Map - Trnava

Trnava (, Tyrnau; Nagyszombat, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, 47 km to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a kraj (Trnava Region) and of an okres (Trnava District). It is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishopric (1541–1820 and then again since 1977). The city has a historic center. Because of the many churches within its city walls, Trnava has often been called "Little Rome" (Malý Rím, parva Roma), or more recently, the "Slovak Rome".

The name of the city is derived from the name of the creek Trnava. It comes from the Old Slavic/Slovak word tŕň ("thornbush") which characterized the river banks in the region. Many towns in Central Europe have a similar etymology including Trnovo in Slovakia as well as Tarnów (Poland), Tarnow (Germany), Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria), Trnava and Trnavac (Serbia); and Tyrnavos (Greece) among others. In Hungarian, the original name had gradually evolved into Tyrna which influenced also later German and Latin forms.

When it developed into an important market town, it received the Hungarian name of Nagyszombat (Sumbot 1211) referring to the weekly market fairs held on Saturdays (szombat). However, this name was only used by the royal chamber, as is indicated by the adoption of the Slovak name rather than the Hungarian name by German newcomers after the Mongol invasion.

The varieties of the name in different languages include Tyrnau; Nagyszombat (from the 14th century onward) and Tyrnavia.