City in Slovakia
City in Slovakia
Poprad
(
Slovak:
[?p?prat]
ⓘ
;
Hungarian
:
Poprad
;
German
:
Deutschendorf
) is a city in northern
Slovakia
at the foot of the
High Tatra Mountains
, famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the
Spi?
region and the tenth largest city in Slovakia, with a population of approximately 50,000.
The
Poprad-Tatry Airport
is an international airport located just outside the city. Poprad is also the starting point of the
Tatra Electric Railway
(known in Slovak as
Tatranska elektricka ?eleznica
), a set of special narrow-gauge trains (trams) connecting the resorts in the
High Tatras
with each other and with Poprad. Main line trains link Poprad to other destinations in Slovakia and beyond; in particular, there are through trains running from Poprad to
Prague
in the
Czech Republic
.
History
[
edit
]
The territory was since the
Migration Period
inhabited by
Slavic
settlers. The first written record dates from March 16, 1256 in the deed of donation of the Hungarian King
Bela IV.
After the
Mongol invasions
in the 13th century it was colonized by
German
settlers and became the largely German town
Deutschendorf
meaning 'Germans' village'. From 1412 to 1770, as one of the Spis towns, Poprad was pawned by the
Kingdom of Hungary
to the
Kingdom 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 was placed under the control of
Czechoslovakia
.
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 are
Matejovce
(German:
Matzdorf
; Hungarian:
Mateoc
, first reference 1251),
Spi?ska Sobota
(German:
Georgenberg
; Hungarian:
Szepesszombat
, 1256),
Ve?ka
(German/Hungarian:
Felka
, 1268), and
Stra?e pod Tatrami
(German:
Michelsdorf
; Hungarian:
Strazsa
, 1276). The most significant of these original towns was Georgenberg, now
Spi?ska Sobota
, which preserved its dominant position in the area until the late 19th century.
Poprad gained importance at the expense of Spi?ska Sobota after the construction of the
Ko?ice?Bohumin Railway
in 1871. In the following years, further railway lines were built: Poprad - Ke?marok in 1892 and
Tatra Electric Railway
in 1908.
In 1942, during
World War II
, most of the transports of Jews to ghettos and concentration camps in German-occupied Poland were sent from the
Poprad railway station
. The first transport of about 1,000 Jewish girls and young women left Poprad on March 25, 1942 for
Auschwitz-Birkenau
. By the end of 1942, when the deportations stopped, over 58,000
Jews had been deported from Slovakia
to German-occupied Poland via Poprad.
[4]
Poprad was liberated on January 28, 1945 by troops of the
Soviet
18th Army
. The German population was expelled afterwards.
After the war, the neighbouring settlements were incorporated into Poprad: Spi?ska Sobota and Ve?ka in 1945, Stra?e 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 the
High Tatras
.
In 1999, Poprad put in a bid to host the
2006 Winter Olympics
, but lost to
Turin
, Italy.
Geography
[
edit
]
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) from
Ko?ice
and 330 kilometres (205 mi) from
Bratislava
(by road).
Poprad is situated on the
Poprad River
in the
Sub-Tatra Basin
, and is a gateway to the
High Tatras
. Mountain ranges around the city include the
Levo?a Hills
in the east,
Kozie chrbty
in the south, and the
Low Tatras
in the southwest. The drainage divide between the
Black Sea
and
Baltic Sea
lies a bit to the west, near the village of
?trba
.
Climate
[
edit
]
Poprad lies in the
north temperate zone
and has a
humid continental climate
(
Koppen
Dfb
) with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between warm summers and cold winters.
