Poprad (Slovak:[ˈpɔprat]ⓘ;Hungarian:Poprád;German:Deutschendorf) is a city in northernSlovakia at the foot of theHigh Tatra Mountains, famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. The largest town of theSpiš region and the largest of all towns in the vicinity of the High Tatra Mountains in both Slovakia andPoland, Poprad is the tenth largest city in Slovakia, with a population of approximately 50,000.
ThePoprad-Tatry Airport is an international airport located just outside the city. Poprad is also the starting point of theTatra Electric Railway (known in Slovak asTatranská elektrická železnica), a set of special narrow-gauge trains (trams) connecting the resorts in theHigh Tatras with each other and with Poprad. Mainline trains link Poprad to other destinations in Slovakia and beyond; in particular, there are through trains running from Poprad toPrague in theCzech Republic.
The territory was inhabited bySlavic settlers since theMigration Period. The first written record dates from 16 March 1256 in the deed of donation of the Hungarian KingBela IV. After theMongol invasions in the 13th century it was colonized byGerman settlers and became the largely German townDeutschendorf meaning 'Germans' village'. From 1412 to 1770, as one of the Spis towns, Poprad was pawned by theKingdom of Hungary to theKingdom of Poland, resulting in a strong Polish influence on the city's further development. In the 17th century, the number of Germans began to decline. Since 1918, this territory has been placed under the control ofCzechoslovakia.
Poprad itself was for 690 years (up until 1946) just one of several neighbouring settlements, which currently make up the modern city. The other parts of the current municipality areMatejovce (German:Matzdorf; Hungarian:Mateóc, first reference 1251),Spišská Sobota (German:Georgenberg; Hungarian:Szepesszombat, 1256),Veľká (German/Hungarian:Felka, 1268), andStráže pod Tatrami (German:Michelsdorf; Hungarian:Strázsa, 1276). The most significant of these original towns was Georgenberg, nowSpišská Sobota, which preserved its dominant position in the area until the late 19th century.
Poprad gained importance at the expense of Spišská Sobota after the construction of theKošice–Bohumín Railway in 1871. In the following years, further railway lines were built: Poprad - Kežmarok in 1892 andTatra Electric Railway in 1908.
In 1942, duringWorld War II, most of the transports of Jews to ghettos and concentration camps in German-occupied Poland were sent from thePoprad railway station. The first transport of about 1,000 Jewish girls and young women left Poprad on 25 March 1942 forAuschwitz-Birkenau. By the end of 1942, when the deportations stopped, over 58,000Jews had been deported from Slovakia to German-occupied Poland via Poprad.[4]
Poprad was liberated on 28 January 1945 by troops of theSoviet18th Army. The German population was expelled afterwards.
After the war, the neighbouring settlements were incorporated into Poprad: Spišská Sobota and Veľká in 1945, Stráže pod Tatry in 1960 and Matejovce in 1974. At that time, with the development of winter sports, Poprad became the starting point for expeditions to theHigh Tatras.
Poprad lies at an altitude of 672 metres (2,205 ft)above sea level and covers an area of 63 square kilometres (24.3 sq mi).[5] It is located in northeastern Slovakia, about 110 kilometres (68 mi) fromKošice and 330 kilometres (205 mi) fromBratislava (by road).
The historical centre is concentrated around St. Giles square (Námestie svätého Egídia), which is rimmed with houses predominantly from the 18th and 19th centuries. Churches in the city include the early-Gothic Catholic Church of St. Giles from the late 13th century and the classicist Lutheran Church of Holy Trinity from the 19th century.
Another historical area in Poprad is inSpišská Sobota, which was declared in 1953 to be a Town Monument Reserve. A significant landmark there is the Church of St. George, with five late-Gothic side altars and a main altar from the workshop ofMaster Paul of Levoča.
Between 2003 and 2014, the mayor of Poprad wasAnton Danko (former international ice-hockey referee). In the November 2014 municipal elections, he lost to Jozef Švagerko (KDH – Christian democrats).
Lev Poprad was another ice hockey club in Poprad, which used to play in theKHL for one season but was moved to the Czech capital, Prague, in 2012. Despite successful 2013/2014 seasons, the club has ended due to financial problems. Several former and currentNHL hockey players were born in Poprad.[11]
The city's system of primary education consists of 12 public schools and one religious primary school, enrolling in total of 5,464 pupils.[12] Secondary education is represented by four grammar schools with 1,800 students,[13] three specialized high schools with 1,566 students,[14] and four vocational schools with 2,045 students (data as of 2007).[15]
Poprad is a gateway to theHigh Tatra mountain range, which is a popular tourist destination. The city lies on the main road (E 50) and railway connecting western and eastern Slovakia.
InternationalPoprad–Tatry Airport from 1938, is an airport with the highest elevation in Central Europe. It also offers scheduled flights to London.[16]
^"Poprad Climate Normals 1991–2020".World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived fromthe original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved20 August 2023.
