Trstín

IN THE MIDDLE AGES, the "Czech Road" led from Moravia to the territory of modern-day Slovakia. Travellers who followed it through the Záhorie region to Trnava via the passages of the Low Carpathians arrived in Trstín, a small town that was a bit different from its neighbours.

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IN THE MIDDLE AGES, the "Czech Road" led from Moravia to the territory of modern-day Slovakia. Travellers who followed it through the Záhorie region to Trnava via the passages of the Low Carpathians arrived in Trstín, a small town that was a bit different from its neighbours.

While the townspeople of Smolenice and Trnava were active in crafts, everything in Trstín centered on the Czech Road, which the town was originally established to guard. There, travellers found pubs with good wine and accommodation, or locals willing to offer beds in their own houses. Staying overnight in Trstín was especially common during the time of the religious processions heading toward the pilgrimage town of Šaštín, in Záhorie.

Trstín also held a large Jewish community, which ran the pubs and conducted trade, adding even more character to this transit town. Many of Trstín's other residents made their living by helping overloaded merchants' carriages traveling from Trvana to Moravia to cross the mountain passages. But the plentiful riches flowing through Trstín in both directions sometimes attracted bandits, such as the well-known 17th century outlaw Hrajnoha, who held up merchants in the Low Carpathians.

This classic postcard depicts Trstín from the times following the First World War.


Prepared by Branislav Chovan

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