14th century One of the twenty-fourJedno z dvadsiatich štyroch

The Spiš towns did not answer to a local lord. They formed a self-governing province — twenty-four towns at its widest — whose count was chosen by the towns' own judges and who answered to the king. Poprad joined it in the fourteenth century. This is the single most useful thing to know about the region: its towns held their privileges in writing, so they bargained as equals, ran their own markets and courts, and grew rich on the trade road running north to Poland. Of the five towns that make up Poprad today, Spišská Sobota did that best, which is why its square is the one still standing.Spišské mestá sa nezodpovedali miestnemu zemepánovi. Tvorili samosprávnu provinciu — v najväčšom rozsahu dvadsaťštyri miest — na čele s grófom, ktorého si volili richtári miest, a zodpovedali sa priamo kráľovi. Poprad sa k nim pripojil v 14. storočí. O tomto kraji je dobré vedieť predovšetkým toto: jeho mestá mali svoje výsady napísané, a tak sa zhovárali ako rovný s rovným, viedli vlastné trhy aj vlastné súdy a bohatli na obchodnej ceste na sever do Poľska. Z piatich miest, ktoré dnes tvoria Poprad, to najlepšie zvládla Spišská Sobota — preto stojí práve jej námestie dodnes.