Žarnovica

Žarnovica (German: Scharnowitz; Hungarian: Zsarnóca) is a town and municipality in the Žarnovica District, Banská Bystrica Region in Slovakia. The town is situated in the Hron river valley. It has a population of around 6,000 people.

Žarnovica Zsarnóca
Municipality
Ruins of castle Revište in municipal district Revištské Podzámčie
Flag Coat of arms
Žarnovica Location of Žarnovica in the Banská Bystrica Region Show map of Banská Bystrica Region Žarnovica Location of Žarnovica in Slovakia Show map of Slovakia
Coordinates: 48.48°N 18.72°E / 48.48; 18.72
Country	Slovakia
Region	Banská Bystrica Region
District	Žarnovica District
First mentioned	1332
Government
• Mayor	Alena Kazimírová
Area [1]
• Total	30.40 km2 (11.74 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	252 m (827 ft)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	5,699
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	966 81[2]
Area code	+421 45[2]
Car plate	ZC
Website	www.zarnovica.sk

History

The first written mention about Žarnovica is dated to 1332.

Geography

Žarnovica lies at an altitude of 230 metres (755 ft) above sea level and covers an area of 30.4 square kilometres (11.7 sq mi).^[4] It is located in the Žiar Basin in central Slovakia, on the Hron River, between Vtáčnik and Štiavnické vrchy mountain ranges.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1970	4,030	—
1980	4,669	+15.9%
1991	6,532	+39.9%
2001	6,596	+1.0%
2011	6,490	−1.6%
2021	5,830	−10.2%
Source: Censuses[5][6]

According to the 2001 census, the town had 6,596 inhabitants. 95.59% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.61% Roma and 0.73% Czechs. The religious make-up was 78.73% Roman Catholics, 15.25% people with no religious affiliation and 1.32% Lutherans.^[4]

Sport

• Speedway Žarnovica is a motorcycle speedway venue in the centre of the town. It hosts major international events.^[7]