Gabčíkovo

www.gabcikovo.sk

Gabčíkovo is a village in Rye Island, in southwestern Slovakia, in the district of Dunajská Streda. It lies on the Danube Plain, on the both sides of the Danube Water Work Gabčíkovo, 12 km south of Dunajská Streda. The village is easily accessible from Bratislava and Dunajská Streda with suburban services. The nearest railway station is in Dunajská Streda, 12 km away.

It is an archaeological locality with a rich history. Slav, Avar and Roman burial places were found here. It was first mentioned in 1102 as Beys.

The settlement belonged to Amade family from 1264 until the mid-19th century. King Matthias granted the village permission to hold weekly markets in 1468. Gabčíkovo was referred to in the 18th century as a little town.

One of the biggest sugar refineries in the County of Bratislava was precisely in Gabčíkovo in the years 1855-1878, the lords of the village had their distillery and brewery in the village.

Sights:

-      The village recently became famous for its Water Work Gabčíkovo . The gigantic water Works were built in Gabčíkovo in 1980-1990. By the dam of the canal and the reservoir leads an international Danube cycling track, which is one of the cycling arteries of Europe.  

-      Amade manor house – Before there was a Gothic water castle surrounded by a moat. The old castle was reconstructed into a Renaissance manor house in the 17th century. It was rebuilt in the Late Baroque style in the 18th century. This historic building served as a school after 1948 and now it shelters a home for elderly people.

-      The manor house had extensive park, which is now a protected area. Apart from twelve exotic wood species it contains rare specimen of oaks.

-      The Gothic Roman Catholic church of St. Margaret of Antioch built in the mid-14th century and reconstructed by the end of the 18th century in Late Baroque style.

-      The village had a fairly large Jewish community in the past and the synagogue from the end of the 19th century built originally in romantic style with pseudoromantic and pseudogothic architectural elements, it was completely reconstructed.

-      Two tree trunks 8,000 old conserved under a 10 m thick alluvium of gravel were found here, when the Gabčíkovo dam was constructed. Today these tree trunks together with other natural and historic exhibits are part of the permanent exhibition of the local House of Natural History and Folk Architecture.

There are pensions, restaurants, pubs, supermarkets and general stores in the village.