Vrbové, Trnava Region, Slovakia

🇸🇰 Vrbové (Vrbau; Werbau; Verbó) is a town in the Trnava Region of Slovakia. The town lies around 8 km (5 mi) north-west from Piešťany.

Characteristics The town features an originally Gothic church from 1397, an Evangelical Lutheran church from 1928-1929 (on the site of an older Protestant church of 1784), a baroque curia from the 17th century, an oriental-style synagogue from 1883, and a modern St. Gorazd Church.

The Čerenec Dam (0.46 km²), situated to the north-west of the town, is a recreation area.

History The present-day town is a very old settlement. The name of the town is derived from a Slavic word for willow. The first written reference to the town stems from 1332. at that time it was part of the Čachtice Castle domain. Vrbové received its town charter in 1437, and was devastated by Turkish troops in 1599. The town was famous for its grain markets, promoted mainly by Jews, who made up a large part of the town's population. In the late 20th century, the town was home to clothing (Trikota works), trading and wood-processing industries.

History: World War II Vrbové is infamous for its past as a Jewish ghetto. During World War II, the entire town of Vrbové was a ghetto for the Jewish population of the Piešťany province of Slovakia. The ghetto was liquidated by the Slovak Nazis known as the Hlinka Guard and the German SS; most of the Jewish people were deported to the death camp at Auschwitz. Most of Vrbove's Jewish population was gassed in Auschwitz's gas chambers.

Demographics According to the 2001 census, the town had 6,249 inhabitants. 98.75% of inhabitants were Slovaks and 0.59% Czechs. The religious make-up was 75.48% Roman Catholics, 10.80% people with no religious affiliation and 10.67% Lutherans.