Trnava

Trnava
City
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Trnava
Coat of arms
Nickname: Malý Rím (little rome)
Country	Slovakia
Region	Trnava
District	Trnava
River	Trnávka
Elevation	146 m (479 ft)
Coordinates	48°22′39″N 17°35′18″E / 48.37750°N 17.58833°E / 48.37750; 17.58833Coordinates: 48°22′39″N 17°35′18″E / 48.37750°N 17.58833°E / 48.37750; 17.58833
Area	71.535 km2 (27.62 sq mi)
Population	65,578 (2011-07-20)
Density	917/km2 (2,375/sq mi)
First mentioned	1211
Mayor	Peter Bročka
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	917 01
Area code	+421-33
Car plate	TT
Location in Slovakia
Location in the Trnava Region
Statistics: MOŠ/MIS
Website: www.trnava.sk

Trnava (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈtr̩naʋa], also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, 47 km (29 mi) to the north-east of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a kraj (Trnava Region) and of an okres (Trnava District). It is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishopric (1541–1820 and then again since 1977). The city has a historic center. Because of the many churches within its city walls, Trnava has often been called "parva Roma", i.e. "Little Rome", or more recently, the "Slovak Rome".

The name of the city is derived from the Slovak word tŕnie ("thornbush") which characterized the river banks in the region. The Hungarian name (first mentioned in 1238 in the form of Zumbotel) originates from the Hungarian word szombat ("Saturday"), referring to the weekly market fairs held on Saturdays. The varieties of the name in different languages include German: Tyrnau; Hungarian: Nagyszombat and Latin: Tyrnavia.

Permanent settlements on the city's territory are known from the Neolithic period onwards. During the Middle Ages, an important market settlement arose here at the junction of two important roads – from Bohemia to Hungary and from the Mediterranean to Poland.