Želiezovce

Želiezovce (Hungarian: Zselíz, until 1895: Zseliz; German: Zelis) is a town in Slovakia in the Nitra Region in the Levice District, near the Hron river.

Želiezovce Zselíz
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms
Želiezovce Location of Želiezovce in the Nitra Region Show map of Nitra Region Želiezovce Location of Želiezovce in Slovakia Show map of Slovakia
Coordinates: 48.05°N 18.66°E / 48.05; 18.66
Country	Slovakia
Region	Nitra Region
District	Levice District
First mentioned	1274
Government
• Mayor	András Juhász (Independent)
Area [1]
• Total	56.52 km2 (21.82 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	139 m (456 ft)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	6,588
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	937 01[2]
Area code	+421 36[2]
Car plate	LV
Website	www.zeliezovce.sk

Geography

The municipality lies at an altitude of 139 metres (456 ft)^[2] and covers an area of 56.52 km² (21.82 sq mi) (2024).^[4]

Districts

• Jarok (Hungarian: Nyitra-Ivánka)^[5]
• Karolína
• Mikula (1967 established) (Hungarian: Garam-Mikola)^[6]
• Rozina (Hungarian: Rozina major), named after Rozina Esterházy (Festetics) (1779 - 1854)
• Svodov (1976 established) (Hungarian: Szodó, Szódó, Yiddish: Sudov)
• Veľký Dvor (Hungarian: Kerek-Udvardi puszta)^[7]
• Želiezovce

History

The territory of the settlement was inhabited as early as the Bronze Age, the Quadi period and the Great Moravian period. The town was first mentioned in 1274. It was heavily damaged at the end of World War II.

Archeology

The town gave name to the archeological Želiezovce group (named after a find in Veľký Pesek, now part of the village Sikenica, which was part of Želiezovce in 1986-1992).

St James Church

The most notable monument of Želiezovce is the medieval church of St James the Greater, situated in the town centre. It was built in its current form in the mid-fourteenth century, combining a polygonal apse with a single nave. The building has been richly decorated with at least four different layers of wall painting, which survive from the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. The original context of these murals has been analysed in detail in the recent monograph (2018) by Krisztina Ilko, "The Medieval Wall Paintings of the Church of St James in Želiezovce."^[8] Ilko has investigated how the wall paintings were connected to the patronage of the Becsei family who intended to develop a new dynastic seat in Želiezovce. The focal point of this research was the unique iconography of a fresco from the 1380s in the apse which depicts a celestial trial for the departing soul of the local landlord and knight George Becsei. Other surviving murals include a Man of Sorrows on the south-eastern wall of the apse, St Catherine in a sedilia in the nave, and SS Martin and Leonard of Noblac further down on the south wall of the nave.

Population

Population statistic (10 years)^[9]

Year	1994	2004	2014	2024
Count	7602	7522	7056	6558
Difference		−1.05%	−6.19%	−7.05%

Population statistic^[9]

Year	2023	2024
Count	6588	6558
Difference		−0.45%

It has a population of 6558 people (31 December 2024).^[10]

According to the 2001 census, the town had 7,522 inhabitants. 51.25% of inhabitants were Hungarians, 47.10% Slovaks, 0.55% Roma and 0.49% Czechs.^[11] The religious make-up was 61.27% Roman Catholics, 18.43% people with no religious affiliation, and 6.37% Lutherans.^[11]

Ethnicity

Census 2021 (1+ %)^[12][13]

Ethnicity	Number	Fraction
Slovak	3519	52.08%
Hungarian	2993	44.3%
Not found out	551	8.15%
Total	6756

In year 2021 was 6756 people by ethnicity 3519 as Slovak, 2993 as Hungarian, 551 as Not found out, 33 as Czech, 16 as Romani, 6 as Chinese, 6 as Other, 5 as Ukrainian, 5 as Rusyn, 5 as Russian, 4 as Bulgarian, 3 as Vietnamese, 3 as Polish, 2 as German, 1 as Italian, 1 as Moravian and 1 as French.

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 he has permanent residence there (he 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+ %)^[14]

Religion	Number	Fraction
Roman Catholic Church	3012	44.58%
None	2151	31.84%
Calvinist Church	630	9.33%
Not found out	514	7.61%
Evangelical Church	256	3.79%
Total	6756

In year 2021 was 6756 people by religion 3012 from Roman Catholic Church, 2151 from None, 630 from Calvinist Church, 514 from Not found out, 256 from Evangelical Church, 62 from Greek Catholic Church, 30 from Jehovah's Witnesses, 19 from Other, 17 from Christian Congregations in Slovakia, 13 from Ad hoc movements, 10 from Other and not ascertained christian church, 10 from United Methodist Church, 7 from Buddhism, 5 from Old Catholic Church, 5 from Eastern Orthodox Church, 3 from Islam, 3 from Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2 from Church of the Brethren, 2 from Baptists Church, 1 from Jewish community, 1 from Paganism and natural spirituality, 1 from Hinduism, 1 from Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and 1 from Bahá'i Community.

Features

The Schubert House or Owl Chateau

The town is known for a former Neoclassical residence of Count Johann Karl Esterházy, where the Austrian composer Franz Schubert taught music to the Count's daughters Maria and Karoline in the summers of 1818 and 1824. Apart from a nice large park, there is another important building: the Schubert House or Owl Chateau (Slovak: Soví zámoček, Magyar: Baglyosház), where Franz Schubert stayed, and composed some of his works. Finally, the town features a Gothic Catholic church, severely damaged in 1945.

People

• Franz Schubert, wrote his Grand Duo, Marche militaire and Ungarische Melodie D 817 here
• Eduard Sacher [de], born here
• Timea Majorova, lived here
• Attila Mokos, born here

Twin towns — sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Slovakia

Želiezovce is twinned with:^[15]

• Miercurea Ciuc, Romania
• Makó, Hungary
• Barcs, Hungary
• Trstená, Slovakia