| Revision as of 22:30, 13 October 2006 editVinceB (talk | contribs)1,493 editsm moved Spiš to Szepes county: Hungarian name first, because it was part of Hungary then, and its official name was Szepes← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 17:42, 21 December 2024 edit undoRofraja (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers23,687 edits Fix bare URLs references, add title | ||
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| {{Redirect|Spis||SPIS (disambiguation)}} | |||
| {{Infobox_KoH | | |||
| {{Short description|Historical region in Slovakia and Poland}} | |||
| name = Szepes | | |||
| {{Infobox settlement | |||
| capital = Lőcse <br>] ] | | |||
| |native_name = {{lang|sk|Spiš}}, {{lang|pl|Spisz}} | |||
| area = 3654| | |||
| |settlement_type = ] | |||
| population = 172,900 | | |||
| |image_skyline = {{Photomontage | |||
| map = Szepes.png| | |||
| |color = #ffffff | |||
| present = Slovakia, Poland | |||
| |photo1a = Spiš Castle from the south in Spiš, Slovakia, 2016 June.jpg{{!}}Spiš Castle | |||
| |photo1b = Niedzica zamek1.JPG{{!}}Niedzica Castle | |||
| |photo2a = Levoča (2).jpg{{!}}Town hall in Levoča | |||
| |photo2b = Poprad centrum 01.JPG{{!}}Main square in Poprad | |||
| |spacing = 2 | |||
| |border = 0 | |||
| |size = 260 | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| |image_caption = {{hlist|From top, left to right: ]|]|Town hall in ]|]}} | |||
| |image_map = Slovakia Spis.gif | |||
| |map_caption = Spiš on the map of Slovakia | |||
| |subdivision_type = Country | |||
| |subdivision_name = {{SVK}}<br />{{POL}} | |||
| |seat_type = Largest city | |||
| |seat = ] | |||
| |timezone = ] | |||
| |utc_offset = +1 | |||
| |timezone_DST = ] | |||
| |utc_offset_DST = +2 | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Spiš''' ({{langx|pl|Spisz}} {{IPA|pl|ˈspiʂ|}}; {{langx|hu|Szepesség}} or {{lang|hu|Szepes}}; {{langx|de|Zips}} {{IPA|de|tsɪps|}}){{efn|] as ''Cips'', ''Zepus'', ''Scepus'', ''Scepusia'' or ''Scepusium''.}} is a region in north-eastern ], with a very small area in south-eastern ] (more specifically encompassing 14 villages).{{efn|], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].}} Spiš is an informal designation of the territory, but it is also the name of one of the 21 ]. The region is not an administrative division in its own right, but between the late 11th century and 1920 it was an administrative county of the ] (see separate article ] in this regard). | |||
| ==Etymology== | |||
| '''Spiš''' (-]; ]: ''Scepusium'', ]: ''Spisz'', ]: ''Zips'', ]: ''Szepes'') is the name of a historic administrative county now in north-eastern ], with a very small area in south-eastern ]. | |||
| The name is probably related to the appellative ''spiška'', ''špiška'' known from Slovak (Eastern Slovakia and ]) and Moravian dialects (]) - a (cut) stick, a piece of wood or sugar, etc. Old Slavic ''pьchjati'', ''pichjati'' - to stab, to cut → prefixed form sъ-pich-jь → after palatalization and extinction of ]s ''spiš''. Spiš probably means "a cut forest". The theory is supported also by the fact that almost all early Latin documents mention Spiš as ''silva Zepus'' (or with similar transcription) - the name of forest area.<ref name="ondrus">{{cite book |last=Ondruš|first=Šimon |title=Studia Academica Slovaca 9 |chapter=Pôvod názvov stovenských vrchov, hradov a stotíc |location=Bratislava |pages=281–282|publisher=Slovenská akadémia vied |year=1980 |language=sk}}</ref> | |||
| Another theory is a derivation from ] {{Lang|hu|szép}} – nice, beautiful → Szepes. However, according to ] this etymology is linguistically impossible. The Slovak and the Polish name could not be derived from Hungarian Szepes because the combination "consonant-e-consonant-e-consonant" is valid and common in Slovak (but also in other Slavic languages) without any need for phonetic adaptation and similar changes are not documented. On the other hand, the assumed phonetic adaptation Slavic ''Spiš'' → Hungarian ''Szepes'' depends on well known changes in the Hungarian language like vowel insertion (i.e. ] → Szelepcsény) and vowel harmonization.<ref name="ondrus"/> | |||
| Today Spiš is an informal designation of the corresponding territory (like ] or ]), but it is also the name of one the 21 official tourism regions of Slovakia. The region is no longer an administrative division in its own right. | |||
| ==Geography== | ==Geography== | ||
| The region is situated between the ] and the ] River in the north, the springs of the ] River in the west, the ] Mountains (Slovak Ore Mountains) and ] in the south, and a line running from the town of ], via the ] (under which lies the 4,822 m long ], currently the longest in Slovakia), to the town of ] in the east. The core of the Spiš region is formed by the basins of the rivers ] and ], and the ]. Throughout its history, the territory has been characterized by a large percentage of forests - in the late 19th century, as much as 42.2% of Spiš was forest. | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ==History== | |||
