Devínska Nová Ves

Devínska Nová Ves
Borough
Country	Slovakia
Region	Bratislava Region
District	Bratislava IV
Elevation	172 m (564 ft)
Coordinates	48°12′34″N 16°58′22″E / 48.20944°N 16.97278°E / 48.20944; 16.97278Coordinates: 48°12′34″N 16°58′22″E / 48.20944°N 16.97278°E / 48.20944; 16.97278
Area	24.3 km2 (9.4 sq mi)
Population	17,077 (2004)
Density	703/km2 (1,821/sq mi)
Postal code	8410X
Area code	+421-02
Car plate	BA, BL
Location of Devínska Nová Ves in Slovakia
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Devínska Nová Ves (Hungarian: Dévényújfalu, Croatian: Devinsko Novo Selo, German: Theben-Neudorf) is a borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Its western borders are formed by the Morava River, which also represents the national border between Slovakia and Austria. Devínska Nová Ves is notable mainly for its large Volkswagen factory and for being the last Slovak stop on the main train line to Vienna. However, it does have some hidden gems worth exploring. Among other things, it is home to the largest Croatian community in Slovakia, and has a museum to prove it. Croatian is still spoken here, as well as in Čuňovo and Jarovce, villages on the south bank of the Danube. The wider presence of Croatian settlers is recalled by local place names such as Chorvátsky Grob, north-east of Bratislava (Chorvátsko is the Slovak name for Croatia).

Devínska Nová Ves borders Devín to the south, the river Morava and Austria to the west, Záhorská Bystrica to the far north-east and Lamač and Dúbravka to the south-east.

Devínska Nová Ves is divided into 6 local parts: Devínske Jazero, Kostolné, Podhorské, Paulinské, Sídlisko Stred and Vápenka. Unofficially it is also locally divided into four further parts: "Stara Dedina", Kolónia, Grba and Slovinec.

Devínska Nová Ves was mentioned for the first time around 1451 as Nová Ves. During the 17th-centuries, the village was growing and after an influx of Croats, the village acquired the name Chorvátska Nová Ves. In the 18th century, a sand mine was built here near Sandberg and later in the 19th century, stone was quarried here as well. In 1848, the village was renamed once more to its current name. In 1918, the village was a site of battle between the Czechoslovak and Hungarian armies as part of fights for Bratislava, and Czechoslovak troops emerged victorious. In 1948, Devínska Nová Ves was near the border of two different political systems, and in 1955 the Iron Curtain was constructed across the territory the village. It was also one of the escape routes to Austria, by swimming across the Morava river. On 1 January 1972, Devínska Nová Ves was made an official borough of Bratislava. In the 1970s and 1980s, new auto plants were built, first Bratislavské automobilové závody (BAZ, later a factory of Volkswagen), which spurred the construction of new apartment blocks in the borough in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s, the Iron Curtain was dismantled.