village. In the 19th century the village was sacked during the Napoleonic Wars by the French advancing towards Vienna. In 1831 the village suffered a Plague epidemic, with a second outbreak at the end of the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 when it was again sacked and burned. A fire brigade was established in 1889. Important figure in 19th century Dúbravka was the local priest Moyš. Despite Dúbravka not having any ethnic divisions or problems, he strengthened Slovak nationalism in the village. Under his leadership, theater was established in the village in 1905. In the years 1911-1912 a master carpenter from Braitslava František Tavarík started the construction of recreational wooden houses at the edge of Dúbravka. Later, he started the construction of villas in an area that came to be known as Tavaríkova kolónia. First World War massively disrupted economic activity in the village. Defensive fortifications were constructed in the hills surrounding the village, although they were never used in combat. After the war, the land owned by the noble Mikuláš Pálffy was confiscated and divided. The village was electrified in 1931, local school was constructed in 1935 and drinking water pipes were laid in 1936. Sewage plumbing was laid in 1938. The village struggled with unemployment during the 1930s. On 6 October 1938 control of the village was violently taken by the local branch of Slovak People's Party. In 1939 the neighboring Devín was annexed by Nazi Germany and Dúbravka became a frontier village. Economic downturn during the Second World War was partially solved by ferrying workers into Germany. The village was occupied by the Red Army on 5 April 1945. Dúbravka was incorporated into Bratislava in April 1946 as the capital city was beginning to expand. In the 1970s, large-scale construction of socialist apartment blocks started in Dúbravka, essentially dividing the suburb into a small original part with family houses (Old Dúbravka) and the suburb proper consisting of panel houses (sometimes called New Dúbravka) with approximately 15 000 flats. Population The older generations of Croat-descended inhabitants have maintained their own dialect until the present day. Otherwise, their habits and way of life resemble those of the Záhorie people (a region north-west of Bratislava). The people of Dúbravka used to earn their living by working in agriculture, especially producing wine. Their goods were sold to the markets of Bratislava and Vienna. Croats settled Dúbravka since the 1570s during the fourth