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    Voderady – Geography and Soil Characteristics

Voderady is located between the Gidra stream (historically called Pilava, Pleva) and the Ronava stream, on the fertile Trnava Loess Plain, which is part of the Danubian Lowland. The village offers very favorable conditions for agricultural production. Its climate falls within the temperate zone, characterized as warm and dry with mild winters. Due to an annual moisture deficit, Voderady is among the warmest and driest agricultural areas in Slovakia.

The soils in this region are dominated by several meters of loess deposits, accumulated during the Ice Ages. These loess formations have developed into chernozem soils, which prevail in the area. These ancient soils existed long before the arrival of the first farmers during the Neolithic period. Chernozem soils feature a humus-rich top layer of 0.5 to 0.7 meters, favorable soil pH, a good natural supply of nutrients, and excellent physical properties. On eroded surfaces, which are gradually increasing around the village, the humus layer is thinner. In the floodplain of the Gidra stream, alluvial soils – known as fluvisols – can be found. These share similar characteristics with chernozem but are significantly wetter.

Even with today’s advanced scientific and technological capabilities, it is impossible to recreate such soils. They emerged from a unique interplay of natural forces thousands of years ago and are an invaluable heritage. For this reason, they should be under strict protection. However, since 2007, the village has experienced the loss and degradation of its highest-quality agricultural land. The most fertile land has been used for constructing assembly and production halls, shopping centers, and logistics hubs. For example, the highly fertile arable soil beneath the Samsung factory in Voderady was transported by rail to Hungary. During the construction of the Lear Corporation plant in 2015, a significant quantity of loess was excavated for stabilizing the building’s foundation. The enormous pits were then filled with top-quality agricultural soil removed from the construction site. Ironically, 2015 was declared the International Year of Soils by the United Nations. Along with the destruction of this natural wealth, the village is experiencing environmental degradation and a decline in wildlife populations.

    Ancient Voderady

Favorable soil conditions have attracted human settlement in this area since ancient times. This is evidenced by findings along the banks of the Gidra and Ronava streams. Artifacts indicate that the area was inhabited as early as the Paleolithic period.

In the cadastral area of Voderady and its surroundings, discoveries span all historical periods. In the 1930s, La Tène culture artifacts were found near the village, including gray pottery shards and fragments of graphite vessels. These were produced by the Celts, who inhabited the region from around 400 BCE. Close to the village, between the branches of the Gidra stream, evidence of Roman-era settlement has been discovered. Artifacts included fragments of hand mills, grinding stones, a worked quartzite oval, and pieces of terra sigillata pottery.

In 1992, a bronze brooch from the early Roman period was found near the village. Similarly, in 1996, evidence of settlements from the Bronze and Roman periods was uncovered. During an archaeological survey in 2008, archaeologists from the Small Carpathian Museum in Pezinok found a damaged bronze brooch from the Roman period northwest of the village, along with fragments of prehistoric and medieval pottery.

During a geomorphological survey conducted north of the village in October 2009, a silver brooch from the Roman period was discovered near the Ronava stream, along with fragments of Germanic pottery dated to the same era, daub (burnt construction material), and animal bones. The discovered pottery fragments are dated from prehistoric times to the medieval period. Based on these findings, it is presumed that a prehistoric settlement may have been located near this multi-cultural site.

In 2013, a prehistoric to medieval settlement was discovered northwest of the village during construction work. The investigated area revealed traces of intensive prehistoric and medieval, possibly even modern-era settlement. These were represented by sunken parts of dwellings, economic and production structures, as well as features such as postholes, exploitation and storage pits, bread ovens, and shallow trenches. Among the findings, fragments of ceramic vessels used as kitchenware and tableware were the most abundant. Some of these vessels featured incised and plastic decorations. In addition to these, fragments of fired bricks, iron artifacts, and animal bones were uncovered, providing evidence of the everyday life of the population from that time.

