Vrbové

The village 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 northwest of the village, is a recreation area.

The present-day village is a very old settlement. The name of the village 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 . The village was famous for its grain markets, promoted mainly by Jews, who made up a large part of the village's population. In the late 20th century, the village was home to clothing (Trikota works), trading and wood-processing industries.

Vrbové is infamous for its past as a Jewish ghetto. During World War II, the entire village 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.[http://www.igougo.com/travelcontent/journalEntryOverview.aspx?ReviewID=1230914&EntryID=15035 IgoUgo.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928015454/http://www.igougo.com/travelcontent/journalEntryOverview.aspx?ReviewID=1230914&EntryID=15035 |date=September 28, 2007 }}

According to the 2001 census, the village had 6,249 inhabitants. 98.75% of inhabitants were Slovaks and 0.59% Czechs.{{cite web | title = Municipal Statistics | publisher = Statistical Office of the Slovak republic | url = http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html | access-date = 2008-02-09 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080208225314/http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html |archive-date = 2008-02-08}} The religious make-up was 75.48% Roman Catholics, 10.80% people with no religious affiliation and 10.67% Lutherans.

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Slovakia}}

Vrbové is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Partnerská města|url=https://www.vitkov.info/o-meste/partnerska-mesta-1/|website=vitkov.info|publisher=Město Vítkov|language=cs|access-date=2019-09-05}}

• {{flagicon|CZE}} Vítkov, Czech Republic

{{Category see also|People from Piešťany District}}

;Rabbis

• Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann was born there in 1843.
• Vrbové is the birthplace of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, the famed Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem.
• The Chief Rabbi of Vrbové, Rabbi Samuel Reich, son of the renowned Rabbi Koppel Reich, survived the Holocaust and emigrated to Jerusalem, where he later died. Before the Second World War he founded a Commerce school which was later nationalized.
• Vrbové's most famous Rabbi was Rabbi Yitschack Weiss, the author of many important works: Siach Yitschack, Elef Ksav, Avnei Beis Hayotser, Hagada Shel Pesach Siach Yitschack, Bina leitim and many more. He was killed in the Holocaust in 1942. His works were sponsored by the Werner family from Vrbové and published by Shem Olam in Bnei Brak.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}

Vrbové also is the birthplace of:

• Maurice Benyovszky, the discoverer
• Bishop Pavol Jantausch
• Jozef Adamec, Slovak football forward
• Elo Šándor, the Slovak writer

• Synagogue (Vrbové)
• Vrbovce, Slovakia

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Vrbové}}

{{Commons category|Synagogue in Vrbové}}

• {{Official website|http://www.vrbove.sk/en/sights.html}}
• [http://panoramy.sme.sk/panorama/2135/vrbove-namestie-slobody/?pr=2136 Virtual Tour of Vrbové]

{{Piešťany District}}

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Category:Cities and towns in Slovakia