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Life and economy in Slovakia in past

In the Bronze Age (1,900-700 B. C.) the territory of Slovakia was a significant European centre of bronze production. The territory of Slovakia was rich in copper ore. The discovery of bronze meant a great technological advance in the production of tools and weapons, as well as jewellery. People developed crafts, long-distance trading. Copper, gold and bronze products were used as a currency. The main economic activity was farming.

Iron Age (700-500 B. C.), exhibit the influence of Greek civilization from the Black-Sea region and from the Etruscan culture of the south. The first coins in Slovakia were made by the Celts who entered the region from the west in the fifth century B. C. They produced tools like rotating potter’s wheel, scissors, rake, chain. They were able to produce glass as well.

In the era of the migrations of people (5-6 century A. D.) the Slavs came to our region and stayed there. Slavs belong to the oldest inhabitants of Europe; they became the dominant ethnic group on the Slovakia’s territory in the 5th century.

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The Great Moravia

was a state between year 833 and the beginning of 10th century.Its central area was situated on today’s Morava, Slovakia, northern and central Hungary. It was the first bigger Slovenian state. Great Moravia was an equal partner with its neighbour to the west, the Frankish Empire. They maintained lively commercial and cultural contacts.

In 863 the brothers Constantine and Method headed a mission to Great Moravia at the invitation of Prince Rastislav. From the small Greek alphabet Constantine devised the oldest Slavonic calligraphy – Glagolitic (Hlaholithic) alphabet. Together with Methodius they translated liturgical books and part of the Bible into Old Church Slavonic.

Letters, chronicles and archaeological findings from the Great Moravian period provide information concerning Great Moravian stone structures and the flowering of handicrafts, iron and other metal workers as well as glass-makers skilled in

various techniques as demonstrated by the remarkable necklaces, earrings, buttons they produced.

People settled mostly those places where the trading routes headed- one of the oldest trading road was amber road

which connected Baltic with Black sea coast- inhabitants of GM have created their own

technology of processing iron- hoes, scythe, knives and axes have been made

as well as weapons- pottery was also advanced- potters of GM used rapidly rotating potter’s

wheel - surface of the jar was decorated by typical

ornament- wave

The end of Great Moravia- in 894 the most powerful ruler of GM died

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- after his death the empire fell apart, because his successors were not able to defend Great Moravia

Kingdom of Hungary

At the beginning of the 10th century, the Slavic population got under the influence of the formulating Hungarian Kingdom. The territory of Slovakia became, for nearly one thousand years, an integral and the most developed part of Hungary by the end of the eleventh century.

During the 11th through 15th centuries the region experienced a time of economic growth and cultural advancement. The amount of arable land increased, the economy improved, as did the crafts, trades and mining.Most important economic activities were:

- farming, stock rising, hunting, fishing- crafts – leather processing, weaving- mining and panning of rare metals- trading

Towns were developed on the crossroads of the trade routes.

13 – 14 century – development of guilds. It was an association of artisans or merchants who controlled the practice of their craft in a particular town. Handicraft workers were forbidden to run any business if they were not members of a guild.

One thing that struck the development of Hungarian state was the invasion of Tatars/Mongols in 1241 and 1242. Tatar troops plundered, completely looted south-western Slovakia and laid waste to the Hungarian country.

Only well-fortified castles resisted the Tatar invasions. Following this, king Béla IV. started to build a network of Gothic castles throughout the country.

The cities grew; numerous castles and roads were built. At the invitation of the rulers and the landlords, settlers came from abroad, predominantly from Germany. They brought new civilizing forces with them.

The towns became centres of economic prosperity. Some of them became rich as a result of long-distance trade

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along the Danube trade route between west and east (Bratislava, Trnava); others, on the trade route between the Black Sea and the Baltic, had contacts with Transylvania and Poland (Kežmarok, Košice, Levoča).

Mining

Especially important for Hungary were the numerous mining towns and villages in Slovakia since mining represented a traditionally important branch of the economy. Its golden age was in the fourteenth century when precious metals from Slovakia prevailed in the European markets. Silver mining, mainly in the region around Banská Štiavnica

and gold from the

Kremnica mines represented about a quarter of the output of these metals from European mines. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Slovakia was again the most important world producer and exporter of copper.

From 1335 golden coins were struck in Kremnica – the Kremnica Ducat (Kremnický dukát). The mint has operated down there until the present as the oldest in Europe.

Economic development established the place for a rich spiritual and artistic life. Even today, the land of Slovakia richly documents medieval, Romanesque rotundas and churches, castles and fortresses as well as jewels of the Gothic churches, sculptures of the Madonna, altar panel paintings and wall paintings, exceptionally numerous in Spiš and Gemer.

The role of education significantly increased in 14th and 15th century. In 1467, a university began construction in Bratislava, the Academia Istropolitana, founded according to the model of the University of Bologna by King Mathias Corvinus Hunyadi, a propagator of the new ideas of renaissance humanism in Hungary.

This favourable trend of development was weakened at the end of the fifteenth century by the expansion of the Osman (Ottoman) Empire.

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Fugger family – German family – great tradesmen and finance in 15th centuryImportant business family – Fugger family – owner of the mines of rare metals, mainly copper. In Slovak town Banska Bystrica they created the biggest mine of copper in the world. They were important tradesmen of different commodities like copper, silver, silk, spices. They traded with west and east as well. Their business was so successful that they began to lend money to royal families; Habsburg family was the main client. They belonged to the richest families of the world until Rothschild family took this place.

The defeat at Mohacs in 1526 meant most of Hungary proper was taken by the Turks, until Hungary´s reconquest by the Habsburgs in the second half of the seventeenth century. Slovakia became the centre of Hungarian political, cultural and economic life.

The significance of Slovakia increased during this period. In 1536 Bratislava became the capital city of Hungary. It was the seat of the central administrative offices; there sat the parliament until 1848, and for three centuries the kings of Hungary were crowned there.The proximity of the Turks effected a retardation of the economy. War, cross-border raids, pillage, fires, taking captives as hostages or as slaves became the customary way of life in the region for 150 years.

In the year 1740 Maria Theresa became an empress. With an assistance of advisers she has launched a reform of the entire country to modernize and bring it forward to western European monarchies.

Another activity that greatly influenced economic development in the Empire, was the establishment of

manufactories. They were based by the husband of Maria Theresa, for example manufactory of cotton fabrics in Šaštín, textile manufactory in Galicia, majolica manufactory and a textile factory in Holic.

In the late 18th century 70% of the Slovaks worked on the land, still characterised in this region mainly by the small hold farms and outdate production methods and technologies.

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Queen promoted new crops and forage. They started to breed new breeds of horses, cattle and sheep, which provided higher benefits.With the abolition of serfdom in the 18th century, the Habsburg Monarchy, with the major industrial, mining areas and forestry began to experience unprecedented economic growth.

1763 Maria Theresa established the Mining and Forestry Academy in Banská Štiavnica, which later became the first technical university in Europe.

Samuel Mikovíni made a significant contribution to the development of mining in Upper Hungary, (today central Slovakia) helping it to achieve a place among the most technically developed industries in Europe at that time. He was a leading expert on the construction of water reservoirs, mining machinery, foundries, and mills. His chief contribution is construction of a sophisticated system of reservoirs, known as tajchy, which drained water from the flooded mines in Schemnitz (now Banska Stiavnica) and provided energy for its local industry. In 1735 Mikoviny became the first professor of the school of mining at Banska Stiavnica, which later became the first technical

university in Europe.