Abstract

The paper will focus mainly on the written form of municipal law, which was recorded in
the municipal law books. City rights, as particular rights of Hungary, arose in most cities
in Slovakia in the form of an indirect reception from German cities. In Germany, there
were two legal areas named after their mother cities, namely Magdeburg and Nuremberg
law, which were taken over and written in the city’s law book. These legal books, especially
in mining towns, subsequently made a significant contribution to the creation of
legal codifications, but they are also a reflection of the contemporary form of law and, in
a sense, legal science. The paper will focus mainly on the dissemination of law through
these book artefacts in Slovakia and their impact on the further formation of law and legal
science. The article will also pay special attention to mining rights and the Žilina Law
Book, conceived on the model of Magdeburg law as the oldest legal artefact ever written
in Slovak in our territory.

Keywords: Municipal law books, Mining law, mining town, Žilina law book.