WHERE THE 49TH PARALLEL OF NORTH LATITUDE RUNS – Some reasons to visit / Slovakia

It is one of the oldest royal towns in Slovakia. First habitants came to that region already in Paleolithic period. Prešov was founded in 1132 by Blind Béla (King of Hungary). The city used to be a part of that Kingdom in the end of 11th century, and actually the city it is located in eastern Slovakia, with many beautiful buildings standing in the historical center are part of Town Monument Centre. Town fortification system, started to be built during the 14th century (well designed structure of the walls, water moats and trapdoors, remained well-preserved until now). http://slovakia.travel/en/tourist-information-centre-presov Prešov simply has pleasant, remarkable and unique atmosphere.

Parish Church of St. Nicholas, is the main dominant of the city (the church was built in Gothic style during the 14th century). Greek–Catholic St. John the Baptist Cathedral, originally a Gothic temple boat, in the 18th century was rebuilt in Baroque style in its current form. Greek-Catholic Bishop’s Palace arose from the former convent of minorities. Its history began after the reconstruction of the urban spital and almshouse to the new monastery, which received the minorities in 1671. Palace Klobušických is situated in the southern part of the square (on the eastern side of the Main Street). The palace was built in the mid of the 18th century, and valuable is mainly the floor street façade (richly decorated with beautiful stucco scenes and ornaments with the coat of the Klobušický family above the main portal). In the southern part of the square (on the eastern side of the Main Street), is embedded a block of representative urban buildings: the Black Eagle. The base of the complex, was a two-storey burgess house of Thomas Cascher (which the city bought in 1561). http://www.presov.info/

Museum Solivar, is a unique complex of technical facilities for pumping and processing salt from brine from the 17th century. To the major objects belong the well Leopold, with ceteris and smelter, cooker, salt storage, blacksmith’s workshop and the knocker. Šariš Gallery (founded in 1956, in a city rich in history and cultural traditions), belongs to the oldest regional galleries in Slovakia. Its collections are among the most valuable and interesting in Slovakia (with more than 40,000 works of art). http://www.slovakia.org/presov.htm