Master Paul Square

About this place

Master Paul Square is the centre of Levoča, a walled town in east Slovakia that UNESCO added in 2009 to the World Heritage site of Spiš Castle. The square is named after the sculptor Pavol, who carved the world's tallest wooden altar in its church, and it is a wide rectangle of Gothic and Renaissance buildings. In the fifteenth century the town became a rich trading centre on the route between Poland and Hungary, exporting iron, copper, furs and leather. The English humanist Leonard Cox taught here around 1520. A grim story comes from 1700, when the mayor was wounded on a hunt, revenge attacks followed until he was murdered, and his arm was kept in the town hall, as the tale goes. Three monuments stand in the square: the Old Town Hall with its arcades and painted decoration, now a museum; the fourteenth-century Basilica of Saint James with its tall tower; and the domed Evangelical church. Beside the town hall is an old iron cage of shame. Colourful houses surround the square, some with wall decoration, and most of the town walls survive around it. The square is 21.6 km in a straight line east of Poprad, and it fits into one day with Spiš Castle. Check visiting times for the church and its altar before you go, and it may be partly under repair. Dress modestly inside and do not take photos during services. Parking is scarce in the centre, so leave the car outside the walls.