Veličná
Veličná is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.
Name
Veličná was first mentioned under the Latin name Magna Villa in a decree of Ladislaus IV of Hungary from 1272. In the middle ages, the town was known also under the name Welkeg Wsy and the Hungarized forms Nag Flaw and Naghffalva.History
The settlement grew in a relatively sparsely populated borderland area on an important trade route to Poland. By 1454, Veličná was already a smaller town. The town acquired several royal privileges that positively influenced its economic development. By 1520, the town had become influential enough to become the seat of Orava County. In the 16th century, the region suffered several uprisings, which led George Thurzo to grant its citizens additional privileges to improve the economic situation.In 1683, the town was sacked by Lithuanian troops led by Jan Kazimierz Sapieha the Younger en route to the Battle of Vienna. The casualties from this sacking included Veličná's town and county archive. The seat of the county was moved to Dolný Kubín; Veličná was burned again in 1686 and never fully recovered. The population decreased again during plague outbreaks in 1732, 1739, and 1742. In 1871, the town lost its status and became a village.
Before the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, Veličná was part of Árva County within the Kingdom of Hungary. From 1939 to 1945, it was part of the Slovak Republic.