Kežmarok (german: Kesmark or ; hu, Késmárk, yi, קעזמאַרק, Kezmark, pl, Kieżmark) is a town in the Spiš region of eastern

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

(population 16,000), on the

Poprad River The Poprad ( hu, Poprád, links=no, german: Popper, links=no) is a river in northern Slovakia and southern Poland, and a tributary of the Dunajec River near Stary Sącz, Poland. It has a length of 170 kilometres (63 km of which are wit ...

. Prior to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, it was in Szepes county in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

History

Settlement at Kežmarok dates back to the Upper Stone Age. In the 13th century the region contained a community of

Saxons The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

, a Slovak fishing village, a Hungarian border post and a Carpathian German settlement. Its

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

name was first mentioned in 1251 as ''Villa (Saxonum apud Ecclesiam) Sancte Elisabeth''. In 1269 Kežmarok received its town charter. It also had the right to organize a cheese market (hence the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

name ''Kesmark'' ("Käsemarkt" - "cheese market"). In 1433 the town was severely damaged by a

Hussite The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Huss ...

raid. After 1440, the count of

Spiš Spiš (Latin: ''Cips/Zepus/Scepus/Scepusia'', german: Zips, hu, Szepesség/Szepes, pl, Spisz) is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland (14 villages). Spiš is an informal designation of the territory ...

had a seat in Kežmarok. In the 15th century (and then once more in 1655), Kežmarok became a

free royal town Royal free city or free royal city (Latin: libera regia civitas) was the official term for the most important cities in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 12th centuryBácskai Vera – Nagy Lajos: Piackörzetek, piacközpontok és városok Magy ...

. The town was a stronghold of the noble ''Thököly'' family. The Hungarian magnate and warrior

Imre Thököly Imre is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and Henry ...

was born in the town in 1657. He died in exile in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

in 1705 but in the 20th century his body was returned to Kežmarok and he is buried in a noble mausoleum in the town's

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

church.

The town's other monuments include a castle, many Renaissance merchant houses, and a museum of ancient books. In pride of place is the

Protestant church Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

built in 1688 entirely of wood. The church also contains an organ of 1719 with wooden pipes. The church has been a UNESCO

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

since 2008. Kežmarok had an

ethnic German , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

majority until around 1910, and Germans stayed a large minority until the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It also had a large and active

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

community. During World War II, under the auspices of the

First Slovak Republic First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, nearly 3,000 of the town's Jews were deported to German

death camps Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...

. The town's pre-war Jewish cemetery has now been restored.

Monuments

The town contains many historic monuments, including the Basilica of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Wooden articular church in Kežmarok.

Demographics

According to the 2001

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

, the town had 17,383 inhabitants. 95.21% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 1.59% Roma, 0.83%

Czechs The Czechs ( cs, Češi, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common ancestry, ...

and 0.43%

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

. The religious makeup was 77.50% Roman Catholics, 10.98% people with no religious affiliation, 4.83%

Lutherans Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

and 2.63%

Greek Catholics The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

Twin towns — sister cities

Kežmarok is twinned with: *

Bochnia Bochnia (german: Salzberg) is a town on the river Raba in southern Poland. The town lies approximately halfway between Tarnów (east) and the regional capital Kraków (west). Bochnia is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning i ...

, Poland *

Gliwice Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capi ...

, Poland *

Hajdúszoboszló Hajdúszoboszló () is a town in Hajdú-Bihar county, Hungary, southwest of county seat Debrecen. It is the third largest town in Hajdú-Bihar county. Etymology The name comes from a Slavic personal name Soběslav (see e.g. Soběslav, Soběsl ...

, Hungary * Kupiškis, Lithuania *

Lanškroun Lanškroun (; german: Landskron) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,300 inhabitants. It lies on the border of the historical lands of Bohemia and Moravia. The historic town centr ...

, Czech Republic *

Lesneven Lesneven (; br, Lesneven) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It lies northeast of Brest, about from the English Channel in the middle of the Leon plateau. History Lesneven has its origins in the i ...

, France *

Nowy Targ Nowy Targ (Officially: ''Royal Free city of Nowy Targ'', Yiddish: ''Naymark'', Goral Dialect: ''Miasto'') is a town in southern Poland, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is located in the Orava-Nowy Targ Basin at the foot of the Gorce Mounta ...

, Poland *

Příbram Příbram (; german: Freiberg in Böhmen, ''Przibram'', or ''Pribram'', in 1939–1945 ''Pibrans'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. It is well known for its mining history, and mor ...

, Czech Republic *

Weilburg Weilburg is, with just under 13,000 inhabitants, the third biggest town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany, after Limburg an der Lahn and Bad Camberg. Geography Location The community lies in the Lahn valley between the Wester ...

