Poprad (; , ) 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 Spiš region and the tenth largest city in Slovakia with a population of approximately 55,000.
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 Tatranská elektrická železnica), 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
The territory belonged to the
Kingdom of Hungary since the 10th century and was probably originally inhabited by Slavic settlers. It was colonized in the 13th century by
German settlers and became the largely German town
Deutschendorf meaning 'German village'. From 1412 to 1770, as one of the
Szepes 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.
Poprad itself, the first written reference to which dates from 1256, 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 (first reference 1251), Spišská Sobota (1256), Veľká (1268), and Stráže pod Tatrami (1276). The most significant of these original towns was Georgenberg (or Szepesszombat, now: Spišská Sobota), which preserved its dominant position in the area until the late 19th century.
In 1999, Poprad put in a bid to host the 2006 Winter Olympics, but lost to Turin, Italy.
Geography
Poprad lies at an altitude of
above sea level and covers an area of . It is located in northeastern Slovakia, about from
Košice and 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 Levoča 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 Štrba.
Climate
Poprad lies in the
north temperate zone and has a
humid continental climate (
Köppen Dfb) with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between warm summers and cold winters.
Demographics
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%
Roma, 1%
Czechs, 0.2%
Hungarians, 0.2%
Germans, 0.1%
Rusyns, 0.1%
Ukrainians, and 0.1%
Poles. Secondary education is represented by four gymnasia with 1,800 students, three specialized high schools with 1,566 students, and four vocational schools with 2,045 students (data as of 2007).
Transport
Poprad is a gateway of 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.
Poprad-Tatry Airport offers scheduled flights to Bratislava.
Personalities
Daniela Hantuchová - professional grand slam winning tennis player (born April 23, 1983 in Poprad)
Károly Alexy - sculptor born in Poprad (1823)
Peter Bondra - famous ice hockey player, more than 500 goals in NHL
Jan Brokoff - Baroque-era sculptor and carver (born 1652 in Spišská Sobota - died 1718 in Prague)
Adolf Burger - author of memoirs on Operation Bernhard filmed as the Oscar-winning The Counterfeiters, grew up and trained in Poprad
Peter Ihnačák - Ice hockey player born in 1957 in Poprad
Leslie Kish - world-stature statistician, was born in Poprad
Miroslav Lajčák - diplomat, born in Poprad
Tibor Sekelj - explorer, Esperantist, writer and lawyer born in Spišská Sobota in 1912
Benjamin Tais Amundssen - political prisoner in gulags Kosice, Presov, Ilava; founder of Tais Awards independent music. Born June 12, 1956, in Poprad.
Denisa Modricova - Factory worker trained in world skills in Poprad now resides in England.
External links
Official website of Poprad municipality
House of Photography in Poprad
Radio born in Poprad
Photos and videos
360º QTVR fullscreen panoramas of the Poprad city
References
Category:Cities and towns in Slovakia
Category:Spiš
Category:Villages and municipalities in Poprad District