This photo of a street in Blatnica was taken by the Video GAMA company in Martin, Slovokia.  Video GAMA can be reached at vgama@nextra.sk .

Blatnica

            Blatnica is a little village about 30 minutes outside of Martin, in Central Northern Slovakia.  It is the home of the Malina family.  It is situated on the eastern side of U-shaped range of mountains that include the Great Fatra range of mountains within the Carpathian Mountains.  Within this U is beautiful and fertile farmland.  Our ancestors were farmers. They were serfs until Maria Theresa, the queen of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, allowed the serfs to own land in the mid-1800s. 

From 1900-1921 – about 20 years after our ancestors emigrated, the population of Blatnica was 223 houses and 969 citizens or 4.34 persons per house.  In 2001 – 100 years later --  there were still 223 houses, but only 859 citizens or 3.85 persons per house.