Svidník
# Svidník

Svidník (Hungarian: Felsővízköz, German: Oberswidnik, Rusyn: Свідник, Ukrainian: Свидник) is a town in eastern Slovakia, the capital of the Svidník District in the Prešov Region. It has a population of around 11,000.

There is a monumental Soviet Army Memorial in the city, in memory of Battle of the Dukla Pass.

## Geography

It is located in the Ondava Highlands, at the confluence of Ondava and Ladomírka rivers, located around 20 km (12.43 mi) from the Dukla Pass (Polish border) and around 55 km (34.18 mi) north-east of Prešov.

## History

The town arose in 1944 by merger of two formerly independent municipalities of Nižný Svidník and Vyšný Svidník. The first written mention stems from 1355 as Scyuidnyk.

## Demographics

According to a 2001 census, the town had 12,428 inhabitants. 79.60% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 13.04% were Rusyns, 4.07% were Ukrainian, 1.50% were of Romani descent and 0.39% were Czechs. The religious make-up was 41.10% Greek Catholics, 25.82% Orthodox, 24.13% Roman Catholics, 5.17% people with no religious affiliation and 0.93% Lutherans.

## Twin towns — sister cities

Svidník is twinned with:

* Strzyżów, Poland
* Świdnik, Poland
* Jarosław, Poland
* Sanok County, Poland
* Chrudim, Czech Republic
* Kriva Palanka, North Macedonia
* Rakhiv, Ukraine
* Vrbas, Serbia
