Šamorín

Šamorín grew beside a former main branch of the Danube on Žitný ostrov, the great river island downstream from Bratislava. Its older name, Sancta Maria, referred to the Virgin Mary, whose image appeared on the town seal. By the end of the fourteenth century it was a centre of trade and crafts for the island. King Sigismund granted Šamorín the privileges of a free royal town in 1405, giving it rights comparable to those of Bratislava. He also granted fairs in 1411, strengthening its role as a market for the surrounding agricultural settlements.