Prešov
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| Prešov | |
|---|---|
| Coat-of-arms N/A | |
| Region (kraj) | Prešov Region |
| District (okres) | Prešov District |
| Location | 5 |
| Altitude | 255 m |
| Population | 93,000 |
| Area | 71.09 km² |
| Time Zone • Summer DST |
CET: UTC+1 CEST: UTC+2 |
| Telephone prefix | +421-51 |
| Postal code | 08001 |
| Car registration plate | PO |
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Prešov (German: Preschau or Eperies; Hungarian: Eperjes; Polish: Preszów; Romany: Peryeshis; Rusyn: Пряшів/Пряшyв) is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of the administrative Prešov Region (Prešovský kraj) (see Regions of Slovakia). With a population of approximately 100,000 it is the third-largest city in the country.
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[edit] Location
Prešov is situated in the valley of the Torysa River, at the confluence with its tributary Sekčov. Prešov is only 33 kilometers north of Košice. There is a motorway (D1), built in the 1980s, connecting both towns.
[edit] Characteristics
As of 2001, 93.7% of the inhabitants are Slovaks; significant minorities include Rusyns 1.4%, Gypsies 1.2% and Czechs 1.0%. The average wage and the employment rate in Prešov are below the national average. Significant industries in the town include mechanical and electrical engineering companies and clothing industry. Solivary, the only salt mining and processing company in Slovakia, also operates in the town.
More than 10,000 students are enrolled at the two institutions of post-secondary education in the town - the University of Prešov with 8 faculties and the Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies of the Technical University of Košice. Prešov is also seat of a Greek Catholic bishopric, a Lutheran Church bishopric and an Orthodox archbishopric.
Prešov is an impressive city culturally; many concerts, operas, operettas and stage plays are performed at the new building of the Jonáš Záborský Theatre (Divadlo Jonáša Záborského), as well as at the old location.
The city is a wonderful showcase of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic architecture. In the Staré Mesto (Old Town/Downtown) area, the main street is lined with churches and other buildings built in these styles. In the suburbs, however, the Soviet influence is tragically evident through the massive concrete apartment buildings (the paneláks) of the Sídliská (settlements) and the Sekčov district. More Soviet architecture is seen in the government buildings near the downtown.
[edit] History
Habitation in the region of Prešov dates as far back as the Paleolithic period. The oldest discovered tools and mammoth bones are 28,000 years old. Slavic people have lived in the area of the town since the 4th or 5th century AD.
By the end of the 11th century the town had become part of the Kingdom of Hungary, and Hungarian soldiers settled in the town. In the 13th century many German settlers moved to Prešov from the Spiš region.
The first written record of Prešov dates back to 1247. In 1299 Prešov received municipal privileges, and in 1374 it was declared a free royal town. This led to the development of crafts and trade (especially export of wine from the Tisza region to Poland). In the 15th century Prešov joined the Pentapolitana, an alliance of five towns of eastern Slovakia (Bardejov, Levoča, Košice, Prešov, and Sabinov).
The first record of a school dates to 1429. In 1572, salt mining started in Solivar (at that time a nearby town, now part of Prešov). Prešov's increased importance meant that in 1647 it became the seat of the Šariš county.
In 1667 an important Evangelic Lutheran College of Prešov was established by Protestants in the town. In 1687, 24 prominent citizens and noblemen were executed for supporting the uprising of Imre Thököly.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the population was decimated by the plague and by fires to a mere 2,000 inhabitants. By the second half of the 18th century the town had recovered, crafts and trade improved again, and new manufactories were built. In 1752 the salt mine in Solivar was flooded. Ever since then salt has been produced from salt brine through boiling.
In 1873 the first railway was built through the town. At the end of the 19th century, the town introduced electricity, telephone, telegraph, and a sewage system. In 1887 fire destroyed a large part of the town. In 1918 Prešov became part of the newly created Czechoslovakia. During World War II, the nearby town of Košice became again part of Hungary by the First Vienna Award. As a result, many institutions moved from Košice to Prešov, thus increasing its importance. In 1944, a professional Slovak Theatre was established in the town.
During the communist regime after 1948, the town became an industrial center. The population increased rapidly from 28,000 in 1950 to 52,000 in 1970 and 91,000 in 1990.
[edit] Demographics
Ethnic groups (2001 census):
- Slovaks (93.67%)
- Roma (1.43%)
- Rusyns (1.20%)
- Ukrainians (1.12%)
- Czechs (0.84%)
- Hungarians (0.22%)
[edit] See also
[edit] Twin towns
Prešov is twinned with:
Nyíregyháza, Hungary
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States [1]
Nowy Sącz, Poland
Mukacheve, Ukraine
Prague 10, Czech Republic
Remscheid, Germany
Keratsini, Greece
La Courneuve, France
Comune di Brugherio, Italy
[edit] References
- Official History of Prešov
- Presov town hall (July 2002), Presov - city profile. Retrieved in June 2004 from http://www.pis.sk/jpis/obsah/html/presov_profile.htm.
