Kežmarok ( or ; , , , ) is a town in the Spiš region of eastern

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, 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 west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

(population 16,000), on the Poprad River. Prior to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, it was in

Szepes county Szepes (; , , ) was an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary, called Scepusium before the late 19th century. Its territory today lies in northeastern Slovakia, with a very small area in southeastern Poland. For the current region, see S ...

in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

History

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

Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

, 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 languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

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, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

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

Hussite file:Hussitenkriege.tif, upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century file:The Bohemian Realm during the Hussite Wars.png, upright=1.2, The Lands of the ...

raid. After 1440, the count of

Spiš Spiš ( ; or ; ) is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland (more specifically encompassing 14 former Slovak villages). Spiš is an informal designation of the territory, but it is also the name of one ...

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

free royal town A 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 város ...

. The town was a stronghold of the noble ''Thököly'' family. The Hungarian magnate and warrior Imre Thököly was born in the town in 1657. He died in exile in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

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 a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

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 emphasizes justification of sinners through faith alone, the teaching that salvation comes by unmerited divine grace, the priesthood of all believers, and the Bible as the sole infallible sourc ...

built in 1688 entirely of wood. The church also contains an

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

of 1719 with wooden pipes. The church has been a UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

since 2008. Before the establishment of independent

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

in 1918, Kežmarok was part of

Szepes County Szepes (; , , ) was an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary, called Scepusium before the late 19th century. Its territory today lies in northeastern Slovakia, with a very small area in southeastern Poland. For the current region, see S ...

within the

. From 1939 to 1945, it was part of the

Slovak Republic Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, 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 west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's ...

. On 27 January 1945, the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

dislodged the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

from Kežmarok in the course of the Western Carpathian offensive and it was once again part of Czechoslovakia. Kežmarok had an

ethnic German Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The constitution of Germany, implemented in 1949 following the end of World War ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Most Germans were evacuated to Germany or the Sudetenland before the arrival of the Red Army. The evacuation was mostly the initiative of Adalbert Wanhoff and prepared the diocese of the German Evangelical Church between mid-November 1944 and 21 January 1945. It also had a large and active

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

community. During World War II, under the auspices of the First Slovak Republic, nearly 3,000 of the town's Jews were deported to German death camps. 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 (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, the town had 17,383 inhabitants. 95.21% of inhabitants were

Slovaks The Slovaks ( (historical Sloveni ), singular: ''Slovák'' (historical: ''Sloven'' ), feminine: ''Slovenka'' , plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history ...

, 1.59% Roma, 0.83%

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

and 0.43%

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

. The religious makeup was 77.50%

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, 10.98% people with no religious affiliation, 4.83%

Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

and 2.63% Greek Catholics.

Twin towns — sister cities

Kežmarok is twinned with: *

Bochnia Bochnia is a town on the river Raba in southern Poland, administrative seat of Bochnia County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The town lies approximately halfway between Tarnów (east) and the regional capital Kraków (west). Bochnia is most noted ...

, Poland *

Gliwice Gliwice (; , ) 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 River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capital ...

, Poland * Hajdúszoboszló, Hungary * Kupiškis, Lithuania *

Lanškroun Lanškroun (; ) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,800 inhabitants. It lies on the border of the historical lands of Bohemia and Moravia. The historic town centre is well preserved ...

, Czech Republic *

Lesneven 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 immigration f ...

, France *

Nowy Targ Nowy Targ (Officially: ''Royal Free city of Nowy Targ'', Yiddish: ''Naymark'', Gorals, Goral dialect: ''Nowy Torg'' ) 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 Go ...

, Poland *

Příbram Příbram (; or ''Przibram'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. It is known for its mining history, and more recently, its new venture into economic restructuring. The town is the t ...

, 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 Wes ...

, 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. Located within the historic Łęczyca Land, it is the capital of Zgie ...

, Poland

Notable people

* Vojtech Alexander (1857–1916), radiologist *

Tibor Gašpar Tibor Gašpar (born 23 April 1962) is a Slovak police officer and politician. He was the Chief of Police, President of police of Slovakia from 2012 to 2018. He has served as a Member of parliament, Member of the National Council (Slovakia), Natio ...

(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 Slovak 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'', often ci ...

(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 former bishop of the Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Parma * Olbracht Łaski (died 1604) a Polish nobleman, an alchemist and courtier * Thomas Mauksch (1749–1832) a Carpathian German naturalist, botanist and wine merchant. *

Karl Sovanka Karl Sovanka (Karol Šovánka) (7 March 1893 in Uhrovec, near Trenčín, Slovakia – 1961 in Östringen, Germany) was a painter and sculptor. He is world-known for his paintings of animals and hunting motifs. He was a famous painter and sculpto ...

(1893–1961), painter and sculptor * Emeric Thököly (1657–1705), a Hungarian nobleman, Prince of

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

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

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, and

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian language, Serbo-Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) and commonly known as Sarajevo '84 (Serbian Cy ...

. * Karol Itauma, (born 2000) professional boxer * Moses Itauma, (born 2004) professional boxer * Ladislav Škantár (born 1983) & Peter Škantár (born 1982) retired Slovak slalom canoeists, joint gold medallist at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

* Natália Šubrtová (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 - Kežmarský hrad 2.jpg, Castle Basilica of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Kežmarok1.JPG, Basilica of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Kežmarok Town hall 2015 1.jpg, Town hall Kežmarok - Drevený kostol.jpg, Wooden articular church Kežmarok, nowy kościół ewangelicki (HB9).jpg, New protestant church Kežmarok z Kamennej bane.jpg, View of Kežmarok with High Tatras trainstationkezmarok.jpg, Railway station building

References

;Notes

External links

* http://www.kezmarok.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kezmarok Cities and towns in Slovakia Spiš Holocaust locations in Czechoslovakia