Smižany (, ) is a large village and municipality in the Spišská Nová Ves District in the Košice Region of central-eastern Slovakia.
With a population of over 8,500 people as of 2021, Smižany is the second largest village in Slovakia (a village being defined as a municipality that does not have town status). Smižany is situated directly adjacent to the town of Spišská Nová Ves and the two municipalities form a contiguous urban area, one of the main population centers in Eastern Slovakia.
History Excavations in Čingov, just south of the village, have found traces of Stone Age settlement. The village was settled by German settlers in 1242. There is a Romanesque church of the 13th century.
Geography
Population
It has a population of people (31 December ).
Ethnicity
The municipality has a significant Roma community. In 2019, they constituted an estimated 32% of the local population, or 2898 people, concentrated in the settlement outside of the municipal core.Ábel Ravasz, Ľuboš Kovács and Filip Markovič, Atlas rómskych komunít 2019. Bratislava: Veda, 2020, , database appendix available at:https://www.institutmatejabela.sk/ark2019
Religion
Cultural attractions
Čingov castle, an archaeological site that encompasses a set of Slavic forts from the 9th century. Monuments found in the castle confirm the settlement was founded during the Stone Age. The name The castle was composed of an acropolis on the cliff and a smaller fort on the western and northeastern parts. During the examination of the main area under the castle, the northern rampart and 90 m of the western rampart were almost completely exposed. Archaeological excavations continue to be performed at this location.
Twin towns — sister cities
Smižany is twinned with: Borsodnádasd, Hungary Kamienica, Poland Komorniki, Poland
References
External links Municipal website