It has a population of  people (31 December ).

Ethnicity

Religion

Politics

Local

Mayors

  • Ján Knapo, Independent (1990–1994)
  • Ľuboš Lackovič, Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (1994–2006)
  • Miroslav Adame, Direction – Social Democracy (2006–2010)
  • Karol Janas, Direction – Social Democracy (2010–)

{| class="wikitable"

|+

! colspan="4" |2018 mayoral election

|-

! rowspan="2" |Name

! rowspan="2" |Alliance

! colspan="2" |Result

|-

!Votes

!%

|-

|Karol Janas

|SMER–SNS–SZ

|7,294

|59.2%

|-

|Andrej Péli

|Independent

|4,401

|35.7%

|-

|Jaroslav Ševčík

|Independent

|410

|3.3%

|-

|Juraj Smatana

|SaS–OĽaNO

|217

|1.8%

|-

! colspan="4" |Source: SME

|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki> Juraj Smatana resigned from the candidacy and supported Andrej Péli, but remained on the ballot paper.

Current Town Parliament

{| class="wikitable"

|+

!Alliance

!Seats

|-

|SMER–SNS–SZ

|10

|-

|KDH

|5

|-

|SaS–OĽaNO–PS

|3

|-

|SPOLU

|1

|-

|Independents

|6

|-

! colspan="2" |Source: SME

|}

Nationwide

2020 parliamentary election

{| class="wikitable"

|+

! rowspan="2" |Party

! colspan="2" |Result

! rowspan="2" |

|-

!Nationwide

!

|-

|OĽaNO

|25.02% (#1)

|21.80% (#2)

|–3.22

|-

|SMER

|18.29% (#2)

|22.44% (#1)

| +4.15

|-

|SR

|8.24% (#3)

|9.20% (#4)

| +0.96

|-

|ĽSNS

|7.97% (#4)

|9.27% (#3)

| +1.30

|-

|PS–S

|6.96% (#5)

|7.82% (#5)

| +0.86

|-

|SaS

|6.22% (#6)

|6.20% (#6)

|–0.02

|-

|ZĽ

|5.77% (#7)

|5.12% (#7)

|–0.65

|-

|KDH

|4.65% (#8)

|4.01% (#9)

|–0.64

|-

|MKÖ–MKS

|3.91% (#9)

|0.00% (#24)

|–3.91

|-

|SNS

|3.16% (#10)

|5.04% (#8)

| +1.88

|-

|Others

|9.81%

|9.10%

|–0.71

|-

! colspan="4" |Source: SME

|}

Interesting places

Places of history

thumb|Coins found on the castle cliff, dated to the first century BC.

thumb|[[Považský hrad with Száparyovský kaštieľ]]

Považský hrad

Považský hrad is a landmark of the town and witness of the history (e.g., Celtic coins were found on the castle cliff). It went through many reconstructions, therefore it represents many different architectural movements. The towers of the town were accepted as the symbols to the coat of arms of the town. Nowadays some minor works are done on the castle by voluntary organization Zdruzenie hradu Bystrica, but castle needs a more complex reconstruction.

Burg

The Burg was built in the first half of the 17th century, and is representative of Slovak renaissance culture.

Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in Považská Bystrica

The Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in Povazska Bystrica is the main church in the town, situated in the heart of the town gives the cross section between 14th-century architecture and the architecture of the first half of the 20th century in Slovakia. It was built by Ján Podmanitzky, the owner of the castle in gothic style. In 1913-1914 the tower of the church was covered with baroque "onion like" construction. From the original buildings only the presbytery and the northern perimetric wall still stand. Major reconstruction and enlarging began in 1940. Church's windows are filled with colourful stained glass filling created by Slovak artist Vincent Hložník and his wife Viera Hložníková in 1951. In front of the church is a sandstone statue of saint Mary to which church is dedicated. Inside are epitaphs of Zigmund Balassa, Alzbeta Zborovska, tombstone of Rafael Podmaintzky remains of caryatids and the depiction of the old town on the Balassa tombstone.