In Voderady, several ancient cadastral names are recorded: Malý Chríb, Veľký Chríb (modern variations: Malý Mačkavár, Veľký Mačkavár, Malý Mačací Zámok, Veľký Mačací Zámok). „Chríb" refers to a hill, knoll, or hilly field. Of particular interest is the name „Kuča Majír," which refers to a structure around which sheep grazed. Shepherds would retreat into the „kuča" during periods of rest or unfavorable weather conditions. Voderady and its surrounding villages are also significant in terms of hydronymy: Ronava and Pilava.

    Voderady in the Middle Ages  

Voderady is a very old settlement. A road once passed by the village, connecting the early Slavic fortified settlement of Braslav (Bratislava) to the fortification of Nitrava (Nitra), which likely existed as early as the 8th century. This road also ran past the Great Moravian fortified settlement in the neighboring village of Majcichov. The settlement of Majtechov (now Majcichov), belonging to the nobleman Majtech and administratively supervising Voderady during the Great Moravian period, had an excellent position. Although located in a lowland, it was well-protected by surrounding earthen ramparts and forests stretching continuously from Zelenč towards the Little Carpathians.

The existence of Voderady is first documented in a property charter of Zelenč from May 13, 1243, issued by King Béla IV. The village is mentioned under the name Wederet. Part of the village was royal property, held by the jobagiones of Bratislava Castle. Another part belonged to Benedict and Stephen of Blatné, while the third part was owned by a certain Michael. Before 1290, Michael sold his share to Abraham Rufus, son of Menold, who also acquired an additional part of Voderady from King Andrew III in 1294. By purchasing other properties, Rufus gained the now-vanished Hrušov settlement near Voderady. In 1297, Abraham Rufus (also called „the Red" or „the Reddish") exchanged the village Vedered (Voderady) for Sobotište and Branč with Count Aba, son of Master Aba. Count Aba (known as the Great" or „the Handsome") retained this part of Voderady until his death in the Battle of Rozhanovce on June 15, 1312, where he commanded 1,700 lancers of Matthew Csák against King Charles Robert of Anjou. Aba’s son, Nicholas, was later executed by his castellans at the instigation of Matthew Csák, likely due to his inclination toward the king.

Further written sources reveal that in 1335, the Archbishop of Esztergom granted the revenues of Voderady and other parishes to the Esztergom custodian, John, in exchange for other properties. The exchange included six of the archbishop’s nobles living in the Voderady valley. In the 15th century, part of Voderady belonged to Count George, son of Nicholas of Pezinok, and his brother, Count Nicholas. In 1418, Count George acquired the remaining part of Voderady as a reward for his significant contributions, granted by King Sigismund. Subsequently, a large portion of Voderady came under Count Peter, son of Count George. Later records mention Count Ladislaus of Pezinok, the Monastery of the Virgin Mary in Trnava, Count Simeon of Pezinok, and Countess Barbara, daughter of Count Ladislaus. Barbara engaged in a property dispute with Count Simeon over assets that included Voderady. The majority of these properties were ultimately awarded to Barbara, while Simeon retained a smaller portion.

The last recorded property transaction in medieval Voderady occurred in 1515, when Paul Holý of Hradná purchased the village for 2,000 Hungarian gold coins from the landlord and royal advisor Ambrose Šarkan. Šarkan was likely compelled to sell due to ongoing violence by the counts of Svätý Jur and Pezinok against his people in Voderady during his absence. In 1512, they even forcibly abducted Šarkan’s jobagiones from the village. According to a taxation register from 1553, the owner of Voderady was the Bishop of Győr. By 1647, another taxation record lists Thomas Baranyay as the proprietor of the Voderady estates.

In the first half of the 18th century, the Bishop of Győr, Count Francis Zichy, owned the estate, succeeded by Count Francis Zichy the Elder, who became the founder of the Voderady branch of the Zichy family. The Zichy family maintained ownership of the Voderady estate until the early 20th century, when the death of Joseph Zichy marked the end of the estate in its original size.

