Modrý Kameň (lit. "Blue Stone"; ; ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

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' ...

in the

Veľký Krtíš District Veľký Krtíš District (''okres Veľký Krtíš'') is a district in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. Until 1918, the district was split between the county of Kingdom of Hungary of Hont and Nógrád. Municipalities * Balog nad ...

of 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 southern

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 ...

Geography

It is located on the

Krupina Plain Krupina (, ) is a town in southern central Slovakia. It is part of the Banská Bystrica Region and has approximately 8,000 inhabitants. Etymology The name is probably derived from Slavic root ''krup''. Proto-Slavic: ''krǫpъ'', ''krǫpъjь'' � ...

() on the

Krtíš Krtíš is a river in southern central Slovakia. It flows through Zvolen District, Zvolen and Veľký Krtíš District, Veľký Krtíš districts, through the towns of Modrý Kameň and Veľký Krtíš. It enters the Ipeľ river near Slovenské Ď ...

and ''Riečka'' rivers. It is around 5 km from

Veľký Krtíš Veľký Krtíš (before 1927 ''Veľký Krtýš'', ) is a town in middle Slovakia, situated in the historical Nógrád County (former), Novohrad region. The town's most important economic sectors are mining and agriculture. Etymology The name is o ...

and 50 km from

Zvolen Zvolen (; ; ) is a city in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers. It is famous for several historical and cultural attractions. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the ...

. With a population of around 1,600, it is the second smallest town in Slovakia.

History

The name of the town was first mentioned as ''Keykkw'' in 1290. The name of the settlement means "Blue Rock". Ruins of the castle Modrý Kameň stand on a rock pinnacle above the town. The castle was built in the second half of the 13th century by the ancestors of the

Balassa Balassa is a Hungarian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bálint Balassa (1554–1594), Hungarian poet ** Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award, Hungarian literary award * Béla Balassa (1928–1991), Hungarian economist ** Bala ...

noble family. They had to recapture the castle from the sons of Casimir of the

Hont-Pázmány Hont-Pázmány (Hunt-Poznan) was the name of a ''gens'' ("clan") in the Kingdom of Hungary. The ''Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum'' mentions that the ancestors of the family, the brothers Hont (Hunt) and Pázmány (Pazman), originally from the Duchy ...

clan by a siege in 1290. The castle was captured by Ottoman troops in 1576, because its guard fled when they heard the approaching Ottomans. The castle was given up and subsequently destroyed by Ottoman troops in 1593. It was restored between 1609 and 1612 by Sigismund Balassa. The castle was ravaged many times during the 17th century, so it became ruined and abandoned. The Balassa family built a new Baroque mansion house on the side of the castle hill in the early 18th century; stones of the former castle were used in the mansion building operations. The last member of the Balassa noble family died in 1899. After the demise of the Balassa family, the Almásy noble family became the proprietors of Modrý Kameň castle. They sold the demesne to the Czechoslovak state in 1923. In 1910 the settlement had a population of 1,347, consisting mostly of Slovak inhabitants, though a significant Hungarian minority lived in Modrý Kameň as well. Modrý Kameň belonged to Nógrád (Novohrad) county until the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The settlement was the center of the Modrý Kameň district (, ) between 1912 and 1960. An electric network was built in 1943. 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 ...

, an illegal antifascist communist organization operated in the settlement. During the

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 ...

, Modrý Kameň was the center of the national revolutionary committee of the district, and partisan groups operated on the outskirts. Modrý Kameň was pronounced a town in 1969.

Demographics

According to the 2001

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, the town had 1,434 inhabitants. 92.82% of inhabitants were

Slovaks The Slovaks ( (historical Sloveni ), singular: ''Slovák'' (historical: ''Sloven'' ), feminine: ''Slovenka'' , plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history ...

, 2.79%

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

, 2.02%

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

and 0.35%

Czechs The Czechs (, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common Bohemia ...

. The religious make-up was 79.22%

Roman Catholics 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 ...

, 8.44% people with no religious affiliation and 7.60%

Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

Sights

*A Roman Catholic church was built in 1879 *A Baroque chapel of St Anna was built in 1759 *Modrý kameň Castle Museum (Marionette and toy museum, Valentine Balassi poet's life and work, Ethnographic exhibition of the region, A look at the history of dental technology and stomatology)

Twin towns – sister cities

Modrý Kameň is twinned with: * Bercel, Hungary

Gallery

File:Kekkocivertanlegi.jpg, Aerial photo of the castle File:Modrý Kameň - pohľad z hradu.jpg, View from the castle to the city

References

External links

* *
Castle Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Modry Kamen Cities and towns in Slovakia Villages and municipalities in Veľký Krtíš District Castles in Slovakia