Slovaks The Slovaks ( sk, Slováci, singular: ''Slovák'', feminine: ''Slovenka'', plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovak. In Slovakia, 4.4 mi ...

are one of the recognized autochthonous minorities of Croatia. According to 2011 census, there were 4,753 Slovaks in the country.

History

Slovaks mainly migrated to

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

in the 19th century, and to a much lesser extent in the 20th century. Many were peasants from the poverty-stricken region of

Kysuce Kysuce is a traditional informal name of a region in north-western Slovakia, situated around the Kysuca river and bordering the Orava region in the east, Poland in the north and the Czech Republic in the west. It consists of two districts: Čadc ...

in northwestern

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 ...

.Vazanova, Jadranka. ''Ceremonial wedding tunes in the context of Slovak traditional culture''. Proquest Information and Learning: Ann Arbor, 2008. Several notable Croatians are of Slovak descent, including philologist cardinal

Juraj Haulik Juraj Haulik de Váralya ( sk, Juraj Haulík Váralyai, hu, Haulík Váralyai György; 20 April 1788 – 11 May 1869) was a Croatian cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church of Slovak ethnicity and the first archbishop of Zagreb. He was also acti ...

Bogoslav Šulek Bogoslav Šulek (born Bohuslav Šulek; April 20, 1816 – November 30, 1895) was a Croatian philologist, historian and lexicographer. He was very influential in creating Croatian terminology in the areas of social and natural sciences, technology a ...

and writer

August Šenoa August Ivan Nepomuk Eduard Šenoa (; originally Schönoa; 14 November 1838 – 13 December 1881) was a Croatian novelist. Born to an ethnic German and Slovak family, Šenoa became a key figure in the development of an independent literary tradi ...

. Slovaks are officially recognized as an autochthonous national minority, and as such, together with the

Czechs of Croatia Czechs are one of the recognised minorities of Croatia. According to the census of 2011 there were 9,641 Czechs in Croatia, comprising 0.22% of total population. Geographic representation Most Croatian Czechs live in Western Slavonia especiall ...

, elect a special representative to the

Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sa ...

Geographic representation

Most Croatian Slovaks live in the region of

Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Bar ...

, with the majority residing in the

Osijek-Baranja Osijek-Baranja County (, hr, Osječko-baranjska županija, hu, Eszék-Baranya megye) is a county in Croatia, located in northeastern Slavonia and Baranja. Its center is Osijek. Other towns include Đakovo, Našice, Valpovo, Belišće, and ...

and the Vukovar-Syrmia counties. The following were reported as settlements with a significant Slovak minority, as of the 2001 census. Towns: *

Ilok Ilok () is the easternmost town in Croatia forming a geographic salient surrounded by Vojvodina. Located in the Syrmia region, it lies on a hill overlooking the Danube river, which forms the border with the Bačka region of Serbia. The pop ...

, 1,044 (12.5%) *

Našice Našice () is a town in eastern Croatia, located on the northern slopes of the Krndija mountain in eastern Slavonia, 51 km southwest of regional hub Osijek. Administratively it belongs to Osijek-Baranja County. Geography Našice is located ...

, 964 (5.57%) Municipalities: * Punitovci 658 (35.57%) * Lipovljani, 123 (3%) * Vrbanja, 72 (1.39%) * Koška, 50 (1.13%) * Drenje, 34 (1.1%) Villages: * Jelisavac by Našice * Jurjevac Punitovački by Punitovci * Markovac * Soljani , Slovak language is officially used in one municipality and one other settlement in Croatia, according to the

European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) is a European treaty (CETS 148) adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe to protect and promote historical regional and minority languages in Europe. However, th ...

Culture

The Union of Slovaks was established in 1992 and focused on preserving Slovak culture and language, along with the creation of its magazine, ''Prameň''. In 1998 the Central Library of Slovaks in the Republic of Croatia was founded. In

, the Cultural Society of Ljudevit Štur (''KUD Ljudevit Štur'').

Notable people

Ljudevit Gaj Ljudevit Gaj (; born Ludwig Gay; hu, Gáj Lajos; 8 August 1809 – 20 April 1872) was a Croatian linguist, politician, journalist and writer. He was one of the central figures of the pan-Slavist Illyrian movement. Biography Origin He was bor ...

(1809–1872), linguist * Slavoljub Eduard Penkala (1871-1922), engineer and inventor *

(1838-1881), novelist *

Domagoj Vida Domagoj Vida (; born 29 April 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Super League Greece club AEK Athens and the Croatia national team. He is capable of playing in any defensive position but is mostly deployed a ...

(born 1989), football player

References

External links