Divinka () is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Žilina District Žilina District () is an ''okres'' (district) of the Žilina Region in north-western Slovakia. The district was first established in 1923. Its present borders date from 1996. The heart of the district is the Váh and Rajec river valleys. Urbaniza ...

in the

Žilina Region The Žilina Region (; ; ) is one of the eight Regions of Slovakia, Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts (okresy) and 315 municipalities, from which 18 have a town status. The region was established in 1923, however, in its p ...

of northern

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 modern village of Divinka consists of two parts, which were originally two separate villages: Divinka (former Malá Divina) and Lalinok, which merged in 1911. During the

Austro-Hungarian 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 between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

period, the village was a part of

Trencsén County Trencsén county (Latin: ''comitatus Trentsiniensis / Trenchiniensis''; Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Trencsén (vár)megye''; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Trenčiansky komitát / Trenčianska stolica / Trenčianska župa''; ) was an administra ...

and belonged to the district of

Kysucké Nové Mesto Kysucké Nové Mesto ( / ''Oberneustadl''; ) is a town in Žilina Region, Slovakia, near the city of Žilina. History The first signs of settlement In 1976 lumps of burnt clay and ceramics were found under Stránsky vrch, which highlighted the ...

. The Veľký Vrch hill was fortified with ramparts of a vast hillfort, that rise up majestically above the village Divinka, which, thanks to its strategic location, has been inhabited since ancient times. This place, which gave many important testimonies of settlement in the times long before the first written mention of Divinka or Lalinok, is today a well-known cultural, historical and natural site. The castle occupies an area of approximately 12 hectares. Pieces of ceramics, iron, bronze and gold objects have been found there. The most famous discovery is the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

coin type "Divinka". The first written mention of Lalinok dates back to April 4, 1325, in the document dealing with the property transfers of the noble Borčický family, Lalinok is referred to as ''Lylihng''. The earliest direct written record of Divinka is preserved in the letter of the Nitra

Cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

(

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Capitulum Ecclesiae Nitriensis''), dated to March 19, 1393. The Chapter announced not only King

Sigismund of Luxembourg Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elec ...

but all the villages of the Lietava estate, including Divinka (referred to as ''Kysdywyne'') and Lalinok (referred to as ''Lelenk''), too, that the new lawful overlord of Lietava castle and the estate had become Dezider from Kapla. Local residents have retained traditional folk costumes as well as dialect, but they are no longer worn. In the middle of the 19th century, divinity and tinker trade were the two most widespread crafts. A typical feature of this region was emigration. Local people traveled to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

to work there.

Geography

The

lies at an

altitude Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...

of 327 metres and covers an

area Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...

of 5.174 km². It has a

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of about 1 024 people. Divinka is surrounded by a number of hills: Malý vrch, Veľký vrch, Prašivá, Všivák and Bok. Lalinok is surrounded by Homola and Hradisko. The highest point in the land area is the peak of Prašivá, with an altitude of 626 m above sea level.

Religion

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

The village has a strong Roman Catholic tradition. From the point of view of church autonomy, Divinka and Lalinok have never formed a separate parish. They have always been in the administration of other parishes since their creation. The municipalities alternately belonged to the Parish district

Dolný Hričov Dolný Hričov () is a village and municipality in Žilina District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1208. Geography The municipality lies at an altitude of 316 metres ...

. After the establishment of a separate parish in the nearby village called Divina (former ''Veľká Divina'') in 1771, Divinka and Lalinok joined it. Today, the village belongs to the administration of the Diocese of Žilina.

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

An integral part of the history and demography of Divinka and Lalinok was also the Jewish ethnicity. The

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

moved to Divinka and Lalinok sometime in the first half of the 19th century and devoted themselves to timber trade and tavern services. The Jews left voluntarily later in 1918, after selling out their possessions to local residents.

Monuments

Divinka

* Former Ancient fortress Veľký vrch – Archaeological site registered in the Central List of the Slovak Memorial Fund. *Renaissance Suňogs´ mansion from the 16th century. Mansion is registered in the Central List of the Slovak Memorial Fund. * Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk from 1742, which was built by Agnes Suňog. Chapel is registered in the Central List of the Slovak Memorial Fund. * St. Anna's Chapel at the local cemetery, which was built in the middle of the 18th century by Steven Višňovský. *

Observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...

in Malý vrch.

Lalinok

* Walled cross from 1907 with the Art Nouveau elements. * Small chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, coming from the late 19th century. * Bell tower with the bell from 1819. * Memorial dedicated to

WWI World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

victims from Lalinok village. The memorial is located at the local

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

. In Lalinok, old wooden folk houses from the 19th century have been preserved. A single track railway, which does not exist anymore, was the curiosity of Lalinok. It was used to transport material from the stone quarry in Divinka to construct the county road from Budatín to

Kotešová Kotešová () is a village and municipality in Bytča District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1243. Geography The municipality lies at an altitude of 330 metres and c ...

. In the past, there were two mills in Divinka, one of which is now used as the Municipal office building. File:Divinka minca.jpg, Celtic coin type "Divinka" File:Divinka zvon.jpg, Bell from 1819 in bell tower in Lalinok File:Divina obec centrum 2016.png, Aerial view of neighboring Divina (left) and Lalinok (right) File:WWI Memorial in Lalinok (Divinka).jpg, WWI Memorial in Lalinok

Genealogical resources

The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Štátny archív v Žiline so sídlom v Bytči". * Roman Catholic church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1690 – 1898 (parish B)

Sport

Ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

is the most popular among sporting activities, locally. The origin of the skiing sport in Lalinok can be dated to 1940. Legendary were also the biking races that arose in 1991 and had a long tradition in the village. Like everywhere in the surrounding villages, Divinka and Lalinok have their own football history. At first

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

was played on natural playing fields with handball balls while the cattle grazed. Since 1939, Easter football tournaments have been played in nearby Svederník. Today there is a large football field in Divinka.

Significant natives

* Vojtech Križan Sr. (* May 1, 1908 Rajec – † April 30, 1975 Divinka) was a prominent

beekeeper A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees, a profession known as beekeeping. The term beekeeper refers to a person who keeps honey bees in beehives, boxes, or other receptacles. The beekeeper does not control the creatures. The beekeeper ow ...

– expert, the author of professional literature, and an innovator. After Vojtech Križan became the caretaker and later headmaster of the elementary school in the village in 1940, bee-keeping increased in popularity, with Divinka becoming the destination for visitors and beekeeping specialists from all over Slovakia. Beekeeping also has a long tradition in the village, with the first records of beekeepers going back to the early 20th century. He and his wife Valéria worked as teachers at the local school for a long time. * Martin Medňanský (* November 10, 1840 – † November 3, 1899). Medňanský was a member of the noble family and he was a Catholic priest, poet, translator, and journalist.

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20071116010355/http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html
Surnames of living people in Divinka
{{authority control Villages and municipalities in Žilina District