# Poprad > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Poprad > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Poprad.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poprad > Source revision: 1355880748 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) For other uses, see [Poprad (disambiguation)](/source/Poprad_(disambiguation)). "Deutschendorf" redirects here. For the American singer whose birth surname was Deutschendorf, see [John Denver](/source/John_Denver). **Poprad** (ˈpɔprat; Hungarian: *Poprád*; German: *Deutschendorf*) is a city in northern [Slovakia](/source/Slovakia) at the foot of the [High Tatra Mountains](/source/High_Tatras), famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. The largest town of the [Spiš](/source/Spi%C5%A1) region and the largest of all towns in the vicinity of the High Tatra Mountains in both Slovakia and [Poland](/source/Poland), Poprad is the tenth largest city in Slovakia, with a population of approximately 50,000. The [Poprad-Tatry Airport](/source/Poprad-Tatry_Airport) is an international airport located just outside the city. Poprad is also the starting point of the [Tatra Electric Railway](/source/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](/source/High_Tatras) with each other and with Poprad. Mainline trains link Poprad to other destinations in Slovakia and beyond; in particular, there are through trains running from Poprad to [Prague](/source/Prague) in the [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic). ## History [Kingdom of Hungary](/source/Kingdom_of_Hungary) 1256–1412 [Kingdom of Poland](/source/Kingdom_of_Poland_(1385%E2%80%931569)) 1412–1569 [Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth](/source/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth) 1569–1769 [Kingdom of Hungary](/source/Kingdom_of_Hungary_(1526%E2%80%931867)) 1769–1867 [Austria-Hungary](/source/Austria-Hungary) 1867–1918 [Czechoslovakia](/source/Czechoslovakia) 1918–1939 [Slovak Republic](/source/Slovak_Republic_(1939%E2%80%9345)) 1939–1945 [Czechoslovakia](/source/Czechoslovakia) 1945–1990 [Czech and Slovak Federative Republic](/source/Czech_and_Slovak_Federative_Republic) 1990–1992 [Slovak Republic](/source/Slovak_Republic) 1993–present — *Historical affiliations* The territory was inhabited by [Slavic](/source/Slavs) settlers since the [Migration Period](/source/Migration_Period). The first written record dates from 16 March 1256 in the deed of donation of the Hungarian King [Bela IV.](/source/B%C3%A9la_IV_of_Hungary) After the [Mongol invasions](/source/Mongol_invasions_and_conquests) in the 13th century it was colonized by [German](/source/Carpathian_Germans) settlers and became the largely German town *Deutschendorf* meaning 'Germans' village'. From 1412 to 1770, as one of the Spis towns, Poprad was pawned by the [Kingdom of Hungary](/source/Kingdom_of_Hungary) to the [Kingdom of Poland](/source/The_Jagiellon_Era), resulting in a strong Polish influence on the city's further development. In the 17th century, the number of Germans began to decline. Since 1918, this territory has been placed under the control of [Czechoslovakia](/source/Czechoslovakia). Poprad itself 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* (German: *Matzdorf*; Hungarian: *Mateóc*, first reference 1251), *Spišská Sobota* (German: *Georgenberg*; Hungarian: *Szepesszombat*, 1256), *Veľká* (German/Hungarian: *Felka*, 1268), and *Stráže pod Tatrami* (German: *Michelsdorf*; Hungarian: *Strázsa*, 1276). The most significant of these original towns was Georgenberg, now [Spišská Sobota](/source/Spi%C5%A1sk%C3%A1_Sobota), which preserved its dominant position in the area until the late 19th century. Poprad gained importance at the expense of Spišská Sobota after the construction of the [Košice–Bohumín Railway](/source/Ko%C5%A1ice%E2%80%93Bohum%C3%ADn_Railway) in 1871. In the following years, further railway lines were built: Poprad - Kežmarok in 1892 and [Tatra Electric Railway](/source/Tatra_Electric_Railway) in 1908. In 1942, during [World War II](/source/World_War_II), most of the transports of Jews to ghettos and concentration camps in German-occupied Poland were sent from the [Poprad railway station](/source/Poprad-Tatry_railway_station). The first transport of about 1,000 Jewish girls and young women left Poprad on 25 March 1942 for [Auschwitz-Birkenau](/source/Auschwitz_extermination_camp). By the end of 1942, when the deportations stopped, over 58,000 [Jews had been deported from Slovakia](/source/Holocaust_in_Slovakia) to German-occupied Poland via Poprad.