Spis is located next to another popular historic area of Slovakia, Saris. The main part of Spis today is located in Slovakia. At the same time a small area belongs to Poland (the so-called Polish Spis).
Spis travel region of Slovakia can compete in popularity with Bratislava. The only Spis Grad, which became the business card of the country, annually attracts thousands of tourists. In addition to Grad on the Spis territory there are such cities as Levocha, Kezhmarok, Spis Nova Ves, Stara Ljubovna. In each of them there are lots of interesting medieval monuments. Also there are many tiny and curious villages and townships scattered across the Spis. These places are even sometimes forgotten to mention in the standard guidebooks of Slovakia. However, in practically each of these villages you can find amazing things, whether it be two-storeyed old wooden house, water mill, or even an abandoned brewery. The places that are mentioned most frequently: Zhegra village with its unique wooden church, neo-Gothic estate in the village Strazhki, the Church of the Holy Cross in the village Paludza
In addition to the numerous historical monuments, Spis is famous for its nature. The region actually is surrounded by mountains. To the north are the famous Spis High Tatra Mountains, the most popular ski resort in Slovakia. In the south there are the Slovak Rudohorie and picturesque rocky canyons of the Slovak Paradise National Park. Landscapes and climate of Spis have led to the emergence in the local regions a set of spas, spa hotels and rehabilitation clinics. We should point out the sanatoriums on the outskirts of the national park Pieniny and the spa resort of Vyshnje Ruzhbakhi, near the Stara Ljubovna.
Today Spis is one of the territories on which in the addition to the Slovaks live several peoples, including Germans and Rusins. And the Germans today represent more than one third of the total population of the province. The reason is the massive colonization of the Slovak lands by the Germans, which began in 12 century. Then with the help of land colonization of Spis to the Germans turned the Hungarian King Bela VI. For the call of the monarch responded Baltic Germans, who began to arrive in Slovakia, found cities, and establish trade. By the mid-13 century, the first large German colonies appeared, in particular, the city of Levoca. Most of the current Germans in Spis are the descendants of immigrants from the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
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