    The Origin of the Name of the Municipality

According to a legend recorded in the local chronicle, monks settled in the area where the municipality is now located in ancient times. There was no water in the vicinity until they happened upon a small spring at a place known as „Malý Mačkavár." They visited the site daily to fetch water, expressing their gratitude by saying they appreciated it. They built a small chapel there and inscribed the word "VODROD" on it.

The name of this part of the area, „Malý Mačkavár," indicates that this is a „newer" legend, as the area traditionally bore the ancient Slavic name „Malý Chríb." The term „VODROD” mentioned in the legend has Hungarian origins (Vödröd).

Another legend also mentions a scarcity of water in the region. After a prolonged search and digging, the inhabitants finally discovered a spring. Out of gratitude, they erected a chapel near it and carved into stone: „SME – VODE – RADI" („WE – ARE – GLAD – FOR – THE – WATER").

There are several etymological interpretations of the municipality's name. The origin of the Slavic name likely lies in the root of the word vod (water). Slovak linguist Ján Stanislav initially believed it to be a natural name denoting a watery place. Later, in his publication From the Life of Words and Our Ancestors, he explored terms with the root rad (= work) in Old Slovak and interpreted the name Voderady as meaning „water laborers."

Š. Ondruš reevaluates the derivation of the Proto-Slavic term vodrь, with odrь originally meaning „enclosure." He concluded that the inhabitants of this area—Slavs—constructed enclosures to reinforce riverbanks, preventing water from eroding and washing away soil. According to him, the second part of the name derives from the Proto-Slavic root rad: „raditi, raděti," meaning to work, take care of, or provide for something. This could indicate activities like managing water, irrigation, or drainage of fields. Thus, the municipality’s name can be interpreted as a compound word with the ultimate meaning: a settlement of people who manage water (by diverting it from the area with canals or building dikes) or those who procure water (e.g., for irrigation or providing drinking water to the feudal lord or a castle).

Linguist Rudolf Krajčovič, in his studies of Slovak historical toponymy, proposed that the name refers to „regulators of watercourses and flows." According to him, this represents the occupation of the population tasked with maintaining waterways, constructing bridges or fords across rivers and streams, building canals and dikes, or draining water to reclaim land.

Linguists generally agree that the name of the municipality belongs to the category of occupational names, which are found only in strategically or economically significant areas. The name Voderady organically aligns with other occupational names in the vicinity of the early Slavic hillfort in Majcichov. The formation of the municipality’s name was likely influenced by the socio-economic conditions of early Slavic inhabitants who had settled in the region.

The inhabitants of Voderady may have also served a defensive role along the access route to the nearby Great Moravian hillfort in Majcichov, employing natural or artificial barriers and guard posts.

The name of the municipality has undergone various changes over the centuries, influenced by the language of the scribe: Wogeradj, Wederet, Wedered, Wedred, Vedrid, Vogyerád, Woszati, Voděrady, Vödröd, Vedröd, Woderady, eventually stabilizing as Voderady in 1920, which remains unchanged to this day.

    National Composition and Language

The original inhabitants of the municipality were Slovaks, and this has remained unchanged throughout its history. The schematism of the Archdiocese of Esztergom, which provides essential demographic data, consistently records that the local population spoke Slovak (ling. slav.). Similarly, a German statistical report from 1866 states that the inhabitants spoke Slovak. The language gradually evolved and was influenced by various factors.

As chronicler A. Kudla noted, the population was „emotionally and linguistically purely Slovak." To this day, the inhabitants of Voderady speak in a strong Trnava dialect in private conversations, which forms an integral part of the municipality's identity.

    Seal

The oldest seal of the municipality is known from a document dated February 14, 1697, and is preserved in the State Archives in Trnava. The seal, with a diameter of 25 mm, bears an illegible circumscription, which was, according to the customs of the time, written in Latin. At its center are the contours of a church. Its design is among six seals from towns and municipalities in the Trnava district depicting a structure or object.

