Pezinok

Pezinok (ˈpezinɔk; Bazin; Bösing; Bazinium) is a town in southwestern Slovakia. It is roughly northeast of Bratislava and, as of December 2018, had a population of 23,002. Pezinok lies near the Little Carpathians and thrives mainly on viticulture and agriculture, as well as on brick-making and ceramic(s) production. From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. Pezinok, or at least its surroundings, was for the first time mentioned in 1208 under name "terra Bozin". During the next few centuries, the town changed from a mining settlement to a vineyard town. It gained the status of a free royal town on 14 June 1647. Pezinok had its most glorious era of wealth and prosperity in the 17th and 18th centuries when it was also one of the richest towns in the Kingdom of Hungary. Its wealth was based on the production of quality wines. In the 19th century, the town slowly began to industrialize: the first sulphuric acid factory in Hungary or the known brickworks were established here. It boomed further after it was connected to the railway. After the breakup of Austria-Hungary in 1918/1920, the town became part of the newly created Czechoslovakia. In the first half of the 20th century, it was declining, vineyard production was declining, forcing many inhabitants to emigrate. It is growing again after the end of World War II. Pezinok lies at an altitude of above sea level and covers an area of . It is located in the Danubian Lowland at the foothills of the Little Carpathians, around north-east of Bratislava. Another major city, Trnava, is located around to the east. A ski resort is situated on the Baba mountain. The neighbouring Little Carpathians offer numerous hiking paths. All of the city forests are part of the Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area. The Little Carpathians Museum (Malokarpatské múzeum), which is in a typical wine merchant's house in the centre of the town, was undergoing a major renovation in 2008 and promises to be one of the best small museums in Slovakia.