| Spiš county shared borders with ] and with the counties of ] (Hungarian: Liptó), ] (Gömör-Kishont), ] (Abaúj-Torna) and ] (Sáros) in the Kingdom of Hungary. After the late 18th century dismemberment of Poland, the border was with the ]n province of ]. Its area was 3,668 ] in ]. The province became part of Czechoslovakia, apart from a ], after the ], and is now part of ]. | |||
| The region is situated between the ] and the ] river in the north, the springs of the ] river in the west, the ] mountains and Hnilec river in the south, and a line running from the town of ], via the ] Mountain (under which lies a 4,822m long road tunnel, the longest in Slovakia), to the town of ] in the east. The core of the Spiš region is formed by the basins of the rivers ] and ], and the ]. Throughout its history, the territory has been characterized by a large percentage of forests - in the late ], as much as 42,2% of Spiš was forest. | |||
| ===Capitals=== | |||
| The original seat of government of Spiš county was ] which was constructed in the ]. Unofficially from the 14th century, and officially from the 16th century, until 1918 the capital of the county was ] (Hungarian: ''Lőcse'', German: ''Leutschau''). | |||
| ===Subdivisions=== | |||
| From the beginning of the 15th century, the county was subdivided into three ]. The number was changed to 4 in ]. In the 2nd half of the 19th century the number of processuses (districts) was increased. | |||
| In the early 20th century, the subdivisions of the county Szepes/Spiš were (town names first in Hungarian, then in Slovak, then in German): | |||
| {| border='1' cellpadding='5' cellspacing-'0' | |||
| |- | |||
| ! colspan=2|Districts (''járás'') ||''Urban districts (rendezett tanácsú város)'' | |||
| |- | |||
| ! District || Capital || | |||
| |- | |||
| |Gölnicbánya||Gölnicbánya, ], Göllnitz ||''Gölnicbánya, ], Göllnitz'' | |||
| |- | |||
| |Igló||Igló, ], Zipser Neudorf ||''Igló, ], Zipser Neudorf'' | |||
| |- | |||
| |Késmárk||Késmárk, ], Käsmark || ''Késmárk, ], Käsmark'' | |||
| |- | |||
| |Lőcse||Lőcse, ], Leutschau ||'' Lőcse, ], Leutschau'' | |||
| |- | |||
| |Ólubló||Ólubló, ], Lublau || | |||
| |- | |||
| |Szepesófalu||Szepesófalu, ], Zipser Altendorf || | |||
| |- | |||
| |Szepesszombat||Szepesszombat, ], Georgenburg || | |||
| |- | |||
| |Szepesváralja||Szepesváralja, ], Kirchdorf ||''Szepesváralja, ], Kirchdorf'' | |||
| |- | |||
| | || ||''Szepesbéla, ], Zipser Bela'' | |||
| |- | |||
| | || ||''Szepesolaszi, ], Wallendorf'' | |||
| |- | |||
| | || || ''Poprád, ], Deutschendorf'' | |||
| |} | |||
| ==History== | |||
| ===Early history=== | ===Early history=== | ||
| ] | |||
| Traces of settlement in the ] era have been found in remains at ] and ]. | |||
| ''The history of the region until 1920 is given in more detail at ].'' | |||
| Traces of settlement in the ] era have been found in remains at ] (Gánóc) and ] (Besenyőfalu). | |||
| The territory of the Spiš county was later populated by ] and ]. The southern part of the territory was conquered by the Kingdom of Hungary at the end of the ], when the border of the Kingdom ended near the modern town of ]. The ] of Spiš (''comitatus Scepusiensis'') was created in the 2nd half of the ]. In the ]s the border of the Kingdom of Hungary shifted to the north to ] and in ] - in the northwest - to the ] river. The northeastern region around ] and ] (the so-called "districtus Podoliensis") were incorporated only in the ]. The northern border of the county stabilized in the early ]. Around ], the royal county became a ]. | |||
| The territory of Spiš was later populated first by ]. It belonged to the state of ] (Veľká Morava), and after its dissolution became part of ]. | |||
| The subsidiary of the Hungarian Chamber (the supreme ]n financial and economy institution in ]) responsible for eastern Slovakia and adjacent territories (i.e. not only for Spiš) was called the ''Spiš Chamber'' (''Zipser Kammer'' in German). Its seat was the town of ] (sometimes ]) and it existed from 1563 to 1848. | |||
| The southern part of the territory was conquered by the ] at the end of the 11th century, when the border of the Kingdom ended near the modern town of ]. The ] of Szepes (''comitatus Scepusiensis'') was created in the 2nd half of the 12th century. In the 1250s the border of the Kingdom of Hungary shifted to the north to ] and in 1260 even further to the north (the Dunajec River). The northeastern region around ] and ], the so-called "districtus Podoliensis", was incorporated only in the 1290s. The northern border of the county stabilized in the early 14th century. Around 1300, the royal county became a noble county. | |||
| ====Counts of Spiš==== | |||
| The ] were from the following Hungarian noble families: | |||
| *] (]-]) | |||
| *] (]-]) | |||
| *] (]-]) | |||
| Many of the towns of Spiš developed from ]. The ] settlers had been invited to the territory from the mid-12th century onwards. The settlements founded by them in southern Spiš were mainly mining settlements (later towns). Consequently, until ] Spiš had a large German population (called Zipsers; see ]) who spoke ]; now, the only Zipser-speaking town is ]. Many smaller settlements were populated by settlers from Poland. | |||