Among the manorial records from February 27, 1768, there is a seal with a diameter of 17 mm. It features the figure of St. Andrew on a cross with the circumscription: SIGILVM COMVNITATIS VEDRIDIENSIS. Documents bearing this seal are housed in the State Archives in Bratislava and the Slovak National Archives. St. Andrew also appears on a seal with a diameter of 26 mm, dated 1832. The seal from 1910 contains only an inscription.

The seal of the municipality from the late 18th century served as the basis for a detailed drawing of the Voderady seal.

    Voderady 1914–1945

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and three days later, Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph announced a general mobilization. In the village of Voderady, mobilization was proclaimed on Tuesday, August 4, 1914. It was announced at three o'clock in the early morning by the village drummer. The village provided 14 wagons to transport mobilized soldiers to the railway station in Cífer. Shortly afterward, older reservists and even 17- to 18-year-old boys were called up to the army.

The military commission in the village purchased 36 pairs of horses. In some cases, a farmer was paid as much as 900 crowns for a horse, even though before the mobilization, such a horse would have fetched no more than 150 to 200 crowns.

The village requisitioned food, livestock, and items made of brass, tin, and copper. Many people lost their last savings to war loans, impoverishing not only themselves but also the village as a whole.

In 1916, 12 refugees stayed in the village for some time. They were Jewish people fleeing from Poland. The residents of Voderady provided them with help and accommodated them in a secluded area called Kuča, located beyond the village.

Thirty-eight men and boys from Voderady lost their lives in World War I. For a long time, the village neglected to honor the memory of its fallen citizens from this devastating war. In 1927, a farmer named Štefan Barčák erected a memorial on his field toward Majcichov in their honor. The memorial was later moved near the church. Additionally, the faithful of the village erected a wooden memorial cross by the church. After the war, the village was home to 12 war veterans with disabilities.

Two years after the war ended and the Czechoslovak Republic was established, five legionnaires returned home from Russia, including one who was presumed dead. This was František Mrva, who brought with him his Russian wife, Barbora (Lassovská), and their son. Unfortunately, Barbora was unable to adapt to the local environment and tragically took her own life by drowning in the Gidra stream.

In April 1919, prompted by Western powers, Czechoslovak and Romanian troops attacked the Hungarian Soviet Republic. In response, the Hungarian army launched a counteroffensive, advancing into southern Slovakia and occupying some areas. Two minor military skirmishes occurred near Voderady. In the first, approximately 30 Hungarian soldiers approached the village from Sládkovičovo but were driven back by Czechoslovak legionnaires summoned from Trnava. The Hungarian soldiers fled toward Pusté Úľany. Later, Hungarian hussars approached the village from Majcichov. A battle ensued in the fields behind the village, where the Czechoslovak soldiers killed two hussar officers and forced the rest to retreat.

Until the establishment of Czechoslovakia, Voderady belonged to the Senec electoral district. One can easily imagine the positions Slovak candidates held in such circumstances. Until 1918, only individuals recommended by the local notary could secure roles as mayors or members of the municipal council.  

The earliest preserved results of local elections after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary date back to October 16, 1927. The Hlinka's Slovak People's Party (HSĽS) received the most votes for the municipal council, followed by the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party (ČSSDSR), and in third place, the Republican Party of Farmers and Smallholders (RSZMĽ). Štefan Barčák (HSĽS) was elected mayor.  

Following the establishment of the Slovak State, a local command of the Hlinka Guard (HG) was founded in the village. Jozef Bachratý was appointed as its first commander, succeeded by Jozef Barčák. The leader of the Hlinka Youth (HM) was teacher Vojtech Petrovič.  

In 1939, Voderady hosted a district-wide public exercise attended by Alexander Mach, the head of propaganda and the chief commander of the Hlinka Guard.  