Climate data for Poprad (1991?2020, extremes 1926?present)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
12.3
(54.1)
|
18.2
(64.8)
|
22.3
(72.1)
|
27.0
(80.6)
|
31.2
(88.2)
|
33.8
(92.8)
|
34.8
(94.6)
|
33.9
(93.0)
|
31.5
(88.7)
|
29.2
(84.6)
|
20.5
(68.9)
|
16.3
(61.3)
|
34.8
(94.6)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
0.5
(32.9)
|
2.7
(36.9)
|
7.1
(44.8)
|
13.5
(56.3)
|
18.1
(64.6)
|
21.7
(71.1)
|
23.4
(74.1)
|
23.7
(74.7)
|
18.3
(64.9)
|
12.9
(55.2)
|
6.6
(43.9)
|
1.2
(34.2)
|
12.5
(54.5)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
?3.7
(25.3)
|
?2.3
(27.9)
|
1.4
(34.5)
|
7.2
(45.0)
|
12.0
(53.6)
|
15.6
(60.1)
|
17.0
(62.6)
|
16.6
(61.9)
|
11.7
(53.1)
|
7.0
(44.6)
|
2.2
(36.0)
|
?2.6
(27.3)
|
6.8
(44.2)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
?8.0
(17.6)
|
?6.9
(19.6)
|
?3.3
(26.1)
|
1.2
(34.2)
|
5.9
(42.6)
|
9.3
(48.7)
|
10.9
(51.6)
|
10.5
(50.9)
|
6.4
(43.5)
|
2.2
(36.0)
|
?1.6
(29.1)
|
?6.5
(20.3)
|
1.7
(35.1)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
?29.1
(?20.4)
|
?33.1
(?27.6)
|
?26.7
(?16.1)
|
?12.8
(9.0)
|
?6.6
(20.1)
|
?2.9
(26.8)
|
0.4
(32.7)
|
0.1
(32.2)
|
?6.6
(20.1)
|
?13.2
(8.2)
|
?19.5
(?3.1)
|
?30.5
(?22.9)
|
?33.1
(?27.6)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
25.0
(0.98)
|
27.4
(1.08)
|
30.3
(1.19)
|
43.2
(1.70)
|
75.5
(2.97)
|
84.0
(3.31)
|
101.5
(4.00)
|
79.2
(3.12)
|
56.0
(2.20)
|
51.1
(2.01)
|
36.6
(1.44)
|
26.9
(1.06)
|
636.6
(25.06)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 1.0 mm)
|
6.2
|
6.6
|
6.8
|
7.6
|
10.4
|
10.5
|
11.3
|
8.6
|
7.7
|
7.1
|
6.8
|
6.3
|
95.9
|
Average snowy days
|
16.5
|
14.8
|
12.8
|
4.6
|
0.3
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
2.6
|
8.3
|
14.5
|
74.4
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
|
80.7
|
76.8
|
70.9
|
67.4
|
69.8
|
72.0
|
72.0
|
73.2
|
76.7
|
79.5
|
82.4
|
84.4
|
75.5
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
86.6
|
107.9
|
160.7
|
189.8
|
223.3
|
227.1
|
237.7
|
239.5
|
178.2
|
142.7
|
87.5
|
68.7
|
1,949.7
|
Source 1:
NOAA
[6]
[7]
|
Source 2: SHMI (extremes, 1926?present)
[8]
|
Demographics
[
edit
]
Poprad has a population of 55,158 (as of December 31, 2005). According to the 2001 census, 94.1% of inhabitants were
Slovaks
, 2.1%
Romani
, 1%
Czechs
, 0.2%
Hungarians
, 0.2%
Germans
, 0.1%
Rusyns
, 0.1%
Ukrainians
, and 0.1%
Poles
.
[5]
Religion
[
edit
]
The oldest churches here are the
Roman Catholic Church
and the
Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession
(
lutherans
). It also operates here: the
Greek Catholic Church
and
Orthodox Church
,
Baptists
, the
Apostolic Church
,
Seventh-day Adventists
, the Pentecostal Charismatic Church, and
Jehovah's Witnesses
.
Poprad
- Concathedral of Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)
- Church of st. Egidius (Roman Catholic)
- Church of st. Cyril and Methodius (Roman Catholic)
- Church of Holy Trinity (Lutheran)
- Pentecostal Church
- Church of st. Peter and Paul (Greek Catholic)
- Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness
- Church of Holy Cross (Orthodox)
Ve?ka
- Church of st. John (Roman Catholic - Salesians)
- Church of Holy Trinity (Lutheran)
- Baptist church
- Church of Seventh-day Adventists
Spi?ska Sobota
- Church of st. George (Roman Catholic)
- Lutheran church
Matejovce
- Church of st. Stephen (Roman Catholic)
- Lutheran church
Stra?e pod Tatrami
- Church of st. John (Roman Catholic)
- Lutheran church
Kvetnica
- Church of st. Helen (Roman Catholic)
Landmarks
[
edit
]
The historical centre is concentrated around the St. Egidius square (
Namestie svateho Egidia
), which is rimmed with houses predominantly from the 18th and 19th centuries. Churches in the city include the early-Gothic Catholic Church of St. Egidius from the late 13th century and the classicist Luheran Church of Holy Trinity from the 19th century.
Another historical area in Poprad is in
Spi?ska 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 of
Master Paul of Levo?a
.
Modern places of interest include the modernist
Poprad-Tatry railway station
and a new
water park
called
AquaCity Poprad
.
Government
[
edit
]
Between 2003 and 2014, the mayor of Poprad was
Anton Danko
(former international ice-hockey referee). In the November 2014 municipal elections, he lost to Jozef ?vagerko (KDH ? Christian democrats).
Territorial division
[
edit
]
The city is divided into six boroughs for the purpose of municipal administrative division:
- Stare Mesto ["Old Town"]
- Spi?ska Sobota
- Stra?e
- Ve?ka
- Matejovce
- Kvetnica
Sport
[
edit
]
Poprad currently has one ice hockey club,
HK Poprad
who play at the
Poprad Ice Stadium
.