| ===Sedes of the ten lance-bearers=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Until ], there was a special separate tiny county or 'Parvus comitatus', known as 'Sedes superior' (upper county) or 'Sedes X lanceatorum' (county of the ten lance-bearers), which was situated to the east of Poprad in present-day southern Spiš, and whose origin is unknown. From the ] onwards its inhabitants were known as the "guardians of the northern border." The inhabitants and names of the settlements in the county were Slovak. In 1802, when its inhabitants decided to merge the sedes with Spiš county, it included the following settlements: Abrahámovce, Betlanovce, Filice (today part of Gánovce), Hadušovce (today part of Spišské Tomášovce), Hôrka (including Kišovce, Svätý Ondrej, Primovce), Hozelec, Jánovce (including Čenčice), Komárov, Levkovce (today part of Vlková), and Machalovce (today part of Jánovce). Originally more villages were included. | |||
| In 1412, under the ], 16 towns, two castles and a number of villages in Spiš were ] to Poland by ] to finance his wars with the ] in ]. Among the towns that for 360 years belonged to Poland were: ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>Krempaska (2012), 2-5.</ref> In 1772 all were annexed by the ]. | |||
| The 'lance-bearers' were ]s. The "sedes" was a collection of non-contiguous areas, which did not constitute a continuous territory. It had an autonomous government, similar to that of normal Hungarian ], but was partly subordinated to the head of Spiš county. Until the ] its capital was Špišský Štvrtok (which interestingly was not part of the sedes territories); following this there were various capitals, and after ] the capital was Betlanovce. | |||
| In 1868, 21 Spiš settlements sent their demands, the 'Spiš Petition', to the Diet of the Kingdom of Hungary, requesting special status for ]s within the Kingdom. | |||
| ===Arrival of the Germans=== | |||
| Many of the towns of Spiš developed from German colonization of existing Slovak settlements. The German settlers had been invited to the territory from the mid-12th century onwards. The major immigration came following the devastating ] invasion of 1242, which turned Spiš, like other parts of the Kingdom of Hungary, into a largely depopulated area (some 50% of the population were lost). Subsequently, King ] invited Germans to colonize the Spiš and other regions of ], present-day ] and ]. The settlers were mostly traders and miners. The settlements founded by them in the southern Spiš were mainly mining settlements (later towns). Consequently, until ] Spiš had a large ] population (see ]). The last wave of Germans arrived in the ]. | |||
| ===Spiš after the creation of Czechoslovakia=== | |||
| In the early ], the people of Spiš created their own religious organization called the "Brotherhood of the 24 royal parish priests", which received many privileges from the local ]. It was re-established after the Tatar invasion in 1248. | |||
| In 1918 (and confirmed by the ] in 1920), the county became part of newly formed ]. A tiny part of the territory (situated in today's Poland below the ]), amounting to 195 km<sup>2</sup> after an internal border dispute had been confirmed to be part of ] (at that time the western part of ]) as early as 1902. After ] northern Spiš was united with ] and became the subject of a long-running ]. In 1923 Slovak Spiš was divided between the newly formed Sub-Tatra county (''Podtatranská župa'') and Košice county (''Коšická župa''). In 1928-1939 and 1945-1948 it was part of the newly created Slovak Land (''Slovenská krajina''). | |||
| During ], when Czechoslovakia was divided, Spiš was part of independent ], and formed the eastern part of Tatra county (''Tatranská župa'') from 1940 to 1945. Slovakia joined the Axis, and the Polish part of Spiš (together with the Polish part of the ]) was transferred to Slovakia. During the war all the ] of the area were deported or murdered. When ] forces | |||
| At the same time, the German settlements of the Hornád and Poprad basins created a special political territory with its own administration. They received collective privileges from King ] in ], which were confirmed and extended by King ] in ], because the Spiš Germans had helped him to defeat the ]s of the Kingdom of Hungary in the battle at ] in ]. The territory was granted self-government privileges similar to those of the ]. In 1317, the special territory included 43 settlements, including ] and ], which however withdrew before ]. From ] the 41 settlements of the territory subscribed to a uniform special Spiš law system (called ''Zipser Willkür'' in German). Initially, the special territory was called "Communitas (or Provincia) Saxonum de Scepus". By the mid-14th century, the territory was reduced to 24 settlements and later the name was changed to ''Provincia XXIV oppidorum terrae Scepusiensis'' in Latin (''Bund der 24 Zipser Städte'' in German ). The province was led by the ] ('']'') of Spiš elected by the town judges of the 24 towns. | |||
| approached from the east at the end of 1944, most of the ethnic Germans in Spiš fled westward, between mid-November 1944 and 21 January 1945 (see also ]). Their property was confiscated after the war (see ]). | |||
