Bardejov

Coordinates: 49°17′36″N 21°16′34″E / 49.29333°N 21.27611°E / 49.29333; 21.27611
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Bardejov
Town
From the top, The Town Hall Square (Radničné námestie) in Bardejov, The Old City Walls, Basilica of St Giles
UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
085 01[2]
Area code+421 54[2]
Car plateBJ
Websitewww.bardejov.sk
Official nameBardejov Town Conservation Reserve
Criteriaiii, iv
Reference973
Inscription2000 (24th Session)

Bardejov (pronunciation; Hungarian: Bártfa, German: Bartfeld, Rusyn: Бардеёв, Ukrainian: Бардіїв, Polish: Bardejów) is a town in North-Eastern Slovakia. It is situated in the Šariš region on a floodplain terrace of the Topľa River, in the hills of the Beskyd Mountains. It exhibits numerous cultural monuments in its completely intact medieval town center. The town is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites and currently maintains a population of about 32,000 inhabitants.

Etymology

According to one theory, the name town comes from the Hungarian word "bárd" (English: 'chopper, hatchet'), which indicated an amount of forested territory which could be chopped down by one man in one day. In the Hungarian name (Bártfa), the "fa" (English: "tree") suffix came later, and it also changed the last letter of "bárd" to "bárt", for easier pronunciation. [4]

Another theory derives the name from a Christian personal name Barděj, Barduj (abbreviated forms of Bartholomew) with common Slavic possessive suffix -ov. This theory is supported by the first recorded form of the name – Bardujef (1241). The motivation by the personal name is supported also by the presence of the suffix preserved in later Polish or Slovak sources.[5]

History

Ta tak vam povim ze nevim ale ma poverili na urade ze tu mam daco napisac ta pisem bo na mna kuka cetka krivo ze nic nerobim ta nechajce to tak dajte mi odporucenie bo me vyrucia diky moc.

More tu kukaj na teho jak vyzera jak huba dajaka zigi palfy ej King Sigismund of Hungary and Croatia, who was later on crowned as King of Germany, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor.[6][7]

The town's golden age ended in the 16th century, when several wars, pandemics, and other disasters plagued the country.

Beginning in the first quarter of the 18th century, the situation began to improve. Slovaks and Hasidic Jews came into Bártfa in large numbers. By the end of the century, the population of the town had regained the level of the 16th century.[8] The burghers' houses were rebuilt or modified in keeping with current architectural fashion. A Jewish quarter with a synagogue, slaughterhouse, and ritual baths developed in the north-western suburbs. New churches and bridges were built, as well.

During the Reformation, Michal Radašin was called as town pastor.

Despite further fires in the last quarter of the 19th century, the town continued to thrive, thanks to major industrialization projects in the region. In 1893, a railway was opened connecting Eperjes to Bártfa.

Soviet troops of the 1st Guards Army
on 20 January 1945.

In 1950, Bardejov was declared a protected city core and extensive restoration of its cultural heritage began. These efforts culminated in Bardejov receiving the European Gold Medal by the International Board of Trustees in Hamburg in 1986 – the first town in Czechoslovakia to receive the award.[10] On November 20, 2000, Bardejov was selected by UNESCO as one of its World Heritage Sites, recognized for its Jewish Suburbia and historic town center. In November 2010, the city marked the 10th anniversary of its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Today, Bardejov is known mainly for its authentic old town square, which due to extensive restoration and preservation of its Medieval, Renaissance, and Gothic architecture has made Bardejov a popular tourist destination. The town draws on its rich heritage to further develop cultural traditions, such as an annual trade fair and the Roland Games (commemorating its medieval past).[10]

Like many European small towns, Bardejov maintained a strong Jewish population before

Holocaust.[citation needed
]

In March 2006, the Bardejov Jewish Preservation Committee was founded as a non-profit organization by Emil Fish, a survivor of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp who was born in Bardejov.[11] In July 2005, Mr. Fish returned to Bardejov with his wife and son for the first time since 1949. His response to the disrepair and dilapidation of the synagogues and the Jewish cemetery was a resolve to restore and preserve these properties. The committee is composed of Bardejov survivors, their descendants and friends, and others interested in commemorating the vanishing Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. Today, the committee's stated mission is to: "restore the Jewish properties of Bardejov, Slovakia"; "build awareness of the cultural and historical significance of Jewish life in Bardejov and Slovakia"; and "advance knowledge of Jewish ancestry and heritage."[12]

In Popular Culture

In 2024, Bardejov, a movie about events that occurred during the Holocaust was released.[13]

Landmarks

Central square with the Church of St. Aegidius

Bardejov is dominated by the monumental Church of St. Aegidius (Giles), mentioned for the first time in 1247. A three nave basilica with multiple chapels was completed in 1464.[14] It hosts eleven precious Gothic winged altars with panel paintings. The central square (Slovak: Radničné námestie), which used to be the town's medieval marketplace, is surrounded by well-preserved Gothic and Renaissance burghers’ houses as well as the basilica.

