Magna via- A former imperial Royal mail route
The main part of our interest in Erasmus + project called Can you tell me the way to? ...tracing our European heritage on foot is MAGNA VIA- a former Imperial Royal postal road. A major part of the Magna Via was built in the 16th century by order of the King Ferdinand I since southern territories of the Monarchy were taken by Turkish troops.
After the Magna Via road was finished in 1558, it was more than a thousand km long and was one of the longest postal and transport connections. More than 500 km of the road ran through Slovakia. Its route crossed 5 countries: from Austria through Slovakia and Ukraine down to Hungary and southern Romania. Naturally the route has soon become one of the most important business and postal roads in the monarchy with its 56 postal stations.
Itinerary
Via Magna emerged as relatively secure communication artery of the Monarchy. It led through Bratislava, Nitra, Turiec, Liptov, Spis and Saris county and from there it passed to Uzskata (now Ukraine) and Szabolcs-Szatmár (Hungary). It was linked to other counties and county centers in Austria-Hungary.
The postal service was carrying the passengers in the first place along this route. Those passengers were the nobility and their escorts as well as traders. In this way,the secure flow of goods and capital was guaranteed, which had major benefits for the centers of each region. Cities such as Trnava, Hlohovec, Topoľčany, Prievidza (Bojnice), Žiar nad Hronom, Martin, Ružomberok, Liptovský Mikuláš, Levoča, Košice, Uzhgorod experienced one of its prosper periods during the use of this road. What's more, some cities have experienced the only economic boom thanks to this road. Towns and villages like Blatne, Great Ripňany, also middle and upper Nitra region (Žabokreky, Lower Vestenice etc.) now only recall the former glory of their villages.