| After World War II the prewar borders of Spiš were restored, with most of the county going to Czechoslovakia, and a small part to Poland. In 1948, it became part of the newly created ] (''Košický kraj '') and ] (''Prešovský kraj''), whose borders however were completely different from those of the present-day regions of the same name. From July 1960 it became part of the newly created ] (''Východoslovenský kraj''), which ceased to exist in September 1990. | |||
| There was yet another privileged territory in the Spiš. Until ], the privileged German mining towns in southern Spiš (e.g. Gelnica, Švedlár, Mníšek nad Hnilcom, Helcmanovce, Prakovce, Vondrišel (today called Nálepkovo), Jaklovce, Margecany, Smolník, Slovinky, and Krompachy) were also exempt from the power of the Count of Spiš. | |||
| In 1993, Czechoslovakia was split and Spiš became part of ]. | |||
| ===The Pawning of Spiš towns and the Province of 16 Spiš towns=== | |||
| The Province of 24 Spiš towns was dissolved in ], when, by the ] King ], ruler of Hungary, pawned 13 of the towns of the former Province, as well the territory around the ] (i. e. the royal domain Stará Ľubovňa, plus Hniezdo and Podolínec) to ], in exchange for 60 times the amount of 37,000 of Czech ], that is, approximately 7 tonnes of pure silver. This was to enable the financing of his war against ]. Similar short-time pledges (without interest payments) were not uncommon at that time (e.g. the pawning of the ], ], the ] marches etc). The pledged towns were to be returned to the Kingdom of Hungary as soon as the loan was repaid; nobody expected the pledge would take 360 years to redeem (from ] to ]). | |||
| ==Nationalities== | |||
| The 13 main pawned settlements did not form a continuous territory. They included: | |||
| According to censuses carried out in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1869 (and later in 1900 and 1910) the population of ] comprised the following nationalities: Slovaks 50.4%, (58.2%, 58%), Germans 35% (25%, 25%), Carpatho-Rusyns 13.8% (8.4%, 8%) and 0.7% (6%, 6%) Magyars (Hungarians). | |||
| ], ], Matejovce (today in Poprad), ] (today in Poprad), Stráže pod Tatrami (today in Poprad), Veľká (today in Poprad), Ruskinovce (no longer in existence, located in the military training area Javorina near Kežmarok), Spišská Belá, ], ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| The current ethnic composition of the region, however, is much different. As mentioned above, many Jews and ethnic Germans were removed or left during World War II. | |||
| They kept their privileged status (now in respect of the ] who did not change the privileges) and created the "Province/Union of 13 Spiš towns" in ]. The remaining 11 towns of the former 24 towns, which created the "Province/Union of 11 Spiš towns" in 1412, were not able to maintain their privileges and as early as in ] they were fully incorporated into the Spiš county, i. e. they became subjects of the lords of the ]. Most of them gradually turned into simple villages and largely lost their German character. | |||
| Present-day Spiš has a number of ] settlements and Romani are a substantial minority there. | |||
| The pawned territories remained politically a part of the ] (and of its ] ]), while the economic benefit of the territories was subject during the pledge to ]. Poland also held some administrative powers in the area and was entitled to appoint a governor/administrator ('']'') for the territories, with his seat in Stará Ľubovňa, to manage them economically (especially to collect tax revenues) and to position guards at important road crossings even outside the pawned territories. One of the first Polish governors of Spiš was the famous knight ]. Due to their complex political and economic status (German towns with Slovak subjects in the Kingdom of Hungary pawned to Poland) the towns experienced an economic collapse. | |||
| There are also 40,000-48,000 ] (Slovak: ''Gorali''; literally Highlanders). Although a negligible number in census terms, they are a distinctive minority with their own culture, and speak a dialect of ] (or Slovak-Polish dialect continuum<ref>Dudášová-Kriššáková, J. ''Goralské nárečia'' Bratislava 1993</ref> by some considered a language), especially elders.<ref>Kamocki, J.; Skawiński, M. "Problemy etniczności a narodowości na przykładzie Spiszu" In ''Terra Scepusiensis. Stav badań nad dziejami Spiszu'' Gładkiewicz R., Homza M. (eds.) Wrocław: Lewocz, 2003. {{ISBN|83-88430-25-4}} pp. 707-716.</ref><ref>Trajdos, T. M. (ed.) ''Spisz i Orawa w 75. rocznicę powrotu do Polski północnych części obu ziem'' Kraków, 1995. pp. 24-37.</ref> They consider themselves as Slovaks and, in present, speak mostly Slovak language. Official Slovak 2011's census reported only 3084 Poles living in Slovakia.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://portal.statistics.sk/files/tab-10.pdf | title=Obyvateľstvo SR podľa národnosti – sčítanie 2011, 2001, 1991 | trans-title=Population of the Slovak Republic by nationality – census 2011, 2001, 1991 | language=sk | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114093710/http://portal.statistics.sk/files/tab-10.pdf |archive-date=2012-11-14 }}</ref> | |||
