Spišská Sobota

Spišská Sobota was one of the Spiš towns and is now a quarter of Poprad, but it kept its shape completely: a single long square lined with Gothic and Renaissance burgher houses with painted and sgraffito fronts, a church, a freestanding bell tower and a plague column, with almost no modern intrusion. The church of St George holds a carved winged altarpiece by Master Paul of Levoča, the same workshop as the great altar at Levoča.

History

First recorded in 1256 as Forum Sabbathe in a royal charter of Béla IV, the town was resettled by German colonists after the Mongol invasion and received town privileges from Stephen V in 1271. It gained the right to hold a fair in 1567 and a coat of arms with St George from Ferdinand III in 1647, had 126 craftsmen in 1773 and became a borough of Poprad in 1946 (Wikipedia, Spišská Sobota).

What's there

• The square - a complete run of Gothic and Renaissance burgher fronts.
• The Master Paul altarpiece - a carved winged altar by the Levoca workshop.
• The bell tower - a Renaissance freestanding tower beside the church.
• The intactness - a medieval quarter with almost no later building in it.

When to go

April to October is the main season. The church keeps limited hours and may need a keyholder. Mornings are quietest.

What to expect

The church is often locked and access depends on the caretaker. The quarter is small and an hour covers it. Parking on the square is restricted.

Nearby

Poprad centre is south, and Kezmarok is northeast.

Key facts