Spišské Podhradie
Encyclopedia
Spišské Podhradie is a town
in Spiš
in the Prešov Region
of Slovakia
. Its population is 3,826.
Spišské Podhradie is situated at the foot of the hill of Spiš Castle
. It had a Zipser German
settlement, with its own church and priest, in 1174. Just above, and adjacent to, the town is the ecclesiastical settlement of Spišská Kapitula
(hence the town's German name of Kirchdorf, meaning "church town"). The town contains a number of Renaissance
merchants' houses. It also has one of the few remaining synagogue
buildings (now disused) in the region.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Spiš
Spiš
Spiš is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland. Spiš is an informal designation of the territory , but it is also the name of one the 21 official tourism regions of Slovakia...
in the Prešov Region
Prešov Region
The Prešov Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions. It consists of 13 districts.-Geography:It is located in north-eastern Slovakia and has an area of 8,975 km². The region has diverse types of landscapes occurring in Slovakia, but mostly highlands and hilly lands dominate the...
of Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. Its population is 3,826.
Spišské Podhradie is situated at the foot of the hill of Spiš Castle
Spiš Castle
The ruins of Spiš Castle in eastern Slovakia form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra, in the region known as Spiš...
. It had a Zipser German
Zipser Germans
The Zipser Germans were/are a German-speaking ethnic group in former northern Kingdom of Hungary, now in Slovakia and in the northwest area of Romania called Maramureş. Those who did not escape from the Red Army were mostly expelled from Czechoslovakia....
settlement, with its own church and priest, in 1174. Just above, and adjacent to, the town is the ecclesiastical settlement of Spišská Kapitula
Spišská Kapitula
Spišská Kapitula, is an exceptionally well-preserved ecclesiastical town on the outskirts of Spišské Podhradie, Slovakia, and overlooking Spiš Castle. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Levoča, Spiš Castle and the associated cultural monuments.-Town and history:The town consists of St....
(hence the town's German name of Kirchdorf, meaning "church town"). The town contains a number of Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
merchants' houses. It also has one of the few remaining synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
buildings (now disused) in the region.