Hron

This article is about the River Hron. For the Rector of Prag-Suchdol, see Jan Hron. For the Slovak wine grape, see Hron (grape).

Hron
The Hron near Starý Tekov
Current and watershed of the Hron River in Slovakia
Location
Country	Slovakia
Region	Banská Bystrica, Nitra
Physical characteristics
Source	Hron
⁃ location	Kráľova hoľa near Telgárt, Low Tatras, Banská Bystrica Region
⁃ elevation	980 m (3,220 ft)
Mouth	Danube River
⁃ location	Kamenica nad Hronom, Nitra Region
⁃ elevation	112 m (367 ft)
Length	298 km (185 mi)
Basin size	5,453 km2 (2,105 sq mi)
Discharge
⁃ average	53.7 m3/s (1,900 cu ft/s)
⁃ minimum	7.6 m3/s (270 cu ft/s)
⁃ maximum	1,050 m3/s (37,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
⁃ left	Slatina
Progression	Danube→ Black Sea

The Hron (Slovak: Hron, German: Gran, Hungarian: Garam, Latin: Granus) is a 298-kilometre (185 mi) long left tributary of the Danube and the second-longest river in Slovakia. It flows from its source in the Low Tatra Mountains (below Kráľova hoľa) through central and southern Slovakia, emptying into the Danube near Štúrovo and Esztergom. Major cities and towns on the Hron are Brezno, Banská Bystrica, Sliač, Zvolen, Žiar nad Hronom, Žarnovica, Nová Baňa, Tlmače, Levice, Želiezovce, and Štúrovo.

The river's basin covers approximately 11 percent of Slovakia's territory.

Etymology

The name is probably of Germanic origin; *Granahua: gran – spruce, ahua – water.

History

The name of the river was mentioned for the first time in 170, when Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations at the Hron (Latin: Granus) river. The first recorded medieval name was Gron (1075). From the 17th century until the 1930s, the river was used for wood transport.