Orlové manor house

thumb|Manor house Orlové

Orlové manor-house was built in 1612 by the Hungarian noble, Žigmund Balassa. Originally, it was a Renaissance single-storey manor-house which was supposed to bring the promise of new, modern and comfortable living for the aristocratic Balassa family, which the cold and uninviting Považský castle could no longer provide. At the time, it was quite common for the nobility to abandon their castles – unconquerable, stone fortresses whose defensive function has lost their meaning – and to build modern, comfortable family seats in the town or countryside. The manor-house was then known as Zsigmond Háza, or Žigmund's house.

At the beginning of the 18th century, renovation works turned the manor-house into a two-storey four-wing manor. Another important owner who had a large impact on the manor-house's appearance was Pavol Balassa, the great-grandson of its founder. In the first half of the 18th century, he together with his wife, Juliana Batthyány reconstructed the manor-house in a grandiose Baroque style. The park and courtyard with its fountain were also added at the time. We can read about this reconstruction on the commemorative inscription above the manor-house's entrance gate. In the entrance gateway, we can see the alliance coat of arms of the Balassa and Bathyány families. Both family coats of arms are joined by the imperial crown expressing thanks to Maria Theresa and the imperial court for confirming the Balassa family's title of count.

One of the most precious parts of the manor-house is the late Baroque chapel of St. John of Nepomuk with its Rococo interior, built between 1770 and 1780. The chapel takes up two storeys in the manor-house's west wing. The Balassa family owned this grand family seat for a long 250 years. Later, it had several owners, not of all which were of benefit to the manor-house or its surroundings. At the beginning of the 20th century, the manor house was owned for several years by the Czech violin virtuoso and composer Jan Kubelík.

Before World War II, Orlové manor-house became the residence of Klementin Ružička, the General Director of Zbrojovka Brno, the largest armory in Czech-Slovak region. He moved to the palace Orlové together with his family. Opposed to his predecessors, previous owners of the palace Orlove, he resided there permanently. During his tenure he cared a lot to preserve the palace identity and its architecture style.

In Socialistic period of the Slovak history, Orlové manor-house became the property of the state and served as an administrative building of the local archive, later, as a dormitory for season workers, after all, as a local museum.

A four-star hotel Gino Park Palace is settled in Orlové manor-house nowadays. It offers a high standard luxury accommodation, restaurant services and events all year around.

Kalvária Považská Bystrica

Kalvaria in Povazska Bystrica was mostly destroyed during the socialist era. It has 11 stops leading to the main Chapel of Saint Magdalene on the top of the hill. Last reconstruction of the monument was done in 1937. In spite of its present state, it is a part of national heritage. In the chapel of Saint Magdalene there were the statues of Jesus and two men on the hill Golgotha, but because of the situation statues were moved to the main town church.

Manor Považské Podhradie

Szapáry Castle is a rococo style building with granary and system of outbuildings, below the castle. A chapel was built inside between 1763 and 1764. The chapel was reconstructed in 1960. In the interior of the manor house were rococo paintings, stone coats of arms.

Chapel of Saint Helena

thumb|left|[[Chapel of Saint Helena, Slovakia|Chapel of Saint Helena in Považská Bystrica]]

The Chapel of Saint Helena was built in 1728 by count Peter Szaparay on the hill above the town. It is surrounded by lindens, of which one is more than 250 years old. The chapel was robbed and became a ruin until it was renewed in the 1990s.

Kostol Svätého Ladislava

thumb|left|Kostol Sv. Ladislava

Kostol sv. Ladislava v Považskom Podhradí is the last fourth member of the four historical buildings build nearby the castle, creating the panorama of Povazske Podhradie. It was built in the 19th century. In the premises of the church is statue of John of Nepomuk, which was coincidentally brought to Považské Podhradie on abandoned flatboat during floods in 1784. After the floods the statue was placed on the place of its founding with five lindens around. However, after some time lindens grew together forming one massive linden tree. From this point people started to idolize the linden with the statue as a wonder of nature until the linden was cut down during the building of new manmade basin of the river Vah.

