Handlová

It is made up of the three parts Handlová, Nová Lehota and Morovno.

Handlová
Town
St. Catherine Church in Handlová
Coat of arms
Handlová Location of Handlová in the Trenčín Region Show map of Trenčín Region Handlová Location of Handlová in Slovakia Show map of Slovakia
Coordinates: 48°43′38″N 18°45′43″E / 48.72722°N 18.76194°E / 48.72722; 18.76194
Country	Slovakia
Region	Trenčín
District	Prievidza
Founded	1376
Government
• Mayor	Silvia Grúberová
Area
• Total	85.55 km2 (33.03 sq mi)
	(2022)
Elevation	465 m (1,526 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Total	15,780
• Density	180/km2 (480/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	972 51
Area code	+421 46
Car plate	PD
Website	www.handlova.sk

It is located in the Handlovka brook valley, surrounded by the mountain ranges of Vtáčnik in the west and Žiar in the south, east and north, in the historical region of Hauerland. It is 15 kilometres (9 miles) away from Prievidza and 20 km (12 mi) from Žiar nad Hronom.

Besides the main settlement, it also has "parts" of Morovno (north-west) and Nová Lehota (south), both annexed 1976.

The town was established in 1376 and was inhabited by German settlers which were later known as the Carpathian Germans. The first known settler in Handlová was Peter Kricker from Kremnica, who came here together with 200 others to establish a settlement on a site called Krásny les (Beautiful Forest). At first the settlers lived just from crops and pastoral farming. Only much later, in the 18th century, did coal mining begin. Local miners at first worked mainly to supply the needs of nearby Bojnice Castle.

In 1945 after World War II, Handlová underwent the biggest upheaval in its centuries-long history. Most of its ethnic German inhabitants was expelled from the town due to the so-called Beneš decrees. Of the original 12,800 people who lived here as late as in 1943, only 4,000 remained in Handlová by 1945. As a result, Handlová's character changed completely. It received town privileges in 1960.

In 2009, the town suffered a major disaster during the 2009 Handlová mine blast, in which 20 people were killed.

According to the 2001 census, the town had 18,018 inhabitants. 96.14% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 0.85% Hungarian, 0.67% Czechs and 0.24% Germans. The religious make-up was 46.10% Atheists, 44.74% Roman Catholics and 2.42% Lutherans.

• Peter Paliatka, designer, sculptor and university pedagogue
• Martin Škrtel, Slovak footballer

Handlová is twinned with:

•   Konopiska, Poland
•   Sárisáp, Hungary
•   Voerde, Germany
•   Zábřeh, Czech Republic

• List of municipalities and towns in Slovakia