1. Regional association of municipalities DUBOVÁ Municipalities Čachtice, Častkovce, Podolie, Pobedim and Očkov

2.  establishment of MR Dubová: 29. 10. 2003  association of 5 municipalities: Čachtice, Častkovce, Podolie, Pobedim and Očkov  municipalities are situated in the middle of Považie, north from Piešťany and south from Nové mesto nad Váhom  the nearest, 10 km from the town - Nové Mesto nad Váhom, there is municipality called Čachtice, 7 km from Piešťany town, there is municipality called Pobedim  The municipalities cover the area of 6972 ha  In microregion, there live 8 372 inhabitants  Čachtice is the biggest municipality with 3669 inhabitants.  Očkov is the smallest municipality with 458 inhabitants.

3.  municipalities MR Dubová are situated in the ideal climatic area;  agricultural area;  the agricultural land covers 72% of total area;  the arable land is the largest part of agricultural land (81% of agricultural land);  the most agricultural land is cultivated by the 3 agricultural cooperatives (PD Čachtice, Podolie a Pobedim) Natural resources and conditions

4.  Forest land has the dominant position on the non-agricultural land /66 % of area/  It is situated only in cadastres of 3 municipalities: Čachtice, Častkovce Podolie Natural sources and conditions

5. Protected areas Some parts of municipalities MR Dubová are situated in the protected land areas of Malé Karpaty 1 protected areal – Park Častkovce 1 national natural reservation – Čachtický hradný vrch 1 natural reservation – Plešivec 1 natural monument – owergrown banks of the brook Dubová 1 national natural monument – Cave of Čachtice Natural sources and conditions

6. Cultural and historical sources Municipalities MR Dubová have got rich history and very important cultural, historical memories and archeological findings. Historical sources  Alžbeta Bátoriová (1560-1614) „čachtická lady“, who killed many young girls during her life.  IV. sednica of literary society called TATRÍN 9. a 10. august 1847, representatives of two different church communities did agreement on the slovak language to be the literary language.  In 1959, the archeological research of slovak settlement started in Pobedim. This research brought the knowledge, which lightened our history at the beginning of 9th century.  burial place with chief burial mound – from 2nd, 3rd and 4th centuries A.D., it is the first archeological exposition in the Slovak nature.

7. Human and social sources and Institutions In microregion, there are 8 372 inhabitants, out of which:  19% of inhabitants at the pre – productive age  57% of inhabitants at the productive age  24% of inhabitants at the post - productive age We can state that the microregion has demografically stagnative, moderatly regressive development because the number of inhabitants at the postproductive age is greater than the pre-productive one.

8. Human and social sources and Institutions Natural increase The total population development is stagnating. Natural increase achieves negative values in the last 10 years, it means, that number of born children is lower than the number of deceased people. Migration balance Migration balance achieves the positive values it means that number of immigrated people is higher than the emmigrated one.

9. Human and social sources and Institutions Religion  there is mostly catholic church, 88 % of inhabitants is roman - catholic. Nations and minorities  according to the last population census, the share of slovak nationality is 98 %.  share of gypsies is 2 % (non – official situation 6-8 %) Education structure  30% of inhabitants finished the compulsory elementary school or vocational school;  18 % of inhabitants received secondary school education;  5% of inhabitants graduated the university.

10. Human and social sources and Institutions Education institutions  the system of eduction institutions in municipalities of microregion is created by: 6 kindergardens (in Čachtice, there are two: one – public and one private)  3 primary schools (in Čachtice, in Podolie, in Pobedim), in Čachtice, there is also primary artistic school. In Častkovce, there is the school called malotriedka – only 1 – 4 grades.  In Častkovce, Podolie a Pobedim, primary school and kindergarden are one legal entity.  development of number of students and pupils is the same at all schools in MR Dubová with the negative (decreasing) tendency.

11. Material sources Houses and Flats In microregion Dubová, there are 2826 houses, out of it 20 % are unsettled. The most of unsettled houses are in municipality Podolie (25% of house fund).

12. Material sources Technical infrastructure  gas distribution is in the best status from the point of view of all elements of technical infrastructure.  Municipalities Čachtice a Častkovce have partially the sewage, both of them have also water supply system. In Podolie, Pobedim, Očkov, people use their own water well.  In each municipality, there is the separated collection of communal waste.  In Čachtice, there is the water source called „Teplička“, that supplies 100 000 inhabitants.  The microregion has well functioning public transport. In each municipality, there is sufficient number of bus lines. In Čachtice and Podolie, there are bus stops also for the express lines. In Čachtice, there are also train lines.

13. Economic use of sources In microregion Dubová, there are cca 500 entrepreneurs,out of it:  8 do business in the primary sector (4 individual farmers, 3 agricultural cooperatives, 1 stone – quarry) - it is 1 % of all business activities,  secondary sector creates 45 % of all business activities;  the most business activities is from the tertiary sector - shops, commerce, services (54 %)

14. Economic use of sources No. of employees in the sectors  The secondary sector employs the most inhabitants – 61 %.  The situation is caused by the fact: in spite of few business activities in secondary sector, there are large businesses which employ more than 100 people.  Primary sector employs 28 % of inhabitants, and only 1 % represent enterprises. In MR Dubová there are 3 agricultural cooperatives, the biggest one is in Čachtice which employs 140 people.  Only 11% of inhabitants are employed in tertiary sector, the most of them are enterpreneurs but usually small ones. They do not employe anyone or only 1 or 2 persons.

15. Ekonomic use of sources Unemployment in MR Dubová Unemployment rate MR Dubová on 31.05.2007 = 9.7 % (431 unemployed persons)

16. Common projects MR Dubová 1.may 2004 – 31. august 2005 Technical support SAPARD Nowadays - creation MAS (local action group) for programme LEADER in the area of 3 microregions (Dubová, Rudnay, Beckov-Zelená voda-Bezovec). Area of 20 municipalities with cca 20 000 inhabitants. Name MAS „Beckov – Čachtice – Tematín“ Form MAS – civil association according to the legal act 83/90 Coll.

17. www.bathory.sk www.cachtice.sk www.matusovo-kralovstvo.sk

18. Thank you for your attention Jana Č apošová MikroRegión Dubová caposova@zoznam.sk 00421 907444093