Čierny Balog (until 1888 also Balog or Čierny Hronec; ) is a municipality in

Brezno District Brezno District (; ) is a district in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary ...

, in the

Banská Bystrica Region The Banská Bystrica Region (, ; , ) is one of the eight regions of Slovakia. It is the largest of the eight regions by area, and has a lower population density than any other region. The Banská Bystrica Region was established in 1923; its bord ...

of central

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, 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 west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

History

The first written record of the settlement in the area dates back to 1607 when the Emperor Rudolf II. issued a decree to regulate the growing timber industry in the region. Čierny Balog arose in 1888 through a merger of thirteen villages, i.e., Balog, Krám, Dobroč, Dolina, Fajtov, Jánošovka, Jergov, Komov, Látky, Medveďov, Pustô, Vydrovo, and Závodie. Until 1918, it belonged to

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

as part of

Zólyom County Zvolen (; ; ) is a city in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina River (Slovakia), Slatina rivers. It is famous for several historical and cultural attractions. It is surrounded by Poľana Protected Landscape Area, Po� ...

(: Zvolenská stolica). It played an important role during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as one of the centers of the anti-Fascist

Slovak National uprising Slovak National Uprising ( Slovak: ''Slovenské národné povstanie'', abbreviated SNP; alternatively also ''Povstanie roku 1944'', English: ''The Uprising of 1944'') was organised by the Slovak resistance during the Second World War, directed ag ...

. By 2024 the largest village in the Banská Bystrica Region, it punches well above its weight due to the number of notable natives, as well as its cultural and natural heritage such as the

Čierny Hron Railway The Čierny Hron Railway (in Slovak: ''Čiernohronská železnica'' or ''ČHŽ'') is a narrow gauge railway in the Slovak Ore Mountains, built as a forest railway for logging operations. History Planning for the railway began in 1898 and b ...

and Dobroč Primeval Forest.

Notable natives

* Jozef Dekrét Matejovie (* 1774 – † 1841), pioneer in forest restoration and founder of modern forestry * Róbert Albert Gottier (* 1897 – † 1968), functionary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, organizer of the anti-fascist movement and the Slovak National Uprising in Horehronie. Vice-President of the National Assembly (1945–1954) * Ladislav Ťažký (* 1924 – † 2011), prose writer, journalist, playwright, and screenwriter * Jozef Kliment (* 1928 – † 2007), agricultural expert and university professor * Anton Auxt (* 1931 – † 1987), educator and mathematician * Anton Dekrét (* 1932), mathematician and university educator *

Peter Kováčik Peter Kováčik (born 1 December 2001) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a right midfielder or right-back for Slovak First Football League club Železiarne Podbrezová, on loan from Como. Club career Železiarne Podbrezová Kov� ...

(* 1936), prose writer, playwright, and film screenwriter * Tibor Šagát, (* 1942), physician and politician

Twin towns – sister cities

Čierny Balog is twinned with: *

Týniště nad Orlicí Týniště nad Orlicí () is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,300 inhabitants. Administrative division Týniště nad Orlicí consists of six municipal parts (in brackets ...

, Czech Republic

References

Genealogical resources

The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Státný archiv in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia" * Roman Catholic church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1656–1896 (parish A)

External links