The town of Presov is situated in the Eastern Slovakia, surrounded by the Kosice valley, by the Slanske and Saris mountains. It is the third larger city of Slovakia and at the same time it is the provincial capital of the region of Spis.
The beginnings of the colonization of this territory go back to the period of Stone age and are documented with important archeological discoveries, found in the valley of Delna river. Other proof of the existence of populations in the zone of Presov arrived from the Bronze age and it is documented other archaeological discoveries, like as an example the discovery of articles in bronze, of the pieces of pottery, but also of small iron knives and broochs. The discovery of the silver and golden Roman coins is one of the most important evidence of the economic relationships existence in the Presov territory with the Roman Empire. In the late 8th century, the territory of Prešov was settled by the Slavs.
Hungarian inhabitants and members of military and sentry groups appeared in Prešov due to the gradual integration of Slovak territory into Hungary, which started in the latter half of the 11 th century. The first written record of Prešov dates back to 1247. It is included in a document of the king Bela IV. In the same century, in 1299, the king Andrew III conferred municipal rights upon Prešov, this meant that the original village acquired the status of a town. In 1374 thanks to the rights had from the king Ludovit I, the town of Presov became a free royal town.
The 14th and 15th centuries meant for the town an exceptional economical prosperity. As with any other town, Prešov was granted a coat-of-arms in this case by King Ladislaus V in 1453. The well-being of Prešov of those days can be illustrated by the increased population-from 2,000 in 1425 to 3,300 in 1491. Thanks to the economic prosperity in the town, the 15th century also meant for Presov the development of building. A numerous rich decorated bourgeois houses were constructed.
The development of the town in the 16th and 17th centuries was influenced by the reforms and the antiHasburg uprisings. Presov was also marked by the natural disasters, by the plague, by the accidents and its decline was sharpened in the following centuries. The year 1687 entered in the history like "Presov massacre", when 24 prominent patricians and nobles were executed as guilty, since they supported the rebel Imre Thököly (leader of the antiHasburg rebellions), like the warning for the other citizens.
The town began to revive in the end of the 18th and in the beginning of the 19th century, when the number of the inhabitants of Presov increased thanks to the immigrants come from other town. With the foundation of the Greek-catholic diocese in 1816, numerous groups of Ruthenians moved to Prešov and in the end of 18th the century avery important Jewish community was created here. The territory of Presov was known for the production of salt, also very important thing for the economical prosperity of the town.
