The Hron ( sk, Hron; german: Gran; hu, Garam; la, Granus) is a long left tributary of the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
[Plán manažmentu povodňového rizikavčiastkovom povodí Hrona]
p. 38 and the second-longest river in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
. It flows from its source in the
Low Tatra
The Low Tatras or Low Tatra ( sk, Nízke Tatry; hu, Alacsony-Tátra) is a mountain range of the Inner Western Carpathians in central Slovakia.
It is located south of the Tatras proper, from which it is separated by the valleys of the Vá ...
Mountains (below
Kráľova hoľa
Kráľova hoľa (; german: link=no, Königsberg; hu, Király-hegy, literally "King's Bald Mountain") is the highest mountain (1,946 m) of the eastern part of the Low Tatras in central Slovakia. Four rivers rise at its foot: Čierny Váh, Hnile ...
) through central and southern Slovakia, emptying into the Danube near
Štúrovo
Štúrovo (before 1948: ''Parkan''; hu, Párkány, german: Gockern, tr, Ciğerdelen) is a town in Slovakia, situated on the River Danube. Its population in 2018 was 10,279.
The town is situated opposite the Hungarian city of Esztergom. The Má ...
and
Esztergom
Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river ...
. Major cities and towns on the Hron are
Brezno
Brezno (; 1927–1948 ''Brezno nad Hronom'', german: Bries or ''Briesen'', hu, Breznóbánya) is a town in central Slovakia with a population of around 21,000.
Geography
Brezno is located within the Horehronské podolie basin. Brezno lies betw ...
,
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica (, also known by other alternative names) is a middle-sized town in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica ...
,
Sliač
Sliač ( hu, Szliács) is a small spa town located in central Slovakia, on the Hron river, between Banská Bystrica and Zvolen. The town is known for its healing hot springs and for an airport which has been used for military as well as civil purp ...
,
Zvolen
Zvolen (; hu, Zólyom; german: Altsohl) is a town in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the West ...
,
Žiar nad Hronom
Žiar nad Hronom (slang: Žiar, german: link=no, Heiligenkreuz, hu, Garamszentkereszt; until 1920 ''Svätý Kríž'' and until 1955 ''Svätý Kríž nad Hronom'') is a city in Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia.
Name development
The name of the ...
,
Žarnovica
Žarnovica (german: Scharnowitz; hu, 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.
History
The fi ...
,
Nová Baňa
Nová Baňa (german: Königsberg; hu, Újbánya) is a small town in the west of central Slovakia and the largest town of the Žarnovica District, located in the Banská Bystrica Region.
Etymology
The original name of Nová Baňa was Štiavnica ...
,
Tlmače
Tlmače is a town and municipality in the Levice District in the Nitra Region of Slovakia.
History
In historical records the town was first mentioned in 1075 as ''Talmach''. It has town status since 1986. From 1986 to 1994 the villages of Ma ...
,
Levice
Levice (; hu, Léva, Hungarian pronunciation: ; german: Lewenz, literally lionesses) is a town in western Slovakia. The town lies on the left bank of the lower Hron river. The Old Slavic name of the town was ''Leva'', which means "the Left On ...
,
Želiezovce, and Štúrovo.
The river's basin covers ,
[ which is approximately 11 percent of Slovakia's territory.
Hron is a popular destination of water tourism.
]
Etymology
The name is probably of Germanic origin; ''*Granahua'': ''gran'' – spruce, ''ahua'' – water.
History
The name of the river was mentioned for the first time in 170, when Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good E ...
wrote his ''Meditations
''Meditations'' () is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from AD 161 to 180, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.
Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the ''Meditations'' in Koine ...
'' at the Hron ( la, Granus) river.
References
Rivers of Slovakia
Tributaries of the Danube
{{Slovakia-river-stub