Located in north-eastern Slovakia, on a floodplain terrace of the river Topľa near the Polish border, Bardejov is a small but exceptionally complete and well-preserved example of a fortified medieval town, which typifies the urbanisation in this region. Due to its proximity to the major trade route that stretches across the Carpathian Mountains, from Hungary into Poland, Bardejov was able to develop into an important medieval town. Among other remarkable features, it also contains a small Jewish quarter around a fine 18th-century synagogue.
The town's surviving urban plan, with a regular division of streets around a spacious market square, is an indication of European civilization from the 13th to 14th centuries. Burghers' houses, dating from the first half of the 15th century, surround three sides of the square and document the highly developed burgess culture. The fourth side of the square is closed by the Roman Catholic Church of St. Aegidius (Giles), a three-naved Gothic basilica with a precious collection of eleven late Gothic altars, mentioned for the first time in 1247.
The Town Hall, built in 1505, occupies the centre of the square. The lower part was built in the Gothic style, while the upper part was finished in the Renaissance style. This was the headquarters of the city council and also the center of the town's economic, social, and cultural life. In 1903, the town hall was adapted to serve as Šariš County Museum (Sárosi múzeum), now known as the Šariš Museum Bardejov, one of the oldest and the biggest museums in Slovakia.
The historic core of the town is encircled by the fortification system which was, at the time of its construction (in 14th and 15th centuries), one of the most advanced in Central Europe. Bardejov provides exceptionally well-preserved evidence of the economic and social structure of trading towns in medieval Central Europe. Its surviving building stock represents a developed burgess culture and Jewish community, thus illustrating a multi-national and multi-cultural society.
About the stamp
The stamp, designed by Adrian Ferda Perforati, was issued on January 2, 2019, to mark the Chairmanship of the OSCE - Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Sender: Krystyna Betiuk (direct swap)
Sent from Košice (Košice / Slovakia), on 02.01.2020
Photo: Alexander Jirousek
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