The Communist Party was only established in the village after 1945, with Alexander Marko serving as its first chairman. At the time, the organization had approximately 40 members.  

In the 1946 elections to the National Assembly, the Communist Party of Slovakia garnered few votes in Voderady. The Democratic Party emerged victorious, receiving as much as 70% of the village's votes.  

The Great Depression (1929–1933) also affected the inhabitants of Voderady. Many were unemployed and received food vouchers. These were primarily agricultural laborers, cottagers, and small landholders.

The village was indirectly affected by the Vienna Arbitration, which took place on November 2, 1938. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy forced Czechoslovakia to cede parts of today’s southern Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia to Horthy's Hungary. These territories were predominantly inhabited by Hungarian-speaking populations. Voderady found itself in a border zone. The village had a Slovak population, but approximately 40% of the residents in the border manor of Tárnok were Hungarians. Approximately 180 cadastral jutar (a historical unit of land measurement) of land were ceded to Hungary.

Soon after, Slovak inhabitants from areas ceded to Hungary—specifically from Štvrtok na Ostrove and Malý Fajkut near Vráble—arrived in Voderady. They settled in the Pálffy and Jozef manors. Slovak-speaking residents continued to arrive in Voderady from the ceded areas even in 1939.  

In March 1939, the independent Slovak State (1939–1945) was established, and on September 1 of the same year, World War II began in Europe. Men from the village were drafted only toward the end of the war in 1944. They enlisted in Trnava and were sent to fortification work on the Italian front. After the Allied forces landed, they defected to the Allies and returned home in July 1945.  

Several men from the village also fought in the Slovak National Uprising. After retreating to the mountains, most of them returned home. Some were taken to Germany to concentration camps and did not return until the summer of 1945.  

Shortly after the uprising was declared, Voderady was occupied by German soldiers. They were housed in the manor house, the school, and several houses in the village.  

After the Nazis arrived, Alexander Marko hid a Jewish family in his home for three months. By doing so, he risked not only his own life but also the lives of his loved ones. His brave actions demonstrated extraordinary courage and heroism.

From November to December 1944, approximately 60 men from the village were compelled to dig trenches in Horné Orešany. From January to March 1945, they were also required to dig trenches near Pavlice. Additionally, they excavated anti-tank ditches near Sládkovičovo. However, Soviet soldiers later easily overcame these obstacles by turning their tanks in place at several points near the ditches, pushing soil into them.

Hungarian and Romanian soldiers were also stationed in the village but fled before the front arrived. The village also hosted an artillery unit of the Slovak Home Guard and a unit of the Hlinka Guard.

During this time, two condemnable acts occurred in the village. The secretary of the local Hlinka Guard, Anton R., participated in the deportation of a Jewish man, Artúr Marmostein. In the local inn owned by Irena Ivančíková, a drunken lieutenant, Nitriansky from Topoľčany, shot and killed soldier Štefan Žák from Trenčín with his pistol.

Voderady was liberated on April 1, 1945. Although the Germans had erected a defensive barricade on Hlavná Street, they withdrew without a fight. They didn’t even manage to destroy the fuel depot near the house of Simeón Zvolenský.

At dawn, a reconnaissance patrol of Russian Cossacks rode into the village on horseback. The last German vehicles were still in the village, but the infantry had already entrenched themselves outside the village in a location known as „Mačkavár." Unaware that the Nazi troops had retreated from the village, Soviet artillery was ordered to bombard it. The shelling injured one resident, damaged several houses, and completely destroyed one.

Like the Germans, the Russians established their headquarters in the Ziči Mansion. Some officers were accommodated in houses around the village. None of them, however, stayed in homes previously occupied by the Germans, and in most cases, they chose poorer households.

