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The village of Gočovo is situated in the northeastern part of the Upper Gemer Region (Horný Gemer), near the Slaná river. The village is located only 17 km from the District center - the town of Rožňava.
The well known mathematician, pedagogue and University teacher Mr. Juraj Hronec was born in the village. He was also a chairman of Matica Slovenská, the cultural, historical and educational organization in Slovakia. The native home of Mr. J. Hronec was repaired and is now open to the public. It is regularly visited by students from all over the Slovakia and many other visitors who are interested in his life and achievements. Mr. J. Hronec is buried in the local graveyard in the village.
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The amateur village theatre was established over 60 years ago. The folk dancing and singing group known as "Gočovan" has got numerous performances at the cultural events in the region. Its aim is to keep old traditional songs and dances still alive for future generations and raise an interest in this field.
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Historical information about Gočovo:
The earliest written reference of the village dates from 14th century. It says that the original inhabitants were occupied with mining and farming, many of them were shepherds.
The mining industry was focused on ores containing iron, silver and other valuable metals.
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The village was named after a man called Goleč or Golc.
During the Turkish invasion in 1570, all village inhabitants ran away from village to protect themselves. All the dwellings were destroyed by fire and the original villagers have never returned to their homes. The new settlers from the Spiš region and neighboring villages arrived to the area and reestablished this old village. They called it "Gočov".
Several traditional old crafts are still alive in the village, these include carving, cabinet making, shoes and wheels making.
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The Evangelical Church in the village was built during the reign of King Joseph II. in 1780. The building was finished in the following decade (between 1790 - 1792) under the reign of King Leopold. The Church Tower was recently repaired and the new copper roof was put on as a result of financial support of the villagers and religious society.
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