The

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

(; ) are an

ethnic minority The term "minority group" has different meanings, depending on the context. According to common usage, it can be defined simply as a group in society with the least number of individuals, or less than half of a population. Usually a minority g ...

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 ...

, numbering 850 people according to the 2001 census, although the relatively compact patriotic Croatian community may number as many as 3500 people. The Croatian minority has a member in the Slovak Council for Minorities.

Populated areas

Croats mainly live in the

Bratislava Region The Bratislava Region (, ; (until 1919); ) is one of the Regions of Slovakia, administrative regions of Slovakia. Its capital is Bratislava. The region was first established in 1923 and its present borders exist from 1996. It is the smallest of ...

. They went there during the Ottoman wars in Croatia, with most arriving between 1530 and 1570. This emigration started after the

Battle of Mohács The Battle of Mohács (; , ) took place on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, in the Kingdom of Hungary. It was fought between the forces of Hungary, led by King Louis II of Hungary, Louis II, and the invading Ottoman Empire, commanded by Suleima ...

in 1528, with most of the migrants coming from the

Sisak Sisak (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in central Croatia, spanning the confluence of the Kupa, Sava and Odra rivers, southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and is usually considered to be where the Posavina (Sava basin ...

region, Kostajnica,

Čazma Čazma is a town in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Croatia. It is part of Moslavina. Geography Čazma is situated 60 kilometers east of Zagreb and only 30 kilometres from the center of the region - Bjelovar. Čazma is situated on the slopes of ...

, Križevci,

Slunj Slunj is a town in the mountainous part of Central Croatia, located along the important North-South route to the Adriatic Sea between Karlovac and Plitvice Lakes National Park, on the meeting of the rivers Korana and Slunjčica. Slunj has a popu ...

, and

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

. Traditionally Croat-populated villages in Slovakia are

Chorvátsky Grob Chorvátsky Grob (, , ) is a village and municipality in western Slovakia in Senec District in the Bratislava region. It has a population of around 6,000 people. The village's name Chorvátsky means Croatian. This refers to the Croatian people th ...

(Hrvatski Grob),

Čunovo Čunovo (, , ) is a small part of Bratislava, Slovakia, in the southern area near the Hungary, Hungarian border. It is located close to the Gabčíkovo - Nagymaros Dams. History Čunovo was first mentioned as a village in 1232 under the name ''C ...

Devínska Nová Ves Devínska Nová Ves (, , ) is a borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Its western borders are formed by the Morava River, which also forms the national border between Slovakia and Austria. Devínska Nová Ves is notable mainly for its ...

(Devinsko Novo Selo), Rusovce (Rosvar) and Jarovce (Hrvatski Jandrof).

Culture

Croatian organisations in Slovakia include the Croatian Cultural Alliance () as well as several smaller folklore groups. Alliance organizes Croatian festival in Devinsko Novo Selo, with concerts, exhibitions and gastronomy. The writer of the first Croatian-Slovak dictionary, Ferdinand Takač is a Croat from Chorvátsky Grob. There is also the Museum of Croatian Culture in Slovakia in Devínska Nová Ves. Croatian settlement in Slovakia

Since Slovak independence, the Croats of Slovakia have maintained good ties with other autochthonous Croatian communities in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Famous people

The former

President of Slovakia The president of the Slovak Republic () serves as the head of state of Slovakia and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The people directly elect the president for five years, for a maximum of two consecutive terms. The presidency is essent ...

Ivan Gašparovič is of Croat descent.

References

External links

Croatian minority in Slovakia

Croats in Slovakia

The Ethnocultural Development of Croatians in Slovakia
(in English and Croatian) {{Portal bar, Croatia, Slovakia *

Ethnic groups in Slovakia

Populated areas

Culture

Famous people

See also

References

External links