Nature

Manínska tiesňava

thumb|Manínska tiesňava

Manínska tiesňava is the narrowest canyon in Slovakia, lying 6 kilometres from Považská Bystrica. It is place of great tourist interest, because of its wild and rare flora and fauna. It is frequently visited by rock climbers.

Modern architecture

Estakáda

thumb|Opening day of the Estakáda viaduct

The Motorway viaduct, due to its size, conception and short time of building, can be counted between the top structures of civil engineering in Slovakia. On 31 May 2010 the town viaduct was opened for traffic use.

thumb|left|ABŠO

Administrative building of executive agencies (ABŠO)

The Administrative building ABŠO in Považská Bystrica is one of the most important buildings from the remarkably prolific period of the 1960s that united the then typical figure of office buildings and hotels with an original technical design and lightened construction and shell of the building. It surpassed the Slovak context and was in the given period unique at least in the context of Czechoslovakia. It is part of the programme for recovery and protection of modern architecture heritage Docomomo.

Building of RVP (Tatra banka building)

The Building of Tatra banka is one of the few traces left of old town centre which was demolished in seventies. It is the most important example of interwar modern architecture building in town. It is included in the list of monuments of the town.

Boroughs

Považská Bystrica has 9 boroughs. 75% of population live in the town, most of them in the apartment blocks. 25% of the population live in the villages.

Boroughs:

{|

|

  • Centrum
  • Dedovec
  • Hliny
  • Kolónia

||

|

  • Lány
  • Rozkvet
  • Stred
  • SNP

||

|

  • Zákvašov

|}

Villages near Považská Bystrica: Dolny and Horny Milochov, Jelšové, Industrial zone, Šuvarovce.

Other settlements within the district: Belažská Kopanica, Cingelov laz, Dvorského laz, Galanovce, Chodnické, Krekáčov laz, Líškovie laz, Matúšsky laz, Rybárikov laz, Tomankovci a Trnovie laz.

Notable people

<!-- New links in alphabetical order please-->

  • Irena Blühová (1904-1991) social photographer and educator
  • Peter Holka (1950) – writer
  • Janko Kroner (1956) – actor
  • Ľubomír Luhový (1967) – football player
  • Michal Mertiňák (1979) – tennis player
  • Andrej Meszároš (1985) – professional ice hockey player
  • Dorota Nvotová (1982) – actress and singer
  • János Podmanitzky (16th century) Archbishop of Zagreb
  • István Podmanitzky (1480–1530) Archbishop of Nitra crowned János Szapolyai and Ferdinand I as the kings of the country.
  • Michal Maximilián Scheer (1902–2000) – functionalist architect
  • Dominik Tatarka (1913–1989) – writer born in Plevník-Drieňové (Považská Bystrica district)
  • Marián Vajda (1965) – tennis player, competed in the Olympic Games of Barcelona, Novak Djokovic coach
  • Imro Weiner-Kráľ (1901) – painter

NGOs

In the town there are working some small local organizations trying to influence it

  • Bystricykel
  • Zdruzenie hradu Bystrica

Twin towns — sister cities

Považská Bystrica is twinned with:

  • Bačka Palanka, Serbia
  • Bełchatów, Poland
  • Gjorče Petrov, North Macedonia
  • Holešov, Czech Republic
  • Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, Czech Republic
  • Schekino, Russia
  • Sovetsk, Russia
  • Tauragė, Lithuania
  • Zhodzina, Belarus
  • Zubří, Czech Republic

Climate

Považská Bystrica has a humid continental climate (Cfb in the Köppen climate classification).

References

  • Photogalery
  • Photogalery
  • Firmy Považská Bystrica - The companies in Povazska Bystrica
  • Parish Povazska Bystrica
  • Hockey club
  • 3D models Virtualna Povazska
  • Article about Kalvaria
  • Article about Považská Bystrica in Slovak Spectator

360° views

  • Povazska Bystrica in 1975
  • Povazska Bystrica in 1968
  • View on the highway bridge 2009
  • Virtual tour Povazsky hrad