Levo?a : Slovakia
Levo?a (Hungarian: L?cse, German: Leutschau) is a town in the Spi region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,000. The town has a historic center with a well-preserved town wall, a Renaissance church with a unique wooden altar by Master Paul of Levoca, and many other Renaissance buildings.
Within the administrative division of Slovakia, Levo?a is a seat of a district (okres), and belongs to the Presov Region (Preovsk kraj).
Geography
Levo?a is located at 49 2? 0? N 20 36? 0? E 5 at an altitude of 571 meters.
History
The region was inhabited as early as in the Stone Age. After the Mongol invasions of 1241/1242, the area was settled by German colonists, the Carpathian Germans. The oldest written reference to Levo?a dates back to 1249. In 1317, Levo?a received the status of a free royal town. In the 15th century the town, located on an intersection of trade routes, became a rich centre of commerce. The town kept this status until the end of 16th century, in spite of two damaging fires in 1550 and 1599. In this period of prosperity several churches were built and the town had a school, library, pharmacy and physicians. There was a printing press in Levo?a since 1624. Levo?a was a centre of the Protestant Reformation in Slovakia. The town started to decline during the anti-Habsburg uprisings in the 17th century. The economic importance of the town was further diminished in 1871 when a new important railway line was built, bypassing Levo?a and leading through the nearby town of Spisk Nov Ves.
On July 3, 1995 Levo?a was visited by Pope John Paul II. He celebrated a mass for 650,000 at the traditional pilgrim site of Marinska hora just outside the town.