, Germany *

Zgierz Zgierz is a city in central Poland, located just to the north of Łódź, and part of the metropolitan area centered on that city. As of 2021 it had a population of 54,974. Zgierz is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999); previousl ...

, Poland

Notable people

Vojtech Alexander Vojtech Alexander ( Slovak), Alexander Béla ( Hungarian) (May 31, 1857, Késmárk ''(today Kežmarok, Slovakia)'' – January 15, 1916, Budapest) was a Hungarian radiologist of Slovak ethnicity, one of the most influential radiologists i ...

(1857–1916), radiologist *

Tibor Gašpar Tibor Gašpar (born 23 April 1962) was the President of police of Slovakia. He assumed office in 2012. Early life Gašpar was born in Kežmarok, then Czechoslovakia. He attended Comenius University (''Slovak: Univerzita Komenského'') from 1982 u ...

(born 1962) the President of police of Slovakia, 2012-2018 * Samuel Genersich (1768–1844) a Carpathian German physician and botanist. * Frigyes Ákos Hazslinszky (1818–1896) a Hungarian mycologist and botanist. *

Juraj Herz Juraj Herz (4 September 1934 – 8 April 2018) was a Czechoslovak film director, actor, and scene designer, associated with the Czechoslovak New Wave movement of the 1960s. He is best known for his 1969 horror/black comedy '' The Cremator'', of ...

(1934–2018), a Slovak film director and actor * Baron Paul Kray of Krajova and Topolya (1735–1804), a soldier and general in Habsburg service. * Milan Lach (born 1973) a Slovak bishop of Rusyn ethnicity; the current bishop of the

Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Parma The Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma ( la, Eparchia Parmensis Ruthenorum) is a Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its episcopal seat is the Cathedral of St. John t ...

Olbracht Łaski Olbracht Łaski (died 23 November 1604) was a Polish nobleman, an alchemist and courtier during the reign of Stephen Batory. Łaski was suspected of plotting to seize the Polish throne in 1575, following the brief reign of Henry Valois. This e ...

(died 1604) a Polish nobleman, an alchemist and courtier * Thomas Mauksch (1749–1832) a Carpathian German naturalist, botanist and wine merchant. * Karl Sovanka (1893–1961), painter and sculptor *

Emeric Thököly Emeric Thököly de Késmárk ( hu, késmárki Thököly Imre; sk, Imrich Tököli; ; tr, Tököli İmre; 25 September 1657 13 September 1705) was a Hungarian nobleman, leader of anti-Habsburg uprisings like his father, Count István Thökö ...

(1657–1705), a Hungarian nobleman, Prince of

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

Sport

Jana Gantnerova-Soltysova Semmering 2010

* Ľuboš Bartečko (born 1976), former ice hockey player * Jana Gantnerová-Šoltýsová (born 1959) a Slovak former alpine skier who competed for Czechoslovakia in the

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs is ...

, 1980, and

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки игр ...

. * Karol Itauma, (born 2000) professional boxer *

Ladislav Škantár Ladislav Škantár (born 11 February 1983) is a retired Slovak Canoe slalom, slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1998 to 2018, along with his cousin Peter Škantár in the C2 class. They retired from canoe slalom in 2018 ...

(born 1983) &

Peter Škantár Peter Škantár (born 20 July 1982) is a retired Slovak slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1998 to 2018, along with his cousin Ladislav Škantár in the C2 class. They retired from canoe slalom in 2018 after the C2 eve ...

(born 1982) retired Slovak slalom canoeists, joint gold medallist at the 2016 Summer Olympics *

Natália Šubrtová Natália Šubrtová (born 1 May 1989 in Kežmarok) is a retired Slovak alpine skier, sighted guide and eleven-time Paralympic Champion. As the sighted guide for Henrieta Farkašová, she has won three gold at the 2010 Winter Paralympics ) , ...

(born 1989) Slovak alpine skier, sighted guide and eleven-time Paralympic Champion. * Radoslav Suchy (born 1976), ice hockey player * Adam Žampa (born 1990) & Andreas Žampa (born 1993) Slovakian Olympic alpine ski racers.

Gallery

Kežmarok Town hall 2015 1.jpg, Town hall Kežmarok.EvangelischeKirche.jpg, Protestant church trainstationkezmarok.jpg, Railway station building Kezmarok Reduta.jpg, Reduta, former city library Kezmarok Starytrh.JPG, Houses at Starý trh (Old Market) Kežmarok - Drevený kostol.jpg, Wooden articular church

History

Monuments

Demographics

Twin towns — sister cities

Notable people

Sport

Gallery

See also