Coat of arms of Prešov

(Slovak: Prešov pronunciation: [ˈpɛsəv], German: Eperies or Preschau, Latin: Fragopolis or Eperiessinum) is a city in eastern Slovakia, the third most populous settlement in the country. It is the seat of the Prešov District (the most populous and second largest district in Slovakia) and the Prešov District. It also includes the towns of Alsósebes, Németsóvár, Savanyúvíz, Sebessalgó, Sóbánya and Tótsóvár.

Coat of arms

The current coat of arms of Prešov is the same as the first coat of arms, which was donated by King Ladislaus V in 1453.

Location

It is located 33 km north of Košice, in the northern part of the Košice Basin, on the banks of the Tarca River. The river flows through a narrow valley between the Dúbrava and Bikoš mountains from the Šarišské podolie. The deepest point in the river’s floodplain is 229 m, the highest point is Malkovská hôrka in the Šarišská vrchovina with an altitude of 480 m above sea level; the city center (St. Nicholas’ Co-Cathedral) is located at 255 m.

The city area is rich in mineral springs. The springs in the southwestern part of the area are significant – Borkut, Popík, Malý Borkut – which are weakly mineralized, calcium-magnesium-containing waters with a water flow of 1 l/s. In the area of Ceméte (wd) (Cemjata) there is Kvašná voda (9 l/s) carbonated calcium-magnesium-containing water. In the area of Išľa(wd) (part of Alsósebes) and Tótsóvár (Solivar), waters containing sodium chloride erupt; the Išla springs were previously used for balneological purposes.

The average annual temperature is 8.6 °C. The warmest month is July with an average temperature of 19.5, and the coldest is January with an average temperature of -3.5 °C. The average annual cloudiness is 65%, highest in December and lowest in September. The average number of hours of sunshine per year is 1956 hours; highest in July (268 hours), lowest in December (43 hours). The average annual precipitation is 631 mm; most precipitation falls in summer (July–August), and least in February–March. The number of snowy days is 30–42.

Origin of its name

The name comes from the Hungarian word for strawberry, which refers to a place where many strawberries grow.

History

Finds have been found in the vicinity of the city from the Middle Paleolithic (80,000–40,000 BC) and the Hallstatt culture.

Middle Ages

A Slavic settlement stood on its site as early as the 8th century.

According to legend, today’s Prešov was founded by Béla II (the Blind) in 1132 and named after the strawberries typical of the area. The city’s coat of arms shows three red roses on a silver field at the top, with two red and two silver stripes running crosswise below. The flag also features two red and two silver stripes alternating. Flemish settlers arrived in the city under Géza II. The first written mention of Prešov dates back to 1233, and it is mentioned again in 1247, both times as Epuryes. The 13th century, especially after the Tatar invasion (1241), was a period of German settlement, primarily in the Spiš region, but also in Prešov, whose main attraction was the meeting of the trade routes between Abaúj and Spiš, and between Poland and Halicsközött. The settlement of the Germans accelerated the urbanization of the settlement. In 1288, the Carmelites founded a monastery here. In 1299, under Andrew III, it received city rights.

The 14th–15th centuries were a period of economic prosperity. Numerous guilds were founded (e.g. furriers, blacksmiths, tailors, shoemakers), and about two thousand people were engaged in crafts in the city. King Charles Robert surrounded it with a wall in 1312; in 1324 he granted it free judicial rights. In 1347 it was granted duty-free status and in 1474 Buda town rights. Its independence is characterised by the fact that it was one of the towns of the Tárnok. In 1395, the Hungarian army led by Chancellor János Kanizsai and Palatine Leusták Ilsvai stopped the army of the Polish King Władysław II. In 1435 it was exempted from the crown’s weekly fair duty. The flourishing town was ravaged by the Poles in 1441. It received its first town coat of arms from Władysław V in 1455, and from then on it could also hold a national fair. In 1514 Władysław II elevated it to a free royal town. The boom was also reflected in the townscape: in the 15th century a row of elegant townhouses was built.

Early Modern Age

It flourished in the 16th century. It became one of the centres of the Reformation. In 1531, the city’s school was transformed into an Evangelical institute. At the beginning of the 17th century, the army of Basta and Belgioioso ravaged the city. In 1656, a printing press was already operating in the city, and in 1667 the Evangelical college was opened. In 1672, it was besieged by the troops of Imre Thököly, and a year later by the marauders of Count Wolkra. In 1673, Leopold I deprived it of its city rights and had its walls demolished. From then on, the city’s freedom ceased.

In 1683, it repelled a Polish attack. On September 17, 1684, General Schulz defeated the Kuruc camp near the city, and after a seven-week siege, he occupied the city by agreement, then broke his word. In 1687, General Antonio Caraffa committed atrocities in the city: he tortured more than 300 people and publicly executed 24 wealthy citizens in order to seize their wealth. Then, in 1696, a fire devastated the city. In 1701, after being captured by Imperial General Solari in the Sáros Castle, Ferenc II Rákóczi was guarded in Prešov before being imprisoned.