The town conservation area with a historical square, the parish church with medieval paintings, the town walls, the Piarist monastery with a church. All this is part of the beautiful silhouette of Podolínec.
The Podtatran town of Podolínec is historically one of the most beautiful Central European cities. The Piarist Order attached such great importance to it that they called it Athens above Poprad.
When we pull back the cloak of history and blow away the dust that the passing years bring with them, we find a city rich in history, culture, a city steeped in legend, a city that has experienced a huge economic boom and, on the other hand, a city tested by natural disasters, fires, plague, floods, famine, earthquakes. In spite of everything, this town has survived, recovered from everything and has written itself in golden and indelible letters in the rich history of Spiš.
The original settlement of the town was in the shape of a lens crossed by the road to Poland. On the northern outskirts of the town was built in the middle of the 17th century Piarist monastery and church, which joined the city's defence system. A second and late third street circuit was created behind the blocks of houses of the square.
Central the dominant feature of the town conservation area in Podolínec is the complex of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Renaissance bell tower. The church is very old, dating back to the 13th century and has been rebuilt several times throughout history. Its interior has preserved impressive medieval frescoes and rare historical inventory. In the bell tower, which stands next to the church, there are two old Gothic bells.
Podolín bell tower is one of the most important cultural monuments of Slovakia and it has been included on the Slovak postage stamp from the series "Beauties of our Homeland".
Sundial
In the town, four vertical sundials on each side of the world are preserved on the tower of the Piarist monastery with the church. This clock is incomplete, without a dial and numerals. They are circular in shape with a metal pointer bar. The positioning of the clocks on all cardinal points of the church is exceptional, but they are already in a much damaged state.
Source: town Podolínec, Wikipedia
Cover photo: Jano Štovka, MQEP