The village was filled with Russian military wagons and horses. In 1945, the number of Red Army soldiers in the village exceeded the local population. They set up a field kitchen next to the stream flowing from the pond near the road to Pavlice. Seven German soldiers hiding in the forest fired a few anti-tank rounds at the kitchen. The Soviet soldiers soon captured them and executed them in the courtyard of Julov's farmhouse near the mansion.

The Soviet troops left the village on December 20, 1945. Remarkably, during the deadliest war in human history, not a single resident of Voderady lost their life.

    Voderady 1945 - 1989

After the signing of Germany's capitulation, the war in Europe officially ended, and the situation in the village began to gradually stabilize. In 1948, the political struggle for power in Czechoslovakia intensified. At the beginning of the year (February 25), the so-called February events took place in Prague. The government fell, and Klement Gottwald became the head of the new government. All power was taken over by the Communist Party. In both the Czech lands and Slovakia, certain political parties were dissolved, and the so-called National Front was established. The year 1948 also marked the end of the so-called Two-Year Plan for National Economic Development. The Communist government announced a long-term program – the first Five-Year Plan. According to this plan, the planned development of our village and the entire country began to focus on socialism and building a socialist economy. Alongside issues related to nationalization and collectivization, high employment among the village population began to emerge, in line with the government slogans „work for everyone” and „he who does not work shall not eat.”

The former Keglevich estates – the manor house, park, adjacent grove, and three farms – were confiscated in 1946 under Slovak National Council Decree No. 104 and assigned to state ownership. In 1947, the State Property Directorate for confiscated school estates was established in the manor house in Voderady. After the directorate was relocated to Modra, a poultry farming school was set up in the manor house, which in 1952 was renamed the Agricultural Master and Apprentice School.

On June 1, 1953, the currency reform law came into effect. The exchange of the old currency and its implementation were very harsh for the residents of the village. The standard of living of the population decreased by approximately 20%, but despite this, there was a gradual revitalization of construction activities.

On January 1, 1974, Voderady was designated as a central municipality. The Local National Committees of the villages Voderady, Pavlice, and Slovenská Nová Ves were merged under the common name Local National Committee Voderady.

    Voderady After 1989

In November 1989, the so-called Velvet Revolution began, marking the end of the communist regime. New political parties and movements emerged in Czechoslovakia: in the Czech lands, the Civic Forum; in Slovakia, the Public Against Violence. A peaceful transition to a democratic society took place.
The first post-revolution elections were held on June 8 and 9, 1990. Twenty-two political parties and movements competed for voters' support. The first post-November mayor of the municipality was Karol Sedlák.
As of December 31, 1990, the administrative union of the municipalities of Voderady, Pavlice, and Slovenská Nová Ves was terminated. From January 1, 1991, each municipality has had separate local government bodies and its own municipal office.
A significant milestone in the history of Slovakia and the municipality occurred on January 1, 1993. On this day, the independent Slovak Republic was established, gradually becoming a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and many other international organizations.
After the fall of socialism, the development of the municipality initially experienced some stagnation. Gradually, the cultural and social life began to revive. The first entrepreneurial activities also started to emerge in the municipality.
In 2007, the South Korean company Samsung built a plant for manufacturing LCD modules in the northeastern part of Voderady’s cadastral territory. Following Samsung, its subcontracting companies also came to Voderady. An industrial park was established near the municipality, which is gradually being filled by additional plants. It is undoubtedly thanks to these investments that the municipality has seen more dynamic development in recent years, characterized by new construction activities. Nevertheless, it must be stated that the appropriation of the northeastern part of Voderady’s cadastral area for the purposes of the industrial park, despite the high quality of the local agricultural land, was an unwise decision by the then-leadership of both the municipality and the state. Over time, this will undoubtedly bring more negative than positive impacts to the municipality. In addition to the loss of hundreds of hectares of valuable, highly fertile soil, there will also be a decline in air quality and environmental deterioration in Voderady and its surrounding areas.


 

Čambálová, Daniela a kol. Voderady 1243–1993. Voderady: Obecný úrad 1993.