Levoca
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Levoča (Hungarian: Lőcse, German: Leutschau) is a town in the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,000. The town has a historic center with a well-preserved town wall, a Renaissance church with a unique wooden altar by Master Paul of Levoca, and many other Renaissance buildings.
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Within the administrative division of Slovakia, Levoča is a seat of a district (okres), and belongs to the Presov Region (Prešovsk kraj).
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Geography
Levoča is located at Template:Coor dms 5 at an altitude of 571 meters.
History
The region was inhabited as early as in the Stone Age. After the Mongol invasions of 1241/1242, the area was settled by German colonists. The oldest written reference to Levoča dates back to 1249. In 1317, Levoča received the status of a free royal town. In 15th century the town, located on an intersection of trade routes, became a rich centre of commerce. The town has kept this status until the end of 16th century, in spite of two damaging fires in 1550 and 1599. In this period of prosperity several churches were built and the town had a school, library, pharmacy and physicians. There was a printing press in Levoča since 1624. Levoča was a centre of Protestant Reformation in Slovakia. The town started to decline during the anti-Habsburg uprisings in the 17th century. The economic importance of the town was further diminished in 1871 when a new important railway line was built, bypassing Levoča and leading through the nearby town of Spišsk Nov Ves.
On July 3, 1995 Levoča was visited by Pope John Paul II. He celebrated a mass for 650 thousand people at the traditional pilgrim site of Marinska hora just outside the town.
See Also
External links
- Official website of the town (http://www.levoca.sk/en/)
- Section in an English language travel site Spectacular Slovakia (http://www.spectacularslovakia.sk/ss2002/levoca.html)