The Church of St. Aegidius (Giles) was built by James of Polish Sącz. He is the teacher of Master Paul of Levoča who built the tallest wooden altar in the world. The church has many altars.[15]

One of the most interesting buildings is the town hall, built in 1505. The lower part was built in the

Šariš Museum Bardejov, one of the oldest and the biggest museums in Slovakia.[16]

The fortification system and town walls date from the 14th and 15th centuries and are listed by the European Fund of

Cultural Heritage
as one of the most elaborate and best preserved medieval fortifications in Slovakia.

Altar is Saris Village Church, Bardejov 2022

About 2.5 km (1.6 mi) north of Bardejov is the

oblátky.[18]

Sport

HC 46 Bardejov was the town's historic ice hockey team; they folded in 2016, HK Bardejov founded the same year as a phoenix club continue the club's hockey legacy.

Partizán Bardejov is the town's professional football team, who play at the local Municipal Stadium. The clubs' successful women's side folded 2012.

Administrative divisions

The town consists of the following boroughs:

  • Bardejov
  • Bardejovská Nová Ves
  • Bardejovská Zábava
  • Bardejovské Kúpele (local spa town)
  • Dlhá Lúka (annexed in 1971)
  • Mihaľov

Demographics

Bardejov has a population of 33,020 (as of December 31, 2010). According to the 2001

Roman Catholics, 16.9% Greek Catholics, 7.6% Lutherans and 4.3% Eastern Orthodox.[19]

By the 1910 census, it had 2,571 Slovak, 2,179 Hungarian and 1,617 German inhabitants.

Jews lived in the town for about 300 years. By the 1920s Jews made up 34% of the total population of Bardejov. In 1942, when

Nazi Germany, more than 3,000 Jews from Bardejov were deported to concentration camps, where most were murdered. Bardejov is now a "town without Jews."[20]
The town was the northeast[clarification needed] Hungarian majority settlement until the Ottoman wars near the Polish border.

Panorama of Bardejov, summer 2008

Notable people

  • Kéler Béla (1820-1882) – Hungarian composer famous in his time, best known for Erinnerung an Bartfeld csárdás
  • Radoslav Rochallyi (born 1980) – writer
  • Jack Garfein (grew up in Bardejov in the 30s and early 40s) – film director
  • Morris D. Waldman (1879–1963) – rabbi and social worker, born in Bardejov

Twin towns – sister cities

Bardejov is twinned with:[21][22]

See also

References

  1. ^ Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (www.statistics.sk). "Hustota obyvateľstva - obce". www.statistics.sk. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  2. ^ a b c d "Základná charakteristika". statistics.sk (in Slovak). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  3. ^ Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (www.statistics.sk). "Počet obyvateľov podľa pohlavia - obce (ročne)". www.statistics.sk. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  4. (PDF) on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  5. ^ "Bitwa pod Bardiowem czyli o węgierskim sojuszniku Krzyżaków". Chwała Zapomniana (in Polish). 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  6. ^ "Nieznana bitwa słynnej wojny - Uważam Rze Historia". historia.uwazamrze.pl (in Polish). 20 August 2014. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  7. ^ "Travel Guide — Bardejov". Retrieved 2012-05-13.
  8. ^ "História mesta Bardejov". www.e-bardejov.sk.
  9. ^ a b "Bardejov Jewish Preservation Committee: Jewish History of Bardejov". www.bardejov.org. 24 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Bardejov Jewish Preservation Committee: History of the Committee". www.bardejov.org. 23 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Bardejov Jewish Preservation Committee: Our Mission". www.bardejov.org. 23 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Saving the Jews of Bardejov". Aish. 31 March 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Townsvill: Bardejov". slovakheritage.org. Slovak Heritage.
  14. ^ "Bardejov - St Giles' Church". Ancient and medieval architecture. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  15. .
  16. ^ "Šariš Village Museum | Museums and history Bardejov | KamNaVylet.sk". kamnavylet.sk. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  17. ^ "NESPA – Kúpeľné oblátky značky PROMENÁDA®". nespa.sk. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  18. ^ "Municipal Statistics". Statistical Office of the Slovak republic. Archived from the original on 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
  19. ^ http://bardejov.org/a/jewish-bardejov Bardejov Jewish History
  20. ^ "Partnerské mestá". bardejov.sk (in Slovak). Bardejov. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  21. ^ "Partnerské mestá Bardejova a COVID-19". ibardejov.sk (in Slovak). 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-02.

Genealogical resources

The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Statny Archiv in Presov, Slovakia"

  • Roman Catholic church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1671–1899 (parish A)
  • Greek Catholic church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1753–1906 (parish B)
  • Lutheran church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1592–1896 (parish A)

External links