.14 km2 (5.85 sq mi)
Elevation
[2]
361 m (1,184 ft)
Population
 (2024)[3]
 • Total
2,673
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
823 2[2]
Area code+421 51[2]
Vehicle registration plate (until 2022)PO

Svinia (Hungarian: Szinye) is a village of some 1,500 people (as of 2005[4]) in eastern Slovakia about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west from Prešov. The village covers an area of 14.734 square kilometres (5.689 sq mi). Svinia is located in the Šariš Highlands in the valley of Veľká and Mala Svinka. The village is one of the oldest villages in the former Šariš County. The village belonged to the Hungarian Merše family from Budapest from 1262 to 1918. Until 1262, the settlement of Svinia belonged to Bár-Kalán ban of Slavonia.[5]

Geography

The municipality lies at an altitude of 361 metres (1,184 ft)[2] and covers an area of 15.14 km2 (5.85 sq mi) (2024).[6]

History

The first owner of the Svinia settlement was around 1210 the Slavonian ban Bánk Bár-Kalán of the clan Bár-Kalán. He was a ban of Slavonia in the first decades of the 13th century. He owned land in the catchment area of today's Veľká and Mala Svinka. He was in the service of King Andrew II. When Bánk Bár-Kalán died, his entire property, including the settlement of Svinia, belonged to the new Hungarian king Béla IV. This proves that the village existed at the beginning of the 13th century, although the first written mention dates back to 1262. This first written mention of the village is from 1262, when it is mentioned as posessio Sanefalva, the estate of Sanefalva. This year, the Hungarian monarch, Béla IV gave large areas of land that previously belonged to the ban to general Merse as a reward for military successes against the Bulgarians. This gift included the area covering the valleys of the Veľká and Mala Svinka streams, the settlements of Svinia (Sanefalva), Chminianska Nová Ves (Vyfolu) and Jarovnice (Jarne), which lay near the Šariš Castle. This donation was also confirmed by the following rulers Stephen V and Ladislaus IV.[5]

There are two theories according to which the name of the village may have originated.

  • The first theory is that Svinia got its name from the river. The original Slovak name of today's Veľká and Mala Svinka was Svinná. The Hungarians took this name and made it the name Szinyei.
  • The second theory is that the name may also come from the word "pig". If we admit that the name captured the fact that the local servants kept pigs on behalf of the king, then the origin of the settlement would date back to the 11th and 12th centuries. However, the name does not have the characteristics of servants' villages. It follows that the village existed before the 11th century.[5]

Cultural monuments

Many culturally significant monuments have remained here in the past. These include a church, a church tower, an old rectory and two manor houses.[5]

The gothic Roman Catholic church is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The first written mention of the church is from 1274. After several reconstructions, the church still stands today. Below this church are the tombs of the owners of the Svinia estate. In the 17th century, a Renaissance tower was added to the church. The bodies of some of the victims of the Prešov slaughterhouse lay beneath it.[5]

The first manor house is a single-storey building with flat ceilings. Today it houses a special primary school.[5]

The second manor house dates from the second half of the 18th century. The rooms in this mansion are vaulted with Prussian vaults.[5]

An important event for the village of Svinia is the secret burial of the burghers of Prešov, who were executed by General Antonio di Caraff (1646–1693) in 1687.[5]

Population

Population statistic (10 years)[7]
Year1994200420142024
Count1159145220862673
Difference +25.28% +43.66% +28.13%
Population statistic[7]
Year20232024
Count25662673
Difference+4.16%

It has a population of 2673 people (31 December 2024).[8]

Ethnicity

Census 2021 (1+ %)[9][10]
EthnicityNumberFraction
Slovak173672.81%
Romani132455.53%
Not found out27311.45%
Total2384

In year 2021 was 2384 people by ethnicity 1736 as Slovak, 1324 as Romani, 273 as Not found out, 12 as Rusyn, 8 as Czech, 1 as Hungarian and 1 as Other.

Note on population: The difference between the population numbers above and in the census (here and below) is that the population numbers above are mostly made up of permanent residents, etc.; and the census should indicate the place where people actually mainly live.
For example, a student is a citizen of a village because they have permanent residence there (they lived there as a child and has parents), but most of the time he studies at a university in the city.

Religion

Census 2021 (1+ %)[11]
ReligionNumberFraction
Roman Catholic Church203685.4%
Not found out2018.43%
None964.03%
Greek Catholic Church261.09%
Total2384

In year 2021 was 2384 people by religion 2036 from Roman Catholic Church, 201 from Not found out, 96 from None, 26 from Greek Catholic Church, 6 from Eastern Orthodox Church, 6 from Evangelical Church, 5 from Church of the Brethren, 4 from Christian Congregations in Slovakia, 1 from Jewish community, 1 from Jehovah's Witnesses, 1 from Buddhism and 1 from Ad hoc movements.

Svinia consists of two settlements of similar size, one inhabited by Slovaks and the other by Romani. The Svinia Romani settlement was visited and "discovered" by Canadian anthropologists in 1993, and became the subject of the documentary film The Gypsies of Svinia. The team was shocked at the appalling and unsanitary living conditions, the 100% unemployment rate, and the divisions between white Svinia and Romani Svinia.[12] Svinia has since become infamous in Europe and has been the subject of studies, books and films. International projects to improve life for the Romani in Svinia have been ongoing since the 1990s. In 2019, Roma constituted an estimated 65% of the population of the municipality.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Hustota obyvateľstva - obce [om7014rr_obc=AREAS_SK, v_om7014rr_ukaz=Rozloha (Štvorcový meter)]". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Základná charakteristika". www.statistics.sk (in Slovak). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  3. ↑ "Počet obyvateľov podľa pohlavia - obce (ročne) [om7101rr_obce=AREAS_SK]". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  4. ↑ "Mestská a obecná štatistika SR".
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Obec Svinia | Oficiálne stránky obce | História". Obec Svinia. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  6. ↑ "Hustota obyvateľstva - obce [om7014rr_obc=AREAS_SK, v_om7014rr_ukaz=Rozloha (Štvorcový meter)]". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  7. 1 2 "Počet obyvateľov podľa pohlavia - obce (ročne) [om7101rr_obce=AREAS_SK]". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  8. ↑ "Počet obyvateľov podľa pohlavia - obce (ročne) [om7101rr_obce=AREAS_SK]". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  9. ↑ "Population - Basic results". www.scitanie.sk. Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  10. ↑ "Population - Basic results". www.scitanie.sk. Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  11. ↑ "Population - Basic results". www.scitanie.sk. Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  12. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2011-08-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ↑ Ábel Ravasz, Ľuboš Kovács and Filip Markovič, Atlas rómskych komunít 2019. Bratislava: Veda, 2020, ISBN 978-80-224-1874-4, database appendix available at: https://www.institutmatejabela.sk/ark2019
  • Media related to Svinia at Wikimedia Commons
  • Svinia Project at the Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC website