Levoča

Levoča
Town
Basilica of St. Jamesand Old Town Hall
Coat of arms
Levoča Location in Prešov Region Levoča Location in Slovakia
Coordinates:49°01′31″N20°35′17″E
Country	Slovakia
Region	Prešov
District	Levoča
Earliest mention	1249
Government
• Primátor (Mayor)	Miroslav Vilkovský (elected November 2018)
Area
• Total	114.77 km2(44.31 sq mi)
	(2022)
Elevation	628m (2,060ft)
Population (2022)
• Total	14,015
• Density	120/km2(320/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2(CEST)
Postal code	054 01
Area code	+421 53
Car plate	LE
Website	https://www.levoca.sk

Tower of the Church of the Holy Spirit

Levoča(;Hungarian:Lőcse;Rusyn:Левоча) is the principal town ofLevoča Districtin thePrešov Regionof easternSlovakia,with a population of 14,256. The town has a historic center with a well-preserved town wall, aGothicchurch with the highest woodenaltarin the world, carved byMaster Pavol of Levoča,and many other Renaissance buildings.

On 28 June 2009, Levoča was added byUNESCOto itsWorld Heritage List.

Geography

Levoča lies at an altitude of 570 metres (1,870 feet)above sea leveland covers an area of 64.042 square kilometres (24.727 sq mi).It is located in the northern part of the Hornád Basin at the foothills of the Levoča Hills, at the streamLevočský potok,a tributary ofHornád.Popradis 25 kilometres (16 miles) away to the west,Prešov50 km (31 miles) to the east,Košice90 km (56 miles) to the southeast andBratislava370 km (230 mi) to the southwest. Nearby settlements include:

• Levočská Dolina (=English: Levoča Valley). About 4 km (2 mi) out of town, on the way to Závada.
• Levočské Lúky (=English: Levoča Fields). Settlement on the road to Spišska Nová Ves.
• Závada. Village in the hills above Levočská Dolina.

Population

The 2021 census population of Levoča was 14,256.

Etymology

The name is of Slovak origin and belongs to the oldest recorded Slovak settlement names inSpiš.It was originally the name of the stream Lěvoča, a tributary of riverHornád(present-day Levočský potok). The name probably derived from the adjectivelěva(left, a left tributary); the linguistRudolf Krajčovičhas also suggested as an origin the wordlěvočameaning "regularly flooded area”.

History

"Cage of Shame", punishment cage outside the old Town Hall

Levoča is located in the historical region ofSpiš,which was inhabited as early as theStone Age.In the 11th century, this region was conquered and, subsequently, became part of theKingdom of Hungaryand remained such until 1918. After theMongolinvasions of 1241/1242, the area was also settled byGermans(later known asZipser Germans). The town became the capital of the Association of Spiš Germans, with a form of self-rule within the Kingdom of Hungary. The oldest written reference to the city of Levoča dates back to 1249. In 1317, Levoča (at that time generally known by theGermanname of Leutschau - see Chronology below for lists of changing names) received the status of a royal town. In 1321, a wide storing right was granted, enticing merchants, craftsmen and mine owners to settle in this town.

In the 15th century, the town, located on an intersection of trade routes between Poland and Hungary, became a rich center of commerce. It exported iron, copper, furs, leather, corn, and wine. At the same time, the town became an important cultural centre. The English humanistLeonard Coxtaught around 1520 in a school in Levoča. The bookseller Brewer fromWittenbergtransformed his bookstore into a prolific printing plant, that lasted for 150 years. Finally, one of the best-known medieval woodcarversMaster Pavol of Levočasettled here.

The town kept this cultural and economic status until the end of the 16th century, in spite of two damaging fires: the first in 1550 destroyed nearly all of theGothic architectureand another in 1599. In this period of prosperity, several churches were built, and the town had a school, library, pharmacy, and physicians. There was aprinting pressas early as 1624. Levoča was a center of theProtestant Reformation.The town started to decline during the anti-Habsburguprisings in the 17th century.

