Marianka (Slovakia)

Marianka is a village and municipality in western Slovakia in Malacky District in the Bratislava region, in the foothills of the Little Carpathians. The village is the oldest pilgrimage site in Slovakia and the first pilgrimage site dedicated to Virgin Mary in the area of former Hungarian Kingdom. It used to be as famous as the well known Mariazell in Austria and the Polish pilgrimage place Częstochowa. The communist regime between years 1948-1989 suppressed all religious activity and the village as a pilgrimage site was planned for demise, however the village survived.