Contemporaneity

At present, Pohronská Polhora has approx. 1750 inhabitants. You can find there culture centre. In the building of municipal office, it is placed historical exposition about life conditions of the village. Literary and tourist circle as well as amateur theatre are active there. Neo-classical St.Michael Church with bell-tower forms a village dominanta. The church is well-known with its unique decoration made from autumn fruits and pictures created from nature materials. Local cemetery with more than one hundred cast-iron crosses belongs also to places of interest. The cemetery is registered in Central Survey of Cultural Monuments of Slovakia.

History

The community was established in 1786. As the first notice of the village, a registration in parish chronicle could be mentioned, shortly after arrival of colonists from Upper Orava region. The area between the town of Brezno and Tisovec was uninhabited. So, just in half-way, stone pub and a refuge for animals and carriers were situated. Both buildings were built by care of Brezno, at the beginning of 18th century. However, frequent attacks of travellers, who transferred various goods and money from Gemer to Zvolen and vice versa forced the authorities to an act that a community was founded. It was actual Pohronska Polhora. The village became the youngest community of the town of Brezno, and, later, it was independent even in 1888, when notary office was open there.

The community got probably its name according to Oravská Polhora. On the other hand, its foundation was not influenced with safety reasons, but the reason for foundation were iron ore layers, placed in surrounding forests. Moreover, the wood would serve for burning of wooden coal, necessary for the production of iron. The iron started to be produced there when blast-furnace was constructed in the community of Michalova, at the end of 18th century. However, when big iron-works in Podbrezová were built, the activity of this small manufactory begun to stagnate anf finally, the factory was definitely closed.

Anyway, the agriculture, wood-cutting and carting were the first occupations of local inhabitants. In 1880, there was constructed steam saw-mill in the village, and, subsequently, ten years later, the same factory in the community of Kubicka. Further, the life of the community was influenced, in positive way, with building of railway line Brezno-Polhora in 1895.

As far as the first church is concerned, it was a room of local family house, where the divine services were made. Actual St.Michael Church was built in 1808. The bell.tower comes of 1843. The Church Roman-Catholic school was constructed from wood, later from stone. In 1873, Polhora was caught with great  serious cholera epidemy. At that time, nearly 250 persons died. However, the worse great fire in the history of the community broke out in 1942, when nearly 160 houses and agriculture buildings were totally destroyed.

Text: Denisa Arvajová, ppolhora.sk

Translation: ing. Jan Jonáš

Photo: picasaweb.com - Brano, Eberhard, Pavel, Katarina, Przemek