| Attempts of the Kingdom of Hungary to repay the debt (most notably in ], ] and ]) failed and later the will (or ability) to pay declined. After alleged mistreatment of the towns had occurred - especially by ], ], queen consort of ], and by Count ] -, ] decided to recover them by force: she took advantage of the ] in the second half of the ] and occupied the towns in ] (with the apparent consent of the then Polish king ]) without debt repayment. This act was confirmed by the ] in ]. In ] when the pawn was cancelled. In ] the 13 towns regained their privileges of ], the privileges were extended to the other 3 previously pawned towns, and this newly formed entity was named "Province of 16 Spiš towns". The capital of the province was ]. However, the privileges were gradually reduced and some 100 years later only religious and cultural rights remained. Finally, the province was dissolved altogether and incorporated into Spiš county in ]. | |||
| == Religion == | |||
| ===From the 16th to the 19th centuries=== | |||
| In Spiš are the biggest and oldest churches such as a ] and ] (]). In the year ] the biggest was church the ]. Currently, the biggest church is the ]. | |||
| {{expand}} | |||
| The Spiš region prospered not only from being situated on trade routes, but also from its natural resources of wood, agriculture and, until relatively recent times, mining. In the fifteenth century and later, iron, copper and silver were all expolited in the south of the region. Its relatrve wealth during this period, and its mixture of nationalities and religions, resulted in it becoming a major cultural centre - many schools were founded, and the town of Levoča became a major centre for printing in the 17th century. The buidlings and churches of the region's towns, and the skills of schools such as those of the carver ] testify to this affluence and culture. Until the end of the 17th century the area was often disrupted by wars, uprisings against the ]s, and epidemics (a plague of 1710/1711 killed over 20,000). But from the eighteenth century onwards, relative stability enabled faster economic development. Many craft guilds were founded and by the end of the 18th century over 500 iron mines were operative in the south. | |||
| ==Economy== | |||
| Such prosperity naturally meant that the churches paid great interest to the region. А ] ], the so-called Spiš synod, took place in Spiš in 1614. It discussed the ] organisation of the Spiš and ] counties. In the ] sphere, a separate Spiš ] was created in ] with its seat at ]. | |||
| Historically, economic activity in the region has been based principally on agriculture and forestry (formerly mining, too), which explains why Spiš belongs to the relatively poor regions of Slovakia.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} Since the late 19th century, tourism has helped the local economy, and ] and ] resorts have been built in the ] and the ], and areas such as the ] (''Slovenský raj'') in the south-west and the ] National Park at the Slovak-Polish border. Other tourist destinations include the region's historical sites like ] and nearby ], ], ] and the town of ] (all of which are listed by ] as ]), ], and ] Castle. The tourism industry has developed rapidly in Spiš, aided by the introduction of regular flights to ] Airport and improving rail and road connections.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} | |||
| ==Spiš today== | |||
| The spirit of ], growing in the nineteenth century, moved also in Spiš. In ], 21 Spiš settlements sent their demands, the 'Spiš Petition', to the Diet of the Kingdom of Hungary, requesting special status for ] within the Kingdom. | |||
| Spiš today is one of Slovakia's 21 tourist regions but, unlike its predecessor, is not an administrative region. | |||
| Since 1996, Spiš has been divided between the modern ] and ] and is covered approximately by the following six administrative districts: ], ], ], ], ] and ], except for the eastern half of the ] District that had been within Saris county and three villages of the ] district (] including Tatranská Štrba, ] and ] from ] county.) | |||
| In 1871 the railway came to Spiš and this was to have profound consequences. On the one hand, it enabled economic and industrial expansion. On the other, it bypassed the old capital of the region, Levoča, and favoured the growth of centres on its route, such as Poprad and ]. | |||
| The present population of the Spiš region is about 320,000; almost half the population lives in towns, the largest of which are ] (55,000), ] (39,000) and ] (17,000). | |||
| ===Spiš after the creation of Czechoslovakia=== | |||
| In ] (confirmed by the ] ]), the county became part of newly formed ]. A tiny part of the territory (situated in today's Poland below the ]), amonuting to 195 ] had become part of ] (at that time the western part of ]) as early as in ]. This territory was annexed by ] and became the subject of a long-running border dispute between Poland and Czechoslovakia. (See separate article, ]). In 1923 Slovak Spiš was divided between the newly formed Sub-Tatra county (''Podtatranská župa'') and Košice county (''Коšická župa''). In 1928-1939 and 1945-1948 it was part of the newly created Slovak Land (''Slovenská krajina''). | |||
