The town of Spišské Podhradie had been an actual extramural settlement of the Spiš Castle in the 12th century.
Spišské Podhradie is now a small town of about 3800 inhabitants. In the past, however, it was one of the most developed towns of the Spiš region. The town was established as an extramural settlement. Although the first written mention of it comes from the year 1249, the site is much older. It benefited from its position beneath the Castle, its residents rendered all sorts of services to the Castle. The city ground plan reached its completion toward the end of the 15th century, when its form was given by the roads leading past the Castle Hill.
Spišské Podhradie is located west of the historical landmark of the whole region - the Spiš Castle. Accessibility to this site is facilitated by the D1 motorway. As far as the self-governing landscape arrangement is concerned, the curiosity is that the Spiš Castle belongs to the territory of the Košice Self-governing Region, but Podhradie already lies in the territory of the Prešov region. Nevertheless, they form a natural whole, which is indivisible from the viewpoint of history.
Crafts were flourishing in the city, the most famous of craftsmen having been its butchers.
The Irregular square is beautified by well preserved burgher houses showing the Gothic-Renaissance architectural handwriting, typical of them being subways with large gates. Crafts were flourishing in the city, the most famous of craftsmen having been its butchers. Although no Jews live in Spišské Podhradie nowadays, they created there a fairly large community just before World War II. That phase of the history is witnessed by the Jewish cemetery beyond the city and the synagogue in the heart of the city. The synagogue with Moorish elements, which served the small Orthodox community, was built around the year 1875. Currently it is open to the public.
View to Spišské Podhradie from the Spiš Castle.
The town of Spišské Podhradie had been an actual extramural settlement of the Spiš Castle in the 12th century, but in the following century it developed into a separate and independent town. The renowned Spiš sausages had been produced in Spišské Podhradie, which were characterised by an extraordinary quality, and so no surprise then that until the World War I they had been delivered on a daily basis in the hotels and restaurants in Budapest, where they had been served as a specialty. In the past, there were a number of guilds with their own Guild Articles in operation in Spišské Podhradie, with the most famous craftsmen in the town having been cloth makers, dyers, and boot makers.
Sivá Brada - Below the Hill, you can tap some mineral water into bottles, free of any additives, made by nature.
The travertine Hill known as Sivá Brada (the Grey Beard) is no doubt an interesting place to visit in the vicinity of Spišské Podhradie. A few decades ago, the gusher here was spewing water up to a height of two metres, but this is no longer the case due to a decreased pressure. Nevertheless, the water flows out onto the surface in the form of an effervescing pond on both sides of the Hill. On the top of the Sivá Brada, a Baroque Chapel of the Holy Cross protrudes, which has been standing here alone from the year 1675.
In Spišské Podhradie is also worth to visit local - falconry.
We may also find an interesting attraction in Spišské Podhradie, which you definitely need to see – a falconry – the only station of its kind in the whole of Eastern Slovakia.There we can get to know the lives of predators living in Slovakia and abroad, such as eagles, falcons, buzzards, owls, but also the Black Raven or Mexican Hawk. Definitely not just child visitors would appreciate the show of interplay of hawkers with the birds.
The town of Spišské Podhradie had been an actual extramural settlement of the Spiš Castle.
Spišské Podhradie is situated in a valley between two of the four medieval centres of the Spiš region, the Spiš Castle and the Spiš Chapter. Along with them, and the Church of the Holy Spirit in Žehra, the town of Spišské Podhradie has been included in the UNESCO List of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage from the year 1993.
