Štúrovo | ||
Párkány | ||
Town | ||
Landscape of the town with Mária Valéria Bridge over the Danube as seen from the Esztergom Basilica
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Country | Slovakia | |
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Region | Nitra | |
District | Nové Zámky | |
Rivers | Danube, Hron | |
Elevation | 111 m (364 ft) | |
Coordinates | 47°47′57″N 18°43′05″E / 47.79917°N 18.71806°ECoordinates: 47°47′57″N 18°43′05″E / 47.79917°N 18.71806°E | |
Area | 13.13 km2 (5 sq mi) | |
Population | 11,172 (2005-12-31) | |
Density | 851/km2 (2,204/sq mi) | |
First mentioned | 1075 | |
Mayor | Eugen Szabó | |
Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | |
- summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
Postal code | 943 01 | |
Phone prefix | 421-36 | |
Car plate | NZ | |
Website: http://www.sturovo.sk | ||
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Štúrovo (Hungarian: Párkány, German: Gockern, Turkish: Ciğerdelen) is a town in Slovakia, situated on the River Danube. Its population in 2005 was 11,172.
The town is situated opposite the Hungarian city of Esztergom. The Mária Valéria bridge connects the settlements. The bridge was destroyed in 1944 during World War II, but reconstructed in 2001.
The initial name of the settlement was Kokot – the common Slavic word for a rooster (the word still exists in Slovak as a vulgarism). Kokot (1075), Cokot (1157), Kakath (1277). Later Slovak and Hungarian name was adopted from Turkish Cigerdelen Parkani (1543) – "the fortress stabbing to the liver of the enemy". It was given its current name after World War II and is named after the 19th century Slovak national leader, Ľudovít Štúr. There was an attempt to return to the old name in a local 1991 referendum; however the government refused to rename the town. The Hungarian name Párkány is officially used as a name in a minority language.
The town was inhabited in the prehistoric ages, thanks to its favourable location. At one time, it was an important river crossing, and part of the Limes Romanus system named as Avanum during Roman rule. In the 16th century, after the Turks conquered Buda in 1541, the town, along with Esztergom, came under the Ottoman rule. Many attempts to retake the town from the Turks followed, but they were unsuccessful except 1595–1605 period, until 1683, when the Turks lost a battle near Párkány which became referred to as Ciğerdelen ("Liver driller" in Turkish) during the Ottoman rule.