| Twenty-five kilometres east of Poprad across the broad sweep of Spis
countryside, the ravishingly beautiful walled town of LEVOCA (Leutschau),
set on a slight incline, makes a wonderfully medieval impression, and is
very much a Gothic and Renaissance haven. The Euclidian efficiency with
which the old town is laid out means you'll inevitably end up at the
main square, námestie Majstra Pavla . To the north is the square's least
distinguished but most important building, the municipal weigh-house; a
law of 1321 obliged every merchant passing through the region to hole up
at Levoca for fourteen days, pay various taxes and allow the locals
first refusal on their goods.
Of the three freestanding buildings on the main square paid for with
these riches, it's the Catholic church of sv Jakub that has the most
valuable booty; the church is only opened for tour parties at a charge
of 40Sk, though you can usually tag onto whatever group is struggling to
get in or out. Every nook and cranny is crammed with religious art, the
star attraction being the magnificent sixteenth-century wooden
altarpiece by Master Pavol of Levoca, which, at 18.6m, is reputedly the
tallest of its kind in the world. A small museum (Tues-Sun 9am-5pm)
dedicated to Master Pavol stands opposite the church on the eastern side
of the square. South of the church is the town hall or radnica (Tues-Sun
9am-5pm), built in a sturdy Renaissance style. On the first floor,
there's a museum on the Spis region, and some fine examples of Spis
handicrafts on the top floor. The third building in the centre of the
square is the oddly squat Lutheran Church , built in an uncompromisingly
Neoclassical style.
You can get to Levoca by train from Poprad, but you must change at
Spisská Nová Ves - much easier to take a bus from either Poprad, Presov
or Kosice. The train and bus stations are southeast of the old town.
Outside the annual pilgrimage in early July, accommodation shouldn't be
hard to find; the helpful tourist office (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun
9am-1.30pm; tel 0966/451 3763, www.levoca.sk ) in the northwest corner
of the square can book private rooms. Best choice is the decidedly
comfortable Hotel Barbakan at Kosická 15 (tel 0966/451 4310;
Ł10-15/$16-24), which includes a buffet breakfast in the price and rents
out bikes. Alternatively, there's the Penzion pri Kosickej bráne (tel
0966/451 2879; under Ł5/$8) and the Hotel Arkada (tel 0966/4512 255,
arkada@stonline.sk ; Ł10-15/$16-24), both on the main square; the
campsite (tel 0966/2701; open year-round) is a three-kilometre walk
north of Levoca. Authentic Slovak pub food can be had from U Janusa ,
Klástorská 22, and from the atmospheric U troch apostolov , above a
butcher's, on the east side of the main square, while more upmarket fare
can be sampled at the Restaurácia Biela Pani on the south side. There's
a self-service vegetarian restaurant, Vegeterián , at Uholná 3,
northwest of the main square, and the Pizzeria Bella Fonte is on the
next street (follow the signpost).
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