1. 1
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.
2. 2
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
3. 3
- 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
4. 4
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.
5. 5
Fugger family – German family – great tradesmen
and finance in 15th century
Important 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.
6. 6
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.