Lev Poprad
was another ice hockey club in Poprad, who used to play in the
KHL
for one season but was moved to the Czech capital, Prague, in 2012. Despite successful 2013/2014 seasons, club has ended due to financial problems. There is a number of former and current ice hockey players in
NHL
who were born in Poprad.
[9]
The city also hosted the
1994 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships
,
1999 European Youth Olympic Winter Days
,
2017 IIHF World U18 Championships
and
1999 Winter Universiade
. Every year the ice hockey
Tatra Cup
is held. There was also an unsuccessful
bid to host the 2006 Winter Olympics
.
There are many
football
stadiums in Poprad, however the main one is
NTC Poprad
, home of
FK Poprad
founded in 1906 and the
Slovakia national youth teams
.
The local women's basketball club is
Basketbalova Akademia Mlade?e Poprad
(BAMP). Their matches are played in
Arena Poprad
. The arena also was one of the venues at the
2017
editions of the
FIVB Volleyball World League
.
Education
[
edit
]
The city's system of primary education consists of 12 public schools, and one religious primary school, enrolling in total 5,464 pupils.
[10]
Secondary education is represented by four grammar schools with 1,800 students,
[11]
three specialized high schools with 1,566 students,
[12]
and four vocational schools with 2,045 students (data as of 2007).
[13]
Transport
[
edit
]
Poprad is a gateway to the
High 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.
Poprad-Tatry railway station
links Poprad with other major destinations on Slovakia's
standard gauge
rail network, and with the mountains via the
metre gauge
Tatra Electric Railway
. The direct trains SuperCity
Pendolino
connects Poprad with
Prague
.
International
Poprad?Tatry Airport
from 1938, is an airport with the highest elevation in Central Europe. It also offers scheduled flights to London.
[14]
Bus transport
[
edit
]
Lines:
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
,
5
,
6
,
7
,
8
Rail transport
[
edit
]
Lines:
183
,
185
Personalities
[
edit
]
Twin towns ? sister cities
[
edit
]
Poprad is
twinned
with:
[15]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (www.statistics.sk).
"Hustota obyvate?stva - obce"
.
www.statistics.sk
. Retrieved
February 8,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Zakladna charakteristika"
.
www.statistics.sk
(in Slovak). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. April 17, 2015
. Retrieved
March 31,
2022
.
- ^
Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (www.statistics.sk).
"Po?et obyvate?ov pod?a pohlavia - obce (ro?ne)"
.
www.statistics.sk
. Retrieved
February 8,
2024
.
- ^
"Memorial plaque for deported Jews at Poprad railway station"
.
Holocaust Memorials: Monuments, Museums and Institutions in Commemoration of Nazi Victims
. Berlin, Germany: Stiftung Topographie des Terrors
. Retrieved
October 20,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
"Municipal Statistics"
. Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Archived from
the original
on April 27, 2007
. Retrieved
May 3,
2007
.
- ^
"Poprad Climate Normals 1991?2020"
.
World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991?2020)
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from
the original
on August 20, 2023
. Retrieved
August 20,
2023
.
- ^
"Poprad Climate Normals 1961?1990"
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
August 20,
2023
.
- ^
"Poprad Tatry"
(in Italian).
Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute
[
sk
]
. Archived from
the original
on August 30, 2023
. Retrieved
August 30,
2023
.
- ^
LegendsofHockey.net.
"NHL Legends of Hockey"
. Retrieved
June 14,
2015
.
- ^
"Preh?ad zakladnych ?kol v ?kolskom roku 2006/2007"
(PDF)
(in Slovak). Ustav informacii a prognoz ?kolstva. 2006. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on April 9, 2008
. Retrieved
March 9,
2008
.
- ^
"Preh?ad gymnazii v ?kolskom roku 2006/2007"
(PDF)
(in Slovak). Ustav informacii a prognoz ?kolstva. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on April 9, 2008
. Retrieved
March 9,
2008
.
- ^
"Preh?ad strednych odbornych ?kol v ?kolskom roku 2006/2007"
(PDF)
(in Slovak). Ustav informacii a prognoz ?kolstva. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on April 9, 2008
. Retrieved
March 9,
2008
.
- ^
"Preh?ad zdru?enych strednych ?kol v ?kolskom roku 2006/2007"
(PDF)
(in Slovak). Ustav informacii a prognoz ?kolstva. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on April 9, 2008
. Retrieved
March 9,
2008
.
- ^
"Lieta? z Popradu do Londyna sa bude u? za 30 eur"
. July 28, 2014.
- ^
"Partnerske mesta"
(in Slovak). Poprad
. Retrieved
September 2,
2019
.
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Poprad
at Wikimedia Commons
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for
Poprad
.
Photos and videos
[
edit
]
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