In a lurid sequence of events in 1700, the mayor of the town was accidentally wounded by a local nobleman during a hunt, generating a series of revenge attacks, finally resulting in the murder of the mayor, Karol Kramler, aSaxonmagistrate. The mayor's arm was then cut off, embalmed, and preserved in the town hall as a call to further revenge. This became the subject of aHungariannovel about the town,The Black City,by the writerKálmán Mikszáth.

At the southern end of the main square, theEvangelical Church, Levočawas constructed from 1823 onwards, and consecrated in 1832. It replaced an earlierarticular churchoutside the walls of the city.

The economic importance of the town was diminished in 1871 when the important newKošice–Bohumín Railwaywas built just 8 km (5.0 mi) to the south, bypassing Levoča and going through the nearby town of Spišská Nová Ves. Later, in 1892, onlya spur linewas built fromSpišská Nová Ves railway stationto Levoča. Before the establishment of independentCzechoslovakiain 1918, Levoča was part ofSzepes Countywithin theKingdom of Hungary.From 1939 to 1945, it was part of theSlovak Republic.On 27 January 1945, the1st Czechoslovak Army Corpsdislodged theWehrmachtand theHungarian Armyfrom Levoča and it was once again part of Czechoslovakia. It is part of independentSlovakiasince 1993.

On July 3, 1995, Levoča was visited byPope John Paul II.He celebrated aMassfor 650,000 worshippers at the traditional pilgrim site ofMariánska hora,a hill about 2 kilometres (1 mile) north of Levoča with views of the town.

Historical features

The old town is picturesquely sited and still surrounded by most of its ancient walls. In associating the town withSpiš CastleandŽehrain June 2009 as the renamedWorld Heritage Siteof “Levoča, Spišský Hrad, and the Associated Cultural Monuments”,UNESCOcites the town's historic center, its fortifications, and the works ofMaster Paul of Levočapreserved in the town.

The main entrance to the old town is via the monumentalKošiceGate(15th century) behind which is located the ornate baroque Church of the Holy Spirit and the NewMinoriteMonastery (c. 1750).

The town square (Námestie Majstra Pavla- Master Paul's Square) boasts three major monuments; the quaintOld Town Hall(15th-17th century) which now contains a museum, the domed Evangelical Lutheran Church (1837) and the 14th century ofBasilica of St. James(inSlovak:Bazilika svätého Jakuba,often mistakenly referred to in English as St. Jacob's). It houses a magnificently carved and painted woodenGothicaltar,the largest in Europe, (18.62 m (61.09ft) in height), created byMaster Paularound 1520. The square is very well-preserved (despite one or two modern incursions) and contains a number of striking buildings which were the townhouses of the local nobility in the late Middle Ages. Also notable in the square is the wrought iron “Cage of Shame”, dating back to the 17th century, used for public punishment of miscreants. A plaque on one of the houses records the printing and publication in the town of the most famous work ofComenius,theOrbis Pictus.Other buildings on the square house a historical museum and a museum dedicated to the work of Master Paul.

Behind the square on Kláštorská Street are the 14th-century church and remains of the old monastery of the Minorites, now incorporated into a Church grammar school. Nearby is the town'sPolish Gate,a Gothic construction of the 15th century.

From the 16th century to the end of 1922, Levoča was the administrative center of the province of Szepes (Spiš). Between 1806 – 1826, the Hungarian architect from Eger Antal Povolny built a grandiose administration building, the Large Provincial House, as the seat of the town's administration. He adjusted its Classicist style to Levoča's Renaissance character by emphasizing the building's horizontal lines. The House is considered among the most beautiful Provincial Houses in the former Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it is reconstructed and it is a seat of the administration.

The State Regional Archives (Štátny oblastný archív) are in a tan stone building on the north side of the square at nám. Majstra Pavla 60.