[2] Poprad was liberated on 28 January 1945 by troops of the [Soviet](/source/Red_Army) [18th Army](/source/18th_Army_(Soviet_Union)). The German population was expelled afterwards. After the war, the neighbouring settlements were incorporated into Poprad: Spišská Sobota and Veľká in 1945, Stráže pod Tatry in 1960 and Matejovce in 1974. At that time, with the development of winter sports, Poprad became the starting point for expeditions to the [High Tatras](/source/High_Tatras). In 1999, Poprad put in a bid to host the [2006 Winter Olympics](/source/2006_Winter_Olympics), but lost to [Turin](/source/Turin), Italy. ## Geography It is located in northeastern Slovakia, about 110 kilometres (68 mi) from [Košice](/source/Ko%C5%A1ice) and 330 kilometres (205 mi) from [Bratislava](/source/Bratislava) (by road). Poprad is situated on the [Poprad River](/source/Poprad_River) in the [Sub-Tatra Basin](/source/Podtatransk%C3%A1_kotlina), and is a gateway to the [High Tatras](/source/High_Tatras). Mountain ranges around the city include the [Levoča Hills](/source/Levo%C4%8Da_Hills) in the east, [Kozie chrbty](/source/Kozie_chrbty) in the south, and the [Low Tatras](/source/Low_Tatras) in the southwest. The drainage divide between the [Black Sea](/source/Black_Sea) and [Baltic Sea](/source/Baltic_Sea) lies a bit to the west, near the village of [Štrba](/source/%C5%A0trba). ### Climate Poprad lies in the [north temperate zone](/source/Temperate) and has a [humid continental climate](/source/Humid_continental_climate) ([Köppen](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification) *Dfb*) with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between warm summers and cold winters. ## Population Historical population Year Pop. ±% 1970 23,447 — 1980 38,077 +62.4% 1991 52,914 +39.0% 2001 56,157 +6.1% 2011 52,862 −5.9% 2021 49,855 −5.7% Censuses[3][4] It has a [population](/source/Population_(human_biology)) of people (31 December ). ## Religion The oldest churches here are the [Roman Catholic Church](/source/Catholic_Church) and the [Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession](/source/Evangelical_Church_of_the_Augsburg_Confession_in_Slovakia) ([Lutherans](/source/Lutheranism)). It also operates here: the [Greek Catholic Church](/source/Slovak_Greek_Catholic_Church) and [Orthodox Church](/source/Orthodox_Church_of_the_Czech_Lands_and_Slovakia), [Baptists](/source/Baptists), the [Apostolic Church](/source/Apostolic_Church_(1916_denomination)), [Seventh-day Adventists](/source/Seventh-day_Adventist_Church), the Pentecostal Charismatic Church, and [Jehovah's Witnesses](/source/Jehovah's_Witnesses). **Poprad** - [Co-Cathedral of the Virgin Mary](/source/Co-Cathedral_of_Our_Lady_of_Sorrows,_Poprad) (Roman Catholic) - Church of St. Giles (Roman Catholic) - Church of St. Cyril and Methodius (Roman Catholic) - Church of Holy Trinity (Lutheran) - Pentecostal Church - Church of St. Peter and Paul (Greek Catholic) - Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses - Church of Holy Cross (Orthodox) **Veľká** - Church of St. John (Roman Catholic - Salesians) - Church of Holy Trinity (Lutheran) - Baptist church - Church of Seventh-day Adventists **Spišská Sobota** - Church of St. George (Roman Catholic) - Lutheran church **Matejovce** - Church of St. Stephen (Roman Catholic) - Lutheran church **Stráže pod Tatrami** - Church of St. John (Roman Catholic) - Lutheran church **Kvetnica** - Church of St. Helen (Roman Catholic) ## Landmarks The historical centre is concentrated around St. Giles square (*Námestie svätého Egídia*), which is rimmed with houses predominantly from the 18th and 19th centuries. Churches in the city include the early-Gothic Catholic Church of St. Giles from the late 13th century and the classicist Lutheran Church of Holy Trinity from the 19th century. Another historical area in Poprad is in [Spišská Sobota](/source/Spi%C5%A1sk%C3%A1_Sobota), which was declared in 1953 to be a Town Monument Reserve. A significant landmark there is the Church of St. George, with five late-Gothic side altars and a main altar from the workshop of [Master Paul of Levoča](/source/Master_Paul_of_Levo%C4%8Da). Modern places of interest include the [Poprad-Tatry railway station](/source/Poprad-Tatry_railway_station) and the AquaCity Poprad [water park](/source/Water_park). ## Government Between 2003 and 2014, the mayor of Poprad was [Anton Danko](/source/Anton_Danko) (former