“Artificial Towns”

way is very attractive for investors, and the high quality of the deve -
lopment and production of the electrotechnical industry increases
Nová Dubnica’s attraction for businesses active in this sector.
The mainly favourable opportunities for the town in the economic
area are complicated by the narrow focus of the industry’s
structure which neither the town nor its inhabitants wish to
change, by insufficient opportunities for new construction and
ownership problems which are yet to be resolved, as well as by the
underdeveloped market in building land. The migration of specialists
with a high level of education away from Nová Dubnica as
a result of its lack of opportunities is also problematic.
Development of the town’s infrastructure and living conditions
Since its beginnings, Nová Dubnica has been characterised by
above-average facilities which did not match its size but rather its
status as a “model socialist town”. A complete range offacilities
was already part of Kroha’s plan for the town, with shops and
services, school, facilities for leisure time activities etc.
The status of a model socialist town held several advantages for
Nová Dubnica, but was also limiting. The facilities for its population
which were above standard were a clear advantage, making
the town into a shopping centre even within the micro-region. In
1961, Nová Dubnica had 31 shops with various goods for its
inhabitants; in 1969 there were 23 food shops and 21 specialist
shops and 1 public canteen. (Kiacová, 2007) On the other hand,
the construction of any religious buildings was forbidden, and no
religious institutions were allowed to be active. The town only
started building churches after 1990, when a Roman Catholic
church (2005) and a Lutheran church (2012) were built, followed
by another Roman Catholic church in Kolačíne (2011). A Christian
Centre was also established.
After 1989, there were differences in the development of various
sectors dealing with living conditions in the town. On the whole,
the situation grew worse. In particular, the situation concerning
the range of shops and services grew worse, and the latter were
greatly reduced. At the beginning of the 1990s, shops were privatised
and their structure changed. Many existing shops and servi -
ces closed down and were replaced by pubs and gambling centres.
In spatial terms, these changes mainly affected the facilities in the
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Peter Gajdoš – Katarína Moravanská