Holiday Apartment in Zavar: Church, History and Slovak Traditions

Zavar lies eight kilometres southeast of Trnava at an elevation of 127 metres above sea level, on the eastern edge of the Trnava loess upland. The eastern part of the municipal area lies in the shared floodplain of the Blava and Dudváh rivers. The landscape of the municipality therefore includes both the open loess upland and the river floodplains.

History

The first written mention of Zavar dates from 1255, when the settlement was referred to as “de Zovvor”. Archaeological finds provide evidence of settlement in Zavar during the Neolithic, Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age. The Kaštieľ manor house in Zavar was built in the early 19th century in the Classicist style.

Culture

The neo-Gothic Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Zavar was built in 1907 on the site of an earlier Romanesque church. Inside, it has cross-ribbed stucco vaults with Gothicising profiles. The current stained-glass windows date from approximately 1955. The church tower is 32.40 metres high and contains three bells.

More recent memorials are also part of the townscape. The bronze statue of Saint Barbara was unveiled on 31 October 2010 at the local cemetery in Zavar. The memorial plaque commemorating the parish administrators of Zavar was unveiled on 7 September 2008; the ceremony began with a festive Mass in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, Zavar had a workshop and a school producing embroidery and lace for the Izabella association. Women in Zavar continued to embroider to supplement their income during the first third of the 20th century. This craft tradition complements the archaeological and architectural evidence of the town’s older history.

Music and Community Life

Gejza Dusík, who was from Zavar, was a pioneer and a leading figure of the founding generation of Slovak composers of popular music. In the 1960s, the Zavarský Chamber Choir performed Slovak folk songs in Zavar and the surrounding area. The Zavarský Chamber Choir was also founded in 1996 and represented Zavar in the churches of Trnava.

The Zavarská desiatka took place in Zavar in 2023 and 2024. The town’s event history also includes Country hody, where children could ride horses and a camel, use a bouncy castle and admire historic cars.

Festivals and Flavours

At the Slivkové hody held in Zavar on 28 September 2008, visitors could sample plum dumplings, Šúľance, Báleše and other plum specialities. The Slovak names are just as much a part of the festival as the various ways of preparing plums.

At an expert wine tasting in Zavar, three five-member panels assessed the quality and appearance of 102 Zavarský wine samples.

More Town Pages

For further orientation, you can visit the following town pages: Trnava, Jaslovské Bohunice, Lošonec, Košolná, Šúrovce, Šelpice, Hrnčiarovce Nad Parnou, Smolenice.

Back to the main travel overview: Trnava.