| ==Sources== | |||
| During ], when ] was split temporarily, Spiš was part of independent ] and formed the eastern part of the Tatra county ('' Tatranská župa'') between 1940 and 1945. During this period many thousands of ] residents of Spiš were deported to Nazi ], and the long-standing presence of Jews in the region came to an end. At the end of WWII, most of the Spiš Germans were evacuated between mid-November 1944 and ] ] in order to escape the ] approaching from the East (see also ]). | |||
| * Krempaská, Zuzana, ''Sixteen Scepus Towns from 1412 to 1876'', Spišska Nova Vés: Spiš Museum. {{ISBN|9788085173062}} | |||
| After ] Spiš county was in ] again. In ], it became part of the newly created ] (''Košický kraj '') and Prešov Region (''Prešovský kraj ''), whose borders however were completely different from those of the present-day regions of the same name. From July ] it became part of the newly created ] (''Východoslovenský kraj''), which ceased to exist in September 1990. | |||
| In ], ] was split and Spiš became part of ]. | |||
| ==Nationalities== | |||
| According to censuses carried out in the ] in 1869 (and later in 1900 and 1910) the population of Spiš county comprised the following nationalities: Slovaks 50.4%, (58.2%, 58%), Germans 35% (25%, 25%), Ruthenians/Ukrainians 13.8% (8.4%, 8%) and 0.7% (6%, 6%) Magyars (Hungarians). Hardly any Hungarians lived in the territory during the existence of the Kingdom of Hungary. The sudden increase after 1869 is due to statistical interpretation (use of "most frequently used language" as criterion) and extensive ] which entailed assimilation, especially of Germans. The figures thus do not make clear how Jews were categorised, but their numbers must have been substantial as many of the towns had synagogues (one survives in ]) and Jewish cemeteries still survive in Kežmarok, Levoča and elsewhere. | |||
| The present breakdown of population in the region would however be very different. The Germans were effectively deported in the years following World War II. As mentioned above, virtually all the local Jews were deported to extermination camps during the ]. | |||
| Present day Spiš has a number of ] settlements and the Roma people are a substantial minority of the region's population. | |||
| There is also a very small minority of ] (Slovak: ''Gorali''; literally Highlanders). Although a negligible number in census terms, the Gorals have their own distinctive culture and dialect. | |||
| ==Economy== | |||
| Historically economic activity in the region has been principally based on agriculture (and in former times mining) and it remains one of the relatively poorer regions of Slovakia. However tourism has always been an asset, with the ] and the ] in the ] and ], areas of natural beauty such as the ] (''Slovenský raj'') in the southwest and ] at the Slovak-Polish border, and the region's many historic sites. These include ] and the nearby sites of ], ] and ] (all of which are listed by ] as ]), the town of ] and ] Castle. The tourism industry is now developing swiftly, aided by the introduction of international flights to the airport at ] and improving rail and road connections. | |||
| ==Spiš today== | |||
| Spiš today is one of Slovakia's 21 tourist regions. It no longer however represents, as did its predecessor, an administrative region. | |||
| == Notes == | |||
| Since ], Spiš has been divided between the modern ] and ] and is covered approximately by the following six administrative districts: ], ], ], ], ] and ], except for the eastern half of the ] District and three villages of the ] district (Štrba including Tatranská Štrba, Štrbské Pleso and Liptovská Teplička from ] county.) | |||
| {{notelist}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| The present population of the Spiš region is about 320,000; almost half the population lives in towns, the largest of which are ] (55,000), and ] (39,000). | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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Latest revision as of 17:42, 21 December 2024
"Spis" redirects here. For other uses, see SPIS (disambiguation). Historical region in Slovakia and Poland Historical region| Spiš Spiš, Spisz | |
|---|---|
| Historical region | |
  .jpg) 
| |
 Spiš on the map of Slovakia | |
| Country |  Slovakia Poland |
| Largest city | Poprad |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Spiš (Polish: Spisz [ˈspiʂ]; Hungarian: Szepesség or Szepes; German: Zips [tsɪps]) is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland (more specifically encompassing 14 villages). Spiš is an informal designation of the territory, but it is also the name of one of the 21 official tourism regions of Slovakia. The region is not an administrative division in its own right, but between the late 11th century and 1920 it was an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary (see separate article Szepes County in this regard).