international ice-hockey referee). In the November 2014 municipal elections, he lost to Jozef Švagerko (KDH – Christian democrats). ## Territorial division The city is divided into six boroughs for municipal administrative division: 1. Staré Mesto ["Old Town"] 1. [Spišská Sobota](/source/Spi%C5%A1sk%C3%A1_Sobota) 1. Stráže 1. Veľká 1. Matejovce 1. Kvetnica ## Sport Poprad currently has one ice hockey club, [HK Poprad](/source/HK_Poprad), who play at the [Poprad Ice Stadium](/source/Poprad_Ice_Stadium). [Lev Poprad](/source/Lev_Poprad) was another ice hockey club in Poprad, which used to play in the [KHL](/source/Kontinental_Hockey_League) for one season but was moved to the Czech capital, Prague, in 2012. Despite successful 2013/2014 seasons, the club has ended due to financial problems. Several former and current [NHL](/source/National_Hockey_League) hockey players were born in Poprad.[5] The city also hosted the [1994 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships](/source/1994_Men's_Ice_Hockey_World_Championships), [1999 European Youth Olympic Winter Days](/source/1999_European_Youth_Olympic_Winter_Days), [2017 IIHF World U18 Championships](/source/2017_IIHF_World_U18_Championships) and [1999 Winter Universiade](/source/1999_Winter_Universiade). Every year, the ice hockey [Tatra Cup](/source/Tatra_Cup) is held. There was also an unsuccessful [bid to host the 2006 Winter Olympics](/source/Poprad-Tatry_bid_for_the_2006_Winter_Olympics). There are many [football](/source/Association_football) stadiums in Poprad; however, the main one is [NTC Poprad](/source/NTC_Poprad), home of [FK Poprad](/source/FK_Poprad), founded in 1906 and the [Slovakia national youth teams](/source/Slovakia_national_under-21_football_team). The local women's basketball club is [Basketbalová Akadémia Mládeže Poprad](/source/Basketbalov%C3%A1_Akad%C3%A9mia_Ml%C3%A1de%C5%BEe_Poprad) (BAMP). Their matches are played in [Aréna Poprad](/source/Ar%C3%A9na_Poprad). The arena was also one of the venues at the [2017](/source/2017_FIVB_Volleyball_World_League) editions of the [FIVB Volleyball World League](/source/FIVB_Volleyball_World_League). ## Education The city's system of primary education consists of 12 public schools and one religious primary school, enrolling in total of 5,464 pupils.[6] Secondary education is represented by four grammar schools with 1,800 students,[7] three specialized high schools with 1,566 students,[8] and four vocational schools with 2,045 students (data as of 2007).[9] The city also hosted the 3rd [International Biology Olympiad](/source/International_Biology_Olympiad) in 1993. ## Transport Poprad is a gateway to the [High Tatra](/source/High_Tatras) mountain range, which is a popular tourist destination. The city lies on the main road ([E 50](/source/Motorway_D1_(Slovakia))) and railway connecting western and eastern Slovakia. [Poprad-Tatry railway station](/source/Poprad-Tatry_railway_station) links Poprad with other major destinations on Slovakia's [standard gauge](/source/Standard_gauge) rail network, and with the mountains via the [metre gauge](/source/Metre_gauge) [Tatra Electric Railway](/source/Tatra_Electric_Railway). The direct trains SuperCity [Pendolino](/source/Pendolino#Czech_Republic) connect Poprad with [Prague](/source/Prague). International [Poprad–Tatry Airport](/source/Poprad%E2%80%93Tatry_Airport) from 1938, is an airport with the highest elevation in Central Europe. It also offers scheduled flights to London.[10] ### Bus transport Lines: , , , , , , , ### Rail transport Lines: , ## Notable people - [Jan Brokoff](/source/Jan_Brokoff) (1652–1718) – Baroque-era sculptor and carver - [Leslie Kish](/source/Leslie_Kish) (1910–2000) – statistician - [Tibor Sekelj](/source/Tibor_Sekelj) (1912–1988) – explorer, Esperantist, writer and lawyer - [Adolf Burger](/source/Adolf_Burger) (1917–2016) – typographer, author of memoirs on [Operation Bernhard](/source/Operation_Bernhard) filmed as the [Oscar](/source/Academy_Award_for_Best_Foreign_Language_Film)-winning *[The Counterfeiters](/source/The_Counterfeiters_(2007_film))*, grew up and trained in Poprad - [Miroslav Lajčák](/source/Miroslav_Laj%C4%8D%C3%A1k) (born 1963) – diplomat - [Andrej Kiska](/source/Andrej_Kiska) (born 1963), politician, [President of Slovakia](/source/President_of_Slovakia) (2014–2019) - [Lucia Kurilovská](/source/Lucia_Kurilovsk%C3%A1) (born 1967), politician - [Ivan Štefunko](/source/Ivan_%C5%A0tefunko) (born 1977), politician - [Kamil Šaško](/source/Kamil_%C5%A0a%C5%A1ko) (born 1985), politician ### Sport - [Boris Prokopič](/source/Boris_Prokopi%C4%8D) (born 1988) – Austrian football player - [Peter Ihnačák](/source/Peter_Ihna%C4%8D%C3%A1k) (born 1957) – Ice hockey player - [Daniela Hantuchová](/source/Daniela_Hantuchov%C3%A1) (born 1983) – tennis player - [Anton Gavel](/source/Anton_Gavel) (born 1984) – Slovak basketball player - [Peter Bondra](/source/Peter_Bondra) (born 1986) – ice hockey player - [Tomáš Rigo](/source/Tom%C3%A1%C5%A1_Rigo) (born 2002) - footballer - [Tamara Potocká](/source/Tamara_Potock%C3%A1) (born 2002) - swimmer ## Twin towns – sister cities See also: [List of twin towns and sister cities in Slovakia](/source/List_of_twin_towns_and_sister_cities_in_Slovakia) Poprad is [twinned](/source/Twin_towns_and_sister_cities) with:[11] - [Ústí nad Orlicí](/source/%C3%9Ast%C3%AD_nad_Orlic%C3%AD), Czech Republic - [Zakopane](/source/Zakopane), Poland - [Vysoké Tatry](/source/Vysok%C3%A9_Tatry_(town)), Slovakia - [Szarvas](/source/Szarvas), Hungary - [Widnes](/source/Widnes), England, UK - [Oulu](/source/Oulu), Finland ## References 1. ["Základná charakteristika"](http://datacube.statistics.sk/#!/view/sk/VBD_SK_WIN/om5001rr/v_om5001rr_00_00_00_sk) (in Slovak). *www.statistics.sk*. Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2022-03-31. 1. ["Memorial plaque for deported Jews at Poprad railway station"](https://www.gedenkstaetten-uebersicht.de/en/europe/cl/slowakei/inst/gedenktafel-fuer-die-deportier/). *Holocaust Memorials: Monuments, Museums and Institutions in Commemoration of Nazi Victims*. Berlin, Germany: Stiftung Topographie des Terrors. Retrieved 2019-10-20. 1. ["Statistical lexikon of municipalities 1970-2011"](https://slovak.statistics.sk/wps/wcm/connect/cd33d897-7314-41d0-a12b-a95e537d7a39/Statisticky_lexikon_obci_Slovenskej_republiky_2011.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy&CVID=kRHTpsy) (in Slovak) 1. ["Census 2021 - Population - Basic results"](https://www.scitanie.sk/obyvatelia/zakladne-vysledky/pocet-obyvatelov/). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2021-01-01. 1. LegendsofHockey.net. ["NHL Legends of Hockey"](http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayersByTeam.jsp?team=HK+Poprad). Retrieved June 14, 2015. 1. ["Prehľad základných škôl v školskom roku 2006/2007"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080409203403/http://www.uips.sk/statis/pdf/ZS_P7.PDF) (in Slovak). Ústav informácií a prognóz školstva. 2006. Archived from [the original](http://www.uips.sk/statis/pdf/ZS_P7.PDF) on April 9, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2008. 1. ["Prehľad gymnázií v školskom roku 2006/2007"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080409203357/http://www.uips.sk/statis/pdf/GYM_P7.PDF) (in Slovak). Ústav informácií a prognóz školstva. Archived from [the original](http://www.uips.sk/statis/pdf/GYM_P7.PDF) on April 9, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2008. 1. ["Prehľad stredných odborných škôl v školskom roku 2006/2007"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080409203349/http://www.uips.sk/statis/pdf/SOS_P7.PDF) (in Slovak). Ústav informácií a prognóz školstva. Archived from [the original](http://www.uips.sk/statis/pdf/SOS_P7.PDF) on April 9, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2008. 1. ["Prehľad združených stredných škôl v školskom roku 2006/2007"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080409203416/http://www.uips.sk/statis/pdf/ZSS_P7.PDF) (in Slovak). Ústav informácií a prognóz školstva. Archived from [the original](http://www.uips.sk/statis/pdf/ZSS_P7.PDF) on April 9, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2008. 1. ["Lietať z Popradu do Londýna sa bude už za 30 eur"](http://firmy.etrend.sk/firmy-nefinancny-sektor/lietat-z-popradu-do-londyna-sa-bude-uz-za-30-eur.html). July 28, 2014. 1. ["Partnerské mestá"](https://www.poprad.sk/partnerske-mesta.phtml?id3=40553) (in Slovak). Poprad. Retrieved September 2, 2019. ## External links - [Official website of Poprad municipality](http://eng.poprad.sk/) - [House of Photography in Poprad](http://www.domfoto.sk/) ### Photos and videos - [360° QTVR fullscreen panoramas](http://www.360pano.eu/slovakia/) of the city --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Poprad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poprad) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poprad?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.