Life of the Trenčín people on the edge of the 19th and 20th centuries

Toward the end of the 19^th century, Trenčín was a peaceful town with the population of about 5,000. The city was surrounded by fields, groves, and Váh river canals. The first streets were formed. The majority of townspeople had their gardens, groves, or fields outside the downtown area – either their own or leased from the city. A typical town house from the end of the 19^th century would be a one-story house with the ground floor and a shop, workshop in the backyard, and apartments on the second floor. The city's panorama would also include herds of cattle led to the pastures in the morning and returning home later in the day. With the coming of industrialisation, factory products and new railway, Trenčín experienced more commercial growth. Merchants and craftsmen were coming together and establishing guilds to protect their interests. The guilds also brought a rich cultural and social life into the city. Concerts would take place in parks, amateur theatre performances were organized, balls, sports events and tours became common. Different services also developed, including a number of more or less famous inns and guest houses. Despite the fact that prostitution was banned, the wealthy could use the services of a brothel built here. There was a number of bookstores in the city, people could pre-pay magazines – most of them in German, later in Hungarian. Permanent presence of offices and military garrison played a role in the city's growing economy.