Krahule (; , until 1890: ) 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 ...
in
Žiar nad Hronom District
Žiar nad Hronom District () is a Districts of Slovakia, district in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. Until 1918, the district was part of the Administrative divisions of the Kingdom of Hungary, county of Tekov.
Demographics
...
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 ...
. It is the only municipality in Slovakia that officially uses
German along with
Slovak.
History
The town was first mentioned in writing in 1331 as ''Blaufuß'' (literally "blue" + "foot") and was created by
German miners as a ''
Weiler''.
Throughout its history, most of the area legally belonged to the Crown and the village was administered by a local judge. In 1601 there were 39 houses in the village. A 1640-year decree appointed Paul König as Judge, after the death of James König. The first chapel and the first school were built in 1788. In 1806 the Baroque-Classical style
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
St. John Nepomuk Church was dedicated. In 1828 there were 635 inhabitants, entirely
German speakers, mostly local miners and farmers, in 57 houses. From 1895 there was a state funded Bobbin lace making school.
Over 1944 and 1945 many
Carpathian Germans
Carpathian Germans (, or ''felvidéki németek'', , , ) are a group of Germans, ethnic Germans in Central and Eastern Europe. The term was coined by the historian :de:Raimund Friedrich Kaindl, Raimund Friederich Kaindl (1866–1930), originally ...
fled the advancing
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
army and never returned. The
Communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
regime then renamed the town "Krahule" in 1948 and brought in
Slovak settlers.
From 1980 to 1992 the town was a part of the
Kremnica
Kremnica (; , ) is a town in central Slovakia. It has around 5,300 inhabitants. The well-preserved medieval town built above important gold mines is the site of the oldest still-working mint in the world.
Name
The name is derived from Slovak '' ...
municipality.
In the 2001 census 35 of the then 144 residents indicated that they were Carpathian Germans (''Karpatendeutsche''). The Krahule municipality therefore adopted
German as the second official language in addition to
Slovak.
In the same census 89 people gave their religion as
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
. One person described himself as a
Hussite
file:Hussitenkriege.tif, upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century
file:The Bohemian Realm during the Hussite Wars.png, upright=1.2, The Lands of the ...
, 21 residents reported to be without confession and 21
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
.
Today the town is a popular winter sports and hiking venue. Krahule is located directly above Kremnica on a high terrace about 880 feet in the ''Kremnické vrchy'' (Kremnitzer Berge) mountains.
The current Mayor, or ''starosta'', is Miroslav Schwarz.
Genealogical resources
The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Å tátny ArchÃv in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia"
* Roman Catholic church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1848-1945 (parish A)
* Lutheran church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1666-1895 (parish B)
See also
*
List of municipalities and towns in Slovakia
This is an alphabetical list of the 2,891 (singular , "municipality") in Slovakia. They are grouped into 79 Districts of Slovakia, districts (, singular ), in turn grouped into 8 Regions of Slovakia, regions (, singular ); articles on individu ...
References
External links
of living people in Krahule
{{Authority control
Ski areas and resorts in Slovakia
Villages and municipalities in Žiar nad Hronom District