Etymology
The name is probably related to the appellative spiška, špiška known from Slovak (Eastern Slovakia and Orava) and Moravian dialects (Haná) - a (cut) stick, a piece of wood or sugar, etc. Old Slavic pьchjati, pichjati - to stab, to cut → prefixed form sъ-pich-jь → after palatalization and extinction of yers spiš. Spiš probably means "a cut forest". The theory is supported also by the fact that almost all early Latin documents mention Spiš as silva Zepus (or with similar transcription) - the name of forest area.
Another theory is a derivation from Hungarian szép – nice, beautiful → Szepes. However, according to Šimon Ondruš this etymology is linguistically impossible. The Slovak and the Polish name could not be derived from Hungarian Szepes because the combination "consonant-e-consonant-e-consonant" is valid and common in Slovak (but also in other Slavic languages) without any need for phonetic adaptation and similar changes are not documented. On the other hand, the assumed phonetic adaptation Slavic Spiš → Hungarian Szepes depends on well known changes in the Hungarian language like vowel insertion (i.e. Slepčany → Szelepcsény) and vowel harmonization.
Geography
The region is situated between the High Tatras and the Dunajec River in the north, the springs of the Váh River in the west, the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains (Slovak Ore Mountains) and Hnilec River in the south, and a line running from the town of Stará Ľubovňa, via the Branisko mountain (under which lies the 4,822 m long Branisko Tunnel, currently the longest in Slovakia), to the town of Margecany in the east. The core of the Spiš region is formed by the basins of the rivers Hornád and Poprad, and the High Tatra Mountains. Throughout its history, the territory has been characterized by a large percentage of forests - in the late 19th century, as much as 42.2% of Spiš was forest.
History
Early history
The history of the region until 1920 is given in more detail at Szepes County.
Traces of settlement in the Neanderthal era have been found in remains at Gánovce (Gánóc) and Bešeňová (Besenyőfalu).
The territory of Spiš was later populated first by Celts. It belonged to the state of Great Moravia (Veľká Morava), and after its dissolution became part of Poland.
The southern part of the territory was conquered by the Kingdom of Hungary at the end of the 11th century, when the border of the Kingdom ended near the modern town of Kežmarok. The royal county of Szepes (comitatus Scepusiensis) was created in the 2nd half of the 12th century. In the 1250s the border of the Kingdom of Hungary shifted to the north to Podolínec and in 1260 even further to the north (the Dunajec River). The northeastern region around Hniezdne and Stará Ľubovňa, the so-called "districtus Podoliensis", was incorporated only in the 1290s. The northern border of the county stabilized in the early 14th century. Around 1300, the royal county became a noble county.
Many of the towns of Spiš developed from German colonization. The German settlers had been invited to the territory from the mid-12th century onwards. The settlements founded by them in southern Spiš were mainly mining settlements (later towns). Consequently, until World War II Spiš had a large German population (called Zipsers; see Carpathian Germans) who spoke Zipser German; now, the only Zipser-speaking town is Chmeľnica (Hopgarten). Many smaller settlements were populated by settlers from Poland.
Poland
Hungary
In 1412, under the Treaty of Lubowla, 16 towns, two castles and a number of villages in Spiš were pawned to Poland by Sigismund of Luxembourg to finance his wars with the Republic of Venice in Dalmatia. Among the towns that for 360 years belonged to Poland were: Stará Ľubovňa, Podolínec, Spišská Sobota, Poprad and Spišská Nová Ves. In 1772 all were annexed by the Habsburg monarchy.
In 1868, 21 Spiš settlements sent their demands, the 'Spiš Petition', to the Diet of the Kingdom of Hungary, requesting special status for Slovaks within the Kingdom.
Spiš after the creation of Czechoslovakia
In 1918 (and confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon in 1920), the county became part of newly formed Czechoslovakia. A tiny part of the territory (situated in today's Poland below the Rysy), amounting to 195 km after an internal border dispute had been confirmed to be part of Galicia (Central Europe) (at that time the western part of Austria-Hungary) as early as 1902. After World War I northern Spiš was united with Poland and became the subject of a long-running border dispute between Poland and Czechoslovakia. In 1923 Slovak Spiš was divided between the newly formed Sub-Tatra county (Podtatranská župa) and Košice county (Коšická župa). In 1928-1939 and 1945-1948 it was part of the newly created Slovak Land (Slovenská krajina).
During World War II, when Czechoslovakia was divided, Spiš was part of independent Slovakia, and formed the eastern part of Tatra county (Tatranská župa) from 1940 to 1945. Slovakia joined the Axis, and the Polish part of Spiš (together with the Polish part of the county of Orava) was transferred to Slovakia. During the war all the Jews of the area were deported or murdered. When Soviet forces approached from the east at the end of 1944, most of the ethnic Germans in Spiš fled westward, between mid-November 1944 and 21 January 1945 (see also Carpathian Germans). Their property was confiscated after the war (see Beneš decrees).
