The Village of Svätý Jur
One of the prettiest places I worked in while living in Slovakia was the village of Svätý Jur. I was employed for a great school called Academia Istropolitana Nova and worked as a teacher simultaneously there and in Bratislava. While working in Svätý Jur, I realized the village was special because it perfectly blended its picturesque environment with such an interesting history.
The main street is called Prostredná and it inclines at some sections, rather steeply. Along Prostredná are many wine-maker houses, identifiable by the wide passageways, which allowed for wagons hauling the grape harvests to come in as close as possible to the cellars and wine-press sheds located through their courtyards. Wine has been an important part of Svätý Jur for centuries. The village is one of five wine-growing centers that make up the “pentapolitana” of western Slovakia: Trnava, Modra, Pezinok, Svätý Jur, and Bratislava. Wine might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Slovakia or Bratislava, but it is a long tradition in this part of the country.
Another part of Svätý Jur’s history is the German population that once thrived in the town. Once, when I was staying in a dorm off of Prostredná, I met a German guest who didn’t speak Slovak and needed help communicating with the housekeeper. After I helped her sort out her concerns, I asked her where she was from. She told me she was from Düsseldorf, Germany but she was born in Svätý Jur, just before World War II. After the war ended, she and her family had to leave. She said they return to Svätý Jur almost every year for a family reunion. I was surprised. I had never met a German who was originally Slovak. I remembered hearing that the Germans were responsible for bringing the wine tradition to the Slovak region centuries before, but now, it seemed I had met someone who connected the link.
The last thing about Svätý Jur that I found fascinating is the wall that was built in the early 17th century, and of which, significant parts of the wall are still standing today. It’s hard to imagine the terror villagers felt when the invaders came, because the wall’s defenses were not enough to hold back the invading Ottoman Turks in 1663.
There are other treasures of Svätý Jur that I never explored, such as the ruins up at Biely kameň (the Turks destroyed that too), but I have fond memories of the small lahôdky-a kind of deli, located on Prostredná Street. It was tiny—not larger than a 12×12 foot room. I remember that when I would go for lunch, somehow I would always wind up in line behind the row of construction workers, who were there before me, ordering shots of slivovica to have with their meals consisting of a chunk of bacon, potato salad, and bread rolls. I can still call to mind the combined scents of bacon and slivovica—very unique.