Jewish community

Compared to other places in the region, Jewish settlement began comparatively late in Levoča. The city'scensusdata from 1768 and 1828 indicated a lack of Jewish presence, suggesting a prohibition against Jewish settlement until around 1840. The 1840s marked the beginning of Jewish migration to Levoča, mainly fromHuncovceand other parts ofEastern Slovakia.This wave of migration led to the establishment of the first Jewish households and sparked the formation of a Jewish community (kehila).

During the 1870s, the kehila saw considerable expansion, leading to the incorporation of additional structures, like a cemetery, in the 1880s.In 1899, the Jewsih community inaugurated an expansive synagogue, designed in anOriental architectural style,situated beyond the city's perimeter.Accompanying this significant structure, a school and a ritual bath, known as a mikveh, were constructed nearby.

Following Slovakia's attainment of autonomy in October 1938, the Jewish population began to face increasing discrimination. On 4 November 1938, 55 Jewish individuals from Levoča, who lacked citizenship, were forcefully relocated to an unclaimed region along the Slovakia-Hungary border, nearPlešivec.Held for several weeks without adequate shelter and under challenging conditions, the majority were able to return to their homes only through the concerted efforts of Jewish organizations.

Upon the formation of theSlovak Republicon March 14, 1939, Jewish homes and businesses were subjected to rampant looting and destruction by the Nazi-aligned German minority. A repeat of these incidents occurred on March 23, with further devastation in August when aHashomer Hatzairsummer camp was attacked and subsequently dissolved. That same year saw the revocation of licenses for numerous Jewish professionals, the closure of Jewish taverns, and dismissals from community service roles.

During World War II, 981 local Jews were deported. The first deportations began in March 1942, at first primarily targeting young women, who were sent to a transit camp inPopradand then toAuschwitz.More young people were sent toMajdanek,via a transit camp inŽilina.

Starting in March 1942, Jews from Levoča were systematically deported toconcentrationandextermination camps,beginning with a group of young women sent to Auschwitz. Despite escape attempts, further rounds of deportation included families, hospital patients, and psychiatric care patients, with about 80% of the Jewish population being deported by the end of the year.

Following this wave, a small number of Jews remained in the district, some possessing exemption letters or havingconvertedto escape deportation. However, with the German capture of Levoča in September 1944, the remaining Jews faced intensified persecution. Many were deported or executed, while others found refuge in remote areas or joinedpartisan groups.Despite resistance, thesynagogue,mikveh,school building, andcemeterywere desecrated, and widespread hunting of Jews and partisans led to further deportations and executions.

Post-war, some surviving Jews returned to Levoča, reviving kehila life and repairing public buildings. Zionist activities resumed until most Jews immigrated to Israel in 1949. By the 1960s, a small kehila of about 60 people remained, with the once-desecrated cemetery left neglected. As of 1990, only a few Jewish families resided in Levoča.

In 2016, the historic Jewish cemetery was cleared of rubbish and tidied up thanks to the collaborative efforts of local Catholic youth organization Spoločenstvo Pavol, the Slovak Association of Christian Youth Movements, the Union of Slovak Jewish Communities, and the Town of Levoča.

Twin towns — Sister cities

See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in Slovakia

Levoča istwinnedwith:

• Stary Sącz,Poland
• Łańcut,Poland
• Kalwaria Zebrzydowska,Poland
• Keszthely,Hungary
• Litomyšl,Czech Republic

Gallery

• 
  Levoča fromMariánska hora
• 
  Levoča - Town hall from above
• 
  Levoča main square
• 
  The Large Provincial House
• 
  Levoča main square
• 
  Sculptures from Master Paul's altar inSt. James
• 
  The Košice Gate
• 
  Doorway of the New Minorite Cloisters

See also

• Szepes county
• Spiš

External links

• Official website of Levoča
• Basilica of St. James
• Official website of Tourist Information Centre in Levoča
• Article about Levoča at Spectacular Slovakia
• Levoča International Music Festival ('Indian Summer in Levoča')
• The Large Provincial House (student work)