After World War II the prewar borders of Spiš were restored, with most of the county going to Czechoslovakia, and a small part to Poland. In 1948, it became part of the newly created Košice Region (Košický kraj ) and Prešov Region (Prešovský kraj), whose borders however were completely different from those of the present-day regions of the same name. From July 1960 it became part of the newly created Eastern Slovak region (Východoslovenský kraj), which ceased to exist in September 1990.
In 1993, Czechoslovakia was split and Spiš became part of Slovakia.
Nationalities
According to censuses carried out in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1869 (and later in 1900 and 1910) the population of Szepes county comprised the following nationalities: Slovaks 50.4%, (58.2%, 58%), Germans 35% (25%, 25%), Carpatho-Rusyns 13.8% (8.4%, 8%) and 0.7% (6%, 6%) Magyars (Hungarians).
The current ethnic composition of the region, however, is much different. As mentioned above, many Jews and ethnic Germans were removed or left during World War II.
Present-day Spiš has a number of Romani settlements and Romani are a substantial minority there.
There are also 40,000-48,000 Gorals (Slovak: Gorali; literally Highlanders). Although a negligible number in census terms, they are a distinctive minority with their own culture, and speak a dialect of Polish (or Slovak-Polish dialect continuum by some considered a language), especially elders. They consider themselves as Slovaks and, in present, speak mostly Slovak language. Official Slovak 2011's census reported only 3084 Poles living in Slovakia.
Religion
In Spiš are the biggest and oldest churches such as a Roman Catholic Church and Evangelical Church of Augsburg Confession (Lutherans). In the year 1600 the biggest was church the Evangelical Church. Currently, the biggest church is the Roman Catholic Church.
Economy
Historically, economic activity in the region has been based principally on agriculture and forestry (formerly mining, too), which explains why Spiš belongs to the relatively poor regions of Slovakia. Since the late 19th century, tourism has helped the local economy, and sanatoria and winter sports resorts have been built in the High Tatras and the Low Tatras, and areas such as the Slovak Paradise (Slovenský raj) in the south-west and the Pieniny National Park at the Slovak-Polish border. Other tourist destinations include the region's historical sites like Spiš Castle and nearby Spišské Podhradie, Spišská Kapitula, Žehra and the town of Levoča (all of which are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites), Kežmarok, and Stará Ľubovňa Castle. The tourism industry has developed rapidly in Spiš, aided by the introduction of regular flights to Poprad Airport and improving rail and road connections.
Spiš today
Spiš today is one of Slovakia's 21 tourist regions but, unlike its predecessor, is not an administrative region.
Since 1996, Spiš has been divided between the modern Košice Region and Prešov Region and is covered approximately by the following six administrative districts: Poprad, Kežmarok, Stará Ľubovňa, Spišská Nová Ves, Levoča and Gelnica, except for the eastern half of the Stará Ľubovňa District that had been within Saris county and three villages of the Poprad district (Štrba including Tatranská Štrba, Štrbské Pleso and Liptovská Teplička from Liptov county.)
The present population of the Spiš region is about 320,000; almost half the population lives in towns, the largest of which are Poprad (55,000), Spišská Nová Ves (39,000) and Kežmarok (17,000).
Sources
- Krempaská, Zuzana, Sixteen Scepus Towns from 1412 to 1876, Spišska Nova Vés: Spiš Museum. ISBN 9788085173062
Notes
- Latinized as Cips, Zepus, Scepus, Scepusia or Scepusium.
- Czarna Góra, Dursztyn, Falsztyn, Frydman, Jurgów, Kacwin, Krempachy, Łapszanka, Łapsze Niżne, Łapsze Wyżne, Niedzica, Nowa Biała, Rzepiska and Trybsz.
References
- ^ Ondruš, Šimon (1980). "Pôvod názvov stovenských vrchov, hradov a stotíc". Studia Academica Slovaca 9 (in Slovak). Bratislava: Slovenská akadémia vied. pp. 281–282.
- Krempaska (2012), 2-5.
- Dudášová-Kriššáková, J. Goralské nárečia Bratislava 1993
- Kamocki, J.; Skawiński, M. "Problemy etniczności a narodowości na przykładzie Spiszu" In Terra Scepusiensis. Stav badań nad dziejami Spiszu Gładkiewicz R., Homza M. (eds.) Wrocław: Lewocz, 2003. ISBN 83-88430-25-4 pp. 707-716.
- Trajdos, T. M. (ed.) Spisz i Orawa w 75. rocznicę powrotu do Polski północnych części obu ziem Kraków, 1995. pp. 24-37.
- "Obyvateľstvo SR podľa národnosti – sčítanie 2011, 2001, 1991" [Population of the Slovak Republic by nationality – census 2011, 2001, 1991] (PDF) (in Slovak). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-14.
External links
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