LEVOČA

  • 56 km (35 miles) W of Prešov.

  • 14,000.

  • Námestie Majstra Pavla 58.

  • Tel: (053) 451 37 63.
  • www.levoca.sk

The former capital of the affluent region of Spiš, Levoča is situated between the High Tatras and Slovenské Rudohorie mountains. The town has an immaculately preserved historic centre, full of magnificent Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neo-Classical buildings. Its main square, Námestie Majstra Pavla, features the Gothic Church of St James  (sv. Jakub). This houses a unique set of 18 altarpieces, a magnificent collection of medieval and Renaissance sacred art. The most splendid of them – the 18.6-m (61-ft) high main altarpiece – is the world’s tallest Gothic altar. The over 2-m (6-ft) high statues of the Madonna, St James and St John the Evangelist are all by Master Pavol of Levoča, an outstanding sculptor of the Late Gothic, who also carved several other altarpieces in the church. Just south of the church is the former Town Hall.

Among nearly 60 historic houses around the main square are the striking Thurzo House  (Thurzov dom) crowned with a Renaissance attic, and the House of Master Pavol of Levoča , now a museum of his life and work. At the edge of the historic district is the 14th-century Old Minorites’ Church  (Starý kláštor minoritov) that has a dazzling Baroque interior.


HOUSE OF MASTER PAVOL

 



  • Námestie Majstra Pavla 20.
  • Tel: (053) 451 34 96.

  • daily (by appt Mon).


TOWN HALL

One of the town’s most distinguished buildings, the town hall (radnica) was erected in 1550 in Gothic style, replacing an earlier building that had been destroyed by fire. In the early 17th century it was remodelled along Renaissance lines. The bell tower dates from 1656–61, which, in the 18th century, was decorated with Baroque elements. The Neo-Classical pediments were added in the 19th century. The town hall is still used for civic functions, and it also houses the main branch of the Spiš Museum on the first floor, with exhibits on regional history.

  • Námestie Majstra Pavla.
  • Tel: (053) 451 24 49.
  • Fax: (053) 451 28 24.

  • 9am–5pm daily.

SPIŠ MUSEUM EXHIBITION IN TOWN HALL
CAGE OF DISGRACE

The wrought-iron contraption by the south wall of the town hall is the 16th-century “Cage of Disgrace”, in which women who had committed minor crimes were locked up and put on public display. It used to stand in the park belonging to the Probstner family, who gave it to the town in 1933.