| Handlová | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Trenčín |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Prievidza |
| Pushpin Map: | Slovakia Trenčín Region#Slovakia |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Handlová in the Trenčín Region##Location of Handlová in Slovakia |
| Coordinates: | 48.7272°N 18.7619°W |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Silvia Grúberová |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1376 |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 85.55 |
| Elevation M: | 465[2] |
| Elevation Ft: | 1,526 |
| Population Footnotes: | [3] |
| Population Total: | 15780 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 972 51 |
| Area Code: | +421 46 |
| Blank Name: | Car plate |
| Blank Info: | PD |
| Website: | www.handlova.sk |
| Area Note: | |
Handlová (German: Krickerhau, Hungarian: Nyitrabánya, before 1913 Hungarian: Handlova) is a town in the Prievidza District, Trenčín Region in the middle of Slovakia. It is made up of the three parts Handlová, Nová Lehota and Morovno.
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 15km (09miles) away from Prievidza and 20km (10miles) 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 were expelled from the town due to the so-called Beneš decrees. Of the original 12,800 people who lived there as late as in 1943, only 4,000 remained in Handlová by 1945. As a result, Handlová's character changed completely.[4] 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.
On 15 May 2024, Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico was shot in front of the House of Culture after a government meeting, in an assassination attempt. He was subsequently rushed to Handlová Hospital, before later being airlifted to F.D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica, where he underwent successful surgery.[5]
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.[6] The religious make-up was 46.10% Atheists, 44.74% Roman Catholics and 2.42% Lutherans.[6]
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Slovakia. Handlová is twinned with:[7]
The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Statny Archiv in Nitra, Slovakia"
