Attractions and Places To See around Levoca - Top 16

Saints Anne and Joachim are considered the parents of the Mother of God, whose birth this church celebrates. They are thus the grandparents of Jesus, but are not mentioned by name in the biblical writings of the New Testament. An exact date, in the historical or scientific sense, is not known for the various stages in the life of the Mother of God. However, the Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God—one of Mary's numerous honorary titles—is celebrated on September 8th in many Christian denominations (Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, and Armenian).

A medieval metal pillory or cage of shame from the 16th century. The cage was used to punish minor offenses. The cage served not only to expose the accused to public disgrace, but also as a warning to others. https://www.severovychod.sk/vylet/klietka-hanby-v-levoci/

Mariánska hora is one of the oldest pilgrimage sites in eastern Slovakia. The origins of the Marian cult date back to the 13th century. The last reconstruction took place in 1906-1914, when the church acquired its current appearance. The original Gothic statue of the Virgin Mary from the second half of the 15th century remained on the main altar. The new church was consecrated by the Spiš bishop Ján Vojtaššák on July 2, 1922. There is a nice view of Levoča from the mountain. https://sk.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazilika_Nav%C5%A1t%C3%ADvenia_Panny_M%C3%A1rie_na_Mari%C3%A1nskej_hore

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the second largest castle complex in Central Europe after Prague Castle is located here, in the middle of a landscape characterized by gently rolling hills. Spiš Castle rises on a rocky travertine cone at a height of 630 meters. Its outer walls alone cover an area of 41,426 square meters. According to excavations, the chain of hills in what is now Slovakia was already inhabited in Celtic times. Spiš Castle, however, was not built until the 12th century and was used as the administrative headquarters of the Spiš landowners. In the second half of the 15th century, the new owner Stefan Zapolya converted the castle into a representative aristocratic residence. A palace, a knight's hall and a chapel were built on the four-hectare site. His son John, who later became King of Hungary, was also born in Spiš Castle. After two devastating fires, the castle was finally abandoned in the 18th century. It gradually fell into ruin and was only awakened from its deep sleep by monument conservationists in the 1970s. And the extensive work was worth it: since 1993, the Spiš Castle has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and today houses a museum.

The ancient town of Levoča, in the east of the Spiš region, is literally a cultural and historical treasure among Slovak towns with countless monuments connected to the history of this famous town. The Spiš town of Levoča (14,500 inhabitants) in eastern Slovakia at the foot of the Levočské vrchy mountains is very popular with tourists thanks to its rich history. HISTORY Spiš Levoča was first mentioned in a document from 1249 under the name Leucha. The settlement flourished thanks to its location on the Via Magna (Great Road) trade route and quickly developed into a town with many privileges. In a short time, Levoča became the main centre of the German colonisation of Spiš and in 1271 it was even made the capital of the Spiš Saxon community. However, further development led to a weakening of the community's influence and Levoča was finally declared a royal free town in 1323. The main driving force behind Levoča's development was trade, which gradually took on international dimensions. The townspeople traded with Kraków, the Hanseatic cities and even Venice. Local craftsmen produced goods not only for local needs, but also for markets and fairs in Greater Hungary and Poland. Later, Levoča became one of the main centres of the Renaissance and humanism in Greater Hungary. SIGHTS The protected urban area of Levoča is a unified complex of important cultural and historical monuments delimited by a rectangle of well-preserved town walls. The focal point of "old" Levoča is the large rectangular square. The Roman Catholic parish church of St. James from the 14th century is one of the most important sacral buildings in Slovakia. The tall, narrow tower of St. James' Church from the first half of the 19th century is the most striking feature of the city's skyline.

On August 1, 2023, the spring, which means "grey beard" in German, gushed. Sivá Brada is a travertine hill near Spišské Podhradie. A mineral spring springs up at the top, forming a small lake, with other mineral springs springing up nearby. It is currently a national nature reserve. The mound is located in the Hornádská kotlina in the sedimentary layer of the Paleogene Basin of the Central Carpathians. Like other travertine hills in the Spišské Podhradie area, Sivá Brada is a consequence of the existence of transverse faults in the eastern continuation of the Vikart ridge and faults delimiting the Branisko Mountains. Along the faults, circulating CO2-rich groundwater emerges from the underlying Mesozoic limestones in the deeper parts of the basin. The travertines date from the Holocene to recent times. The currently active mound formed several decades ago as a parasitic seep at the base of an older mound.

It is a former fortified town that has been part of the neighboring town of Spišské Podhradie (German Kirchdrauf) since 1948. The heart of the former city is the Cathedral of St. Martin. It is the cathedral church of the Zips diocese and was built between 1245 and 1273 as a three-nave basilica with two Romanesque towers.

Sivá Brada is a travertine hill near Spišské Podhradie. A mineral spring springs up on the top, forming a small lake[1], other mineral springs spring up in the vicinity. It is currently a national nature reserve (Wikipedia).