Kežmarok Heritage Site

€20 silver collector coin

The town of Kežmarok lies in the Poprad basin in what is now eastern Slovakia, protected by the High Tatra and Belianske Tatra mountains. It grew up around an intersection of trade routes, receiving its town charter from King Bela IV of Hungary in 1269 and becoming fortified in the 14th century. The town’s appearance reflected the impact of fires, invasions, and the expansion of its charter rights by King Sigismund in the 15th century, when the Basilica of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was rebuilt, the town hall’s foundations were laid and a low-lying castle was constructed. A fire in 1521 destroyed around 340 houses. Their restoration followed, as did the construction of a Renaissance belfry and a gymnasium school. In the 17th century, the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected. The Baroque period further enriched the town with a wooden Lutheran church, a Lutheran lyceum school and its library, the Reduta building, and a renovated town hall. In 1892 the landmark New Lutheran Church was built. The historical core of Kežmarok, encompassing the castle area and the Lutheran churches and lyceum, was declared a national heritage site in 1950 in recognition of its historical value, documenting the town’s evolution from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.