Brestovany

Brestovany (Bresztovány) is a municipality in the Trnava District of the Trnava region of Slovakia, with a population of about 2,000 inhabitants. The name of the village is likely derived from the Slovak word brest, meaning elm, a tree which used to be common in the area.

History
The first recorded mention of Brestovany dates back to 1113 in a document known as the Zoborská listina, where it is referred to as Bristem. The village has faced numerous challenges throughout its history, including a Tatars invasion in 1241 and a conquest by the Czech army in 1271. In 1280, Brestovany became hereditary property of the town of Trnava, making its inhabitants serfs until the abolition of serfdom in 1848. The village was plundered and burned by the Ottoman empire in 1533.

In the 18th century, two significant religious structures were built in Brestovany: the Chapel of Saint Martin and the Church of Saint John the Baptist. The village suffered severe fires in 1811 and 1818, which destroyed large parts of it. By 1824, Brestovany belonged to Polish count Jozef Saryusz Zamoyski, who built a neoclassical mansion mansion in the village, now housing a primary school. The mansion later became the property of another Polish noble, Albert Wielopolski, both of whom are buried in the local cemetery.

Archaeology
In July 2022, archaeologists from the Monuments Board of Trnava and the Western Slovakia Museum announced the discovery of a 4,000-year-old female grave. The skeleton was found in a curled position on her left side with jewels from the Early Bronze Age Nitra culture containing two willow-shaped earrings, bone beads, a copper bracelet.

Culture and social life
There are several remarkable historic buildings in Brestovany: the baroque Chapel of Saint Martin (1767), the baroque Church of Saint John the Baptist (1772) and the neoclassical manor house with a large park built in 1826. The village's organizations include a hunters' association, a carrier-pigeon breeders society, a volunteer fire brigade, a sport club and several choirs.

Notable residents
Ľudmila Zamoyska-Gizická (1829 – 1889)– music composer, pianist

Jožo Nižnánsky (1903 – 1976) – writer, journalist, publicist, author of novel Čachtická pani (1932)

František Nižnánsky (1911- 1967) – Brother of Jožo Nižnánsky, one of founders of modern veterinary science in Slovakia

František Hrušovský (1903 – 1956) – historian, publicist

Genealogical resources
The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Statny Archiv in Bratislava, Slovakia"


 * Roman Catholic church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1711-1897 (parish A)
 * Lutheran church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1666-1895 (parish B)