Send Gift Baskets to Bardejov, Slovakia

Bardejov has been inhabited since the Stone Age. Bardejov’s first mention in writing dates back to the 1240s when monks from Bardejov complained to King Béla IV of Hungary about Preov violating its borders. At that time, the vital church of St. Aegidius (St. Giles) was already in place. In the 14th century, the town became a center of trade with Poland after being heavily fortified. More than 50 guilds controlled the flourishing economy. After becoming a free royal town in 1376, Bardejov became a royal city. Several wars, pandemics, and other disasters ended the town’s golden age in the 16th century.

The situation began to improve in the first quarter of the 18th century. A large number of Slovaks and Hasidic Jews settled in Bardejov. The town’s population had regained its 16th-century level by the end of the century. Burghers’ houses were rebuilt or modified following current architectural styles. In the north-western suburbs, a Jewish quarter developed with a synagogue, slaughterhouse, and ritual baths. There were also new churches and bridges built.

During the Reformation, Michal Radašin served as the town’s pastor.

Due to significant industrialization projects in the region, the town thrived despite other fires in the last quarter of the 19th century. In 1893, a railway was opened connecting 

Prešov to Bardejov. After the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic, it declined again and became a backward farming region. As a result of World War II, the economy deteriorated, though bombings caused minor damage. The Soviet 1st Guards Army seized Bardejov on January 20, 1945.