Poprad

Poprad is a city in northern Slovakia located at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains. It is well known for its beautiful old town center and is a popular place for holidays. As the largest town in the Spiš region and the biggest town near the High Tatra Mountains in both Slovakia and Poland, Poprad is an important city. It is the tenth largest city in Slovakia, with about 50,000 people living there.

View of the High Tatras from Poprad

Just outside the city is the Poprad-Tatry Airport, an international airport. Poprad is also where the Tatra Electric Railway begins. This special set of narrow-gauge trains, also called trams, connects the resorts in the High Tatras with each other and with Poprad. Mainline trains from Poprad go to many places in Slovakia and other countries, including trains that travel all the way to Prague in the Czech Republic.

History

Poprad has a long and interesting history. It was first mentioned in writing on March 16, 1256. Over the centuries, the area was ruled by different countries, including Hungary, Poland, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Later, it became part of Austria-Hungary and then Czechoslovakia.

In the late 1800s, railways were built, which helped Poprad grow. After World War II, nearby villages joined Poprad, making it a larger city. Poprad is now a popular starting point for trips to the High Tatras mountains.

Geography

Poprad is a city in northeastern Slovakia. It sits at an altitude of 684 metres and covers an area of 63.05 km². The city is about 110 kilometres from Košice and 330 kilometres from Bratislava.

Poprad is located on the Poprad River and serves as a gateway to the High Tatras. Nearby mountain ranges include the Levoča Hills, Kozie chrbty, and the Low Tatras.

Poprad experiences a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons, featuring warm summers and cold winters.

Population

Poprad has a population of 48,034 people as of December 31, 2025.

Ethnicity

In 2021, the population included 46,436 Slovaks, 2,835 people whose ethnicity was not recorded, 740 Romani, 497 Czechs, 482 Rusyns, and many smaller groups from other countries.

Religion

In 2021, the religious makeup of Poprad included 26,847 people from the Roman Catholic Church, 12,829 with no religious affiliation, 3,492 whose religion was not recorded, and many smaller religious groups.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1970	23,447	—
1980	38,077	+62.4%
1991	52,914	+39.0%
2001	56,157	+6.1%
2011	52,862	−5.9%
2021	49,855	−5.7%
Source: Censuses

Population statistic
Year	2024	2025
Count	48,352	48,034
Difference		−0.65%

Religion

Poprad has many different places of worship. The main ones are the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (also called Lutherans). Other groups that have churches there include the Greek Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Baptists, the Apostolic Church, Seventh-day Adventists, the Pentecostal Charismatic Church, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

Some of the important churches in Poprad and nearby areas include:

Poprad

Co-Cathedral of the Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)
Church of St. Giles (Roman Catholic)
Church of St. Cyril and Methodius (Roman Catholic)
Church of Holy Trinity (Lutheran)
Pentecostal Church
Church of St. Peter and Paul (Greek Catholic)
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Church of Holy Cross (Orthodox)

Veľká

Church of St. John (Roman Catholic - Salesians)
Church of Holy Trinity (Lutheran)
Baptist church
Church of Seventh-day Adventists

Spišská Sobota

Church of St. George (Roman Catholic)
Lutheran church

Matejovce

Church of St. Stephen (Roman Catholic)
Lutheran church

Stráže pod Tatrami

Church of St. John (Roman Catholic)
Lutheran church

Kvetnica

Church of St. Helen (Roman Catholic)

Landmarks

The historic center of Poprad is centered around St. Giles square, which is lined with beautiful houses mostly from the 1700s and 1800s. You can find old churches there, like the Catholic Church of St. Giles, which dates back to the late 1200s, and the Lutheran Church of Holy Trinity from the 1800s.

Another historic area is in Spišská Sobota, which was named a special protected area in 1953. Here, you’ll find the Church of St. George, known for its beautiful old altars. Today, visitors can also enjoy places like the Poprad-Tatry railway station and AquaCity Poprad water park.

St. Giles Square with the Lutheran Church of Holy Trinity

Church of St. Giles

Main Square in [Spišská Sobota](/wiki/Spišská_Sobota)

Church in Spišská Sobota

[Poprad-Tatry railway station](/wiki/Poprad-Tatry_railway_station)

Government

From 2003 to 2014, the mayor of Poprad was Anton Danko, who used to be an international ice-hockey referee. In the elections of November 2014, he was replaced by Jozef Švagerko from the KDH, the Christian democrats.

Territorial division

Poprad is divided into six parts for local government. These parts are called boroughs and include Staré Mesto ("Old Town"), Spišská Sobota, Stráže, Veľká, Matejovce, and Kvetnica.

Sport

Poprad has one ice hockey club, HK Poprad, that plays at the Poprad Ice Stadium.

Lev Poprad was another ice hockey club in Poprad. It played in the KHL for one season but moved to Prague, in the Czech Republic, in 2012. The club stopped because of money problems. Some players from the NHL were born in Poprad.

Arena of the ice hockey club HK Poprad

The city has hosted big ice hockey events like the 1994 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships, 1999 European Youth Olympic Winter Days, 2017 IIHF World U18 Championships, and 1999 Winter Universiade. Every year, the ice hockey Tatra Cup takes place. Poprad tried to host the 2006 Winter Olympics but it did not work out.

There are many football stadiums in Poprad. The main one is NTC Poprad, home of FK Poprad, which was founded in 1906 and hosts the Slovakia national youth teams.

The local women's basketball club is Basketbalová Akadémia Mládeže Poprad (BAMP). Their games are held in Aréna Poprad. This arena was also used for the FIVB Volleyball World League.

Education

Poprad has a good system of schools. There are 12 public primary schools and one religious primary school, with a total of 5,464 students. For secondary education, there are four grammar schools, three specialized high schools, and four vocational schools.

In 1993, Poprad hosted the 3rd International Biology Olympiad.

Transport

Poprad is a gateway to the High Tatra mountain range, a popular place for visitors. The city sits on a main road (E 50) and a railway line that connects western and eastern Slovakia.

The Poprad-Tatry railway station helps travelers reach other big places in Slovakia on the regular trains, and it also has special tracks that go up into the mountains through the Tatra Electric Railway. Fast trains called SuperCity Pendolino can take you all the way to Prague.

Aerial view of the city with the airport

There is also an international airport called Poprad–Tatry Airport that has been around since 1938. It is one of the highest airports in Central Europe and has flights to places like London.

Bus transport

Lines: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Rail transport

Lines: 183, 185

Notable people

Poprad has been home to many interesting people from different fields. Some famous names include Jan Brokoff, a Baroque sculptor, and Leslie Kish, a well-known statistician. Tibor Sekelj was an explorer and writer, while Adolf Burger was a typographer who wrote about a secret mission during World War II.

In more recent times, Poprad has seen politicians like Miroslav Lajčák and Andrej Kiska, who served as President of Slovakia. The city has also produced many athletes, such as tennis player Daniela Hantuchová and ice hockey player Peter Bondra.

Memorial plaque of Jan Brokoff in Spišská Sobota

Sport

Poprad has also been the birthplace of many talented athletes. Boris Prokopič is a football player from Austria, while Peter Ihnačák and Peter Bondra have both played ice hockey professionally. Daniela Hantuchová became a well-known tennis player, and Anton Gavel played basketball for Slovakia. Other sports stars from Poprad include footballer Tomáš Rigo and swimmer Tamara Potocká.