Poprad | ||
City | ||
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Country | ![]() |
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Region | Prešov | |
District | Poprad | |
Tourism region | Tatry | |
River | Poprad | |
Elevation | 672 m (2,205 ft) | |
Coordinates | ||
Area | 62.997 km² (24 sq mi) | |
Population | 55,042 (2006-12-31) | |
Density | 874 /km² (2,264 /sq mi) | |
First mentioned | 1250 | |
Mayor | Anton Danko | |
Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | |
- summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
Postal code | 058 01 | |
Phone prefix | 421-52 | |
Car plate | PP | |
![]() ![]() ![]() Location in Slovakia
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![]() ![]() ![]() Location in the Prešov Region
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Wikimedia Commons: Poprad | ||
Statistics: MOŠ/MIS | ||
Website: http://www.poprad.sk | ||
Poprad (pronunciation; Hungarian: Poprád, German: Deutschendorf) is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the tenth largest city in Slovakia.
The city has an historic centre, an international airport and is the starting point of the Tatranská elektrická železnica (Tatra Electric Railway) -- 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, through trains run to Prague in the Czech Republic.
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Historically, the territory originally occupied by Slovak settlements was colonized in the 13th century by German settlers and became a largely German town. From 1412 to 1770, as one of the Spiš towns, Poprad was pawned by the Kingdom of Hungary (to which Slovakia belonged between the 11th century and 1918) to the Kingdom of Poland, meaning that Poland was partially responsible for the developments there.
Poprad itself, the first written reference to which dates from 1256, was for 690 years (up until 1946) just one of several neighbouring towns, which currently make up the modern city with 55,000 inhabitants. The other parts are of the current municipality Matejovce (first reference 1251), Spišská Sobota (1256), Veľká (1268), and Stráže pod Tatrami (1276). The most significant of those original towns was Spišská Sobota, which preserved its dominant position till the late 19th century.
In 1999, Poprad put in a bid to host the 2006 Winter Olympics, but lost to Turin, Italy.
Poprad lies at an altitude of 672 metres (2,205 ft) above sea level and covers an area of 63 square kilometres (24.3 sq mi).[1] It is located in north-eastern Slovakia, about 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Košice and 330 kilometres (205 mi) from Bratislava (by road).
Poprad is situated on the Poprad River in the Sub-Tatra Basin, at is a gateway to the High Tatras. Mountain ranges around the city include Levoča Hills in the east, Kozie chrbty in the south and Low Tatras in the south-west. The drainage divide between the Black Sea and Baltic Sea lies bit to the west, near the village of Štrba.
Poprad lies in the north temperate zone and has a continental climate (climate of basins) with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between warm summers and cold winters.
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
Average high °C (°F) | 0 (32) |
2 (35) |
6 (43) |
12 (53) |
18 (64) |
20 (69) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
18 (64) |
13 (55) |
5 (41) |
0 (33) |
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Average low °C (°F) | -8 (18) |
-7 (19) |
-3 (26) |
1 (34) |
6 (42) |
9 (48) |
10 (51) |
10 (50) |
7 (44) |
2 (36) |
-2 (28) |
-6 (21) |
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Precipitation cm (inches) | 1.56 (0.61) |
1.91 (0.75) |
2.02 (0.80) |
3.65 (1.44) |
5.41 (2.13) |
5.91 (2.33) |
6.84 (2.69) |
5.07 (2.00) |
3.92 (1.54) |
2.97 (1.17) |
2.52 (0.99) |
1.63 (0.64) |
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Source: MSN Weather[2] 2008-01-25 |
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.[1] The religious make-up was 65.9% Roman Catholics, 16.8% people with no religious affiliation, and 7.3% Lutherans.[1]
The historical centre is concentrated around the St. Egidius square (Námestie svätého Egídia), which is rimmed with burgher houses predominantly from the 18th and 19th centuries. Churches in the city include the early-Gothic Catholic Church of St. Egidius from the late 13th century.
Other historical centre is in Spišská Sobota, which was declared in 1953 as a Town Monument Reserve. A significant landmark is Church of St. George with five late-Gothic side altars and main altar from the workshop of Master Paul of Levoča.
Modern places of interest include a new water park called AquaCity Poprad.
Since 2003, the mayor is Anton Danko (former international ice-hockey referee).
The city is divided into six boroughs for the purpose of municipal administrative division:
The city's system of primary education consists of 12 public schools, and one religious primary school, enrolling in total 5,464 pupils.[3] Secondary education is represented by four gymnasia with 1,800 students,[4] three specialized high schools with 1,566 students,[5] and four vocational schools with 2,045 students (data as of 2007).[6]
Poprad is a gateway of the Vysoké Tatry 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 Airport offers scheduled flights to Prague and London.
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