Martin Municipal Government

Situated in the Turiec Basin, just south of the confluence of the Turiec and Váh Rivers in northern Slovakia, Martin lies at an altitude of 395 metres above sea level. It is 30 kilometres south east of Žilina, 60 kilometres north west of Banská Bystrica, and 230 kilometres north east of Bratislava.

Martin has been the foremost Slovak cultural centre since the 19th century, when several cultural institutions including Matica Slovenska and the Slovak National Museum were founded there and the town became the centre of political activities which led to Slovak national emancipation. Today it is the seat of Matica Slovenska and the Slovak National Library. Martin was declared the centre of national culture of the Slovaks by the National Council of the Slovak Republic on 24 August 1994.

Martin covers an area of 67.736 square kilometres and has a population of 59,014 (2006).