Kežmarok is the most visited town in the Spiš region. And it is worth of it. It is the second most important town in Spiš (following
Levoča). Nowadays it is a treasury of cultural monuments. Its wooden Evangelic church from the year 1717 is really unique. However, the new Evangelic church with its unusual architecture is very interesting, too. It was designed by a Danish architect, Teofil Hanssen. Close to it you can notice a building of a former Evangelic Grammar school with a large library. A famous Slovak national poet, P. O. Hviezdoslav, studied right there. A complex of buildings around the Catholic church with the oldest renaissance bell-tower in Spiš and with the buildings of a former elementary school are very impressive. The church with late-gothic vaults is a very rare architectonic historical monument. Its interior contains several gothic altars and statues. The castle of
Kežmarok was built by the Zápoľský family. Later it was used by the Thököly family. Today it is a museum. A railway station was built in the "Jugendstil" style. Prof. Alfréd Grosz, a humanist and a lover of the
High Tatras, lived in
Kežmarok for many years. Some residents decided to build a memorial devoted to him.
Other interesting towns in surroundings of
Kežmarok are:
Spišská Belá, a birth place of J. M. Petzval, an inventor of modern photographic optic - with a museum of photography and cinematography in his family house;
Ľubica and
Vrbov with thermal swimming pools. In a manor house in
Strážky you would see a very nice gallery with a large collection of Ladislav Medňanský paintings. Moreover, there is also a renaissance bell-tower and a gothic church with fresco-paintings. Tourists usually do not notice beautiful fresco paintings in the sacristy of the church in
Veľká Lomnica and the interesting interior of the church in Výborná.
Lendak,
Ždiar and
Tatranská Javorina are markedly typical "alpine" villages with characteristic architecture and folk dresses that are still used by the people in
Lendak. Inside of the local church, there is the oldest cross in Spiš and some other interesting cultural monuments.
Kežmarok is the most visited town in the Spiš region. And it is worth of it. It is the second most important town in Spiš (following
Levoča). Nowadays it is a treasury of cultural monuments. Its wooden Evangelic church from the year 1717 is really unique. However, the new Evangelic church with its unusual architecture is very interesting, too. It was designed by a Danish architect, Teofil Hanssen. Close to it you can notice a building of a former Evangelic Grammar school with a large library. A famous Slovak national poet, P. O. Hviezdoslav, studied right there. A complex of buildings around the Catholic church with the oldest renaissance bell-tower in Spiš and with the buildings of a former elementary school are very impressive. The church with late-gothic vaults is a very rare architectonic historical monument. Its interior contains several gothic altars and statues. The castle of
Kežmarok was built by the Zápoľský family. Later it was used by the Thököly family. Today it is a museum. A railway station was built in the "Jugendstil" style. Prof. Alfréd Grosz, a humanist and a lover of the
High Tatras, lived in
Kežmarok for many years. Some residents decided to build a memorial devoted to him.
