Poprad

For the river in Slovakia and Poland, see Poprad (river). For the airport, see Poprad-Tatry Airport.
Poprad
City
Central Poprad during winter
Country  Slovakia
Region Prešov
District Poprad
Tourism region Tatry
River Poprad
Elevation 672 m (2,205 ft)
Coordinates 49°03′34″N 20°17′51″E / 49.05944°N 20.29750°E / 49.05944; 20.29750Coordinates: 49°03′34″N 20°17′51″E / 49.05944°N 20.29750°E / 49.05944; 20.29750
Area 62.997 km2 (24 sq mi)
Population 55,042 (2006-12-31)
 - metro 100,000
Density 874/km2 (2,264/sq mi)
First mentioned 1250
Mayor Jozef Švagerko
Timezone CET (UTC+1)
 - summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 058 01
Phone prefix 421-52
Car plate PP
Location in Slovakia
Location in the Prešov Region
Wikimedia Commons: Poprad
Statistics: MOŠ/MIS
Website: http://www.poprad.sk

Poprad (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈpoprat]; Hungarian: Poprád, German: Deutschendorf) 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 'Germans' 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.

During World War II, Poprad was captured on 28 January 1945 by troops of the Soviet 18th Army.

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 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 northeastern 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, 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.

Climate data for Poprad
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 11.3
(52.3)		 17.4
(63.3)		 22.3
(72.1)		 26.7
(80.1)		 31.2
(88.2)		 31.0
(87.8)		 32.0
(89.6)		 31.4
(88.5)		 29.8
(85.6)		 25.1
(77.2)		 18.4
(65.1)		 16.3
(61.3)		 32
(89.6)
Average high °C (°F) −0.8
(30.6)		 1.2
(34.2)		 6.0
(42.8)		 11.6
(52.9)		 17.2
(63)		 20.1
(68.2)		 22.1
(71.8)		 21.2
(70.2)		 17.7
(63.9)		 12.3
(54.1)		 5.0
(41)		 0.6
(33.1)		 11.2
(52.2)
Average low °C (°F) −9.2
(15.4)		 −7.5
(18.5)		 −3.8
(25.2)		 0.9
(33.6)		 5.4
(41.7)		 8.3
(46.9)		 10.0
(50)		 9.4
(48.9)		 6.1
(43)		 1.5
(34.7)		 −2.8
(27)		 −7.0
(19.4)		 0.9
(33.6)
Record low °C (°F) −29.1
(−20.4)		 −27.7
(−17.9)		 −25
(−13)		 −8.9
(16)		 −5.0
(23)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 1.8
(35.2)		 0.1
(32.2)		 −6.5
(20.3)		 −10.2
(13.6)		 −19.5
(−3.1)		 −27.6
(−17.7)		 −29.1
(−20.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 23
(0.91)		 22
(0.87)		 27
(1.06)		 48
(1.89)		 74
(2.91)		 86
(3.39)		 73
(2.87)		 65
(2.56)		 52
(2.05)		 43
(1.69)		 36
(1.42)		 27
(1.06)		 576
(22.68)
Source: World Weather,[2] NOAA (extremes)[3]

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% Romani, 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]

Landmarks

Church in Spišská Sobota
Hockey arena of the ice hockey club HK Aquacity ŠKP Poprad

The historical centre is concentrated around the St. Egidius 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. Egidius from the late 13th century.

Another historical centre near Poprad is in Spišská 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.

Modern places of interest include a new water park called AquaCity Poprad.

Government

Between 2003 and 2014, the mayor of Poprad was Anton Danko (former international ice-hockey referee). In the November 2014 municipal elections, he lost to Jozef Švagerko (KDH - Christian democrats).

Territorial division

Matejovce aerial view

The city is divided into six boroughs for the purpose of municipal administrative division:

  1. Staré Mesto ["Old Town"]
  2. Spišská Sobota
  3. Stráže
  4. Veľká
  5. Matejovce
  6. Kvetnica

Sport

Poprad currently has one ice-hockey club, HK Poprad. Lev Poprad was another ice hockey club in Poprad, who used to play in the KHL for one season but was moved to the Czech capital, Prague, in 2012. Despite successful 2013/2014 seasons, club has ended due to financial problems. There is a number of former and current hockey players in NHL who were born Poprad.[4]

There are many football stadia in Poprad, recently the stadium by AquaCity Poprad was reconstructed.

The local women's basketball club is ŽBK Whirlpool POPRAD. Their matches are played in Arena Poprad.

Education

The city's system of primary education consists of 12 public schools, and one religious primary school, enrolling in total 5,464 pupils.[5] Secondary education is represented by four grammar schools with 1,800 students,[6] three specialized high schools with 1,566 students,[7] and four vocational schools with 2,045 students (data as of 2007).[8]

Transport

Aerial view of the city with the airport

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 London.[9]

Personalities

St. Egidius Square

Twin towns – Sister cities

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Municipal Statistics". Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Archived from the original on 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
  2. ↑ "Weather Information for Poprad". July 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Poprad Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  4. ↑ LegendsofHockey.net. "NHL Legends of Hockey". Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Prehľad základných škôl v školskom roku 2006/2007" (PDF) (in Slovak). Ústav informácií a prognóz školstva. 2006. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  6. ↑ "Prehľad gymnázií v školskom roku 2006/2007" (PDF) (in Slovak). Ústav informácií a prognóz školstva. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  7. ↑ "Prehľad stredných odborných škôl v školskom roku 2006/2007" (PDF) (in Slovak). Ústav informácií a prognóz školstva. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  8. ↑ "Prehľad združených stredných škôl v školskom roku 2006/2007" (PDF) (in Slovak). Ústav informácií a prognóz školstva. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  9. ↑ http://firmy.etrend.sk/firmy-nefinancny-sektor/lietat-z-popradu-do-londyna-sa-bude-uz-za-30-eur.html

Media related to Poprad at Wikimedia Commons

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Poprad.

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