Sabinov (, , ) is a small town located in the

Prešov Region The Prešov Region (, ; ), also Priashiv Region (, ), is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 13 districts (okresy) and 666 municipalities, 23 of which have town status. The region was established in 1996 and is the mos ...

(north-eastern

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

), approximately 20 km from

Prešov Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...

and 55 km from

Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...

. The population of Sabinov is 12,700.

Etymology

The name apparently comes from some shortened

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

personal name, e.g. ''Soba'', ''Sobin'', ''Sobina'' (probably a short form of

Soběslav Soběslav (; ) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ur ...

). In Poland, there are documented personal names ''Soba'', ''Zoba'', ''Sobien'' (''Soben'' or ''Sobin''), ''Sobon'' (''Soboń'') and medieval village names ''Szebne'', ''Szobniow''. In the Czech Republic, ''Sobyn'', ''Sobień'', ''Soběn'' and medieval village names ''Sobyenow'', ''Sobíňov'', ''Soběnov''. The theory about the origin in a personal name is supported also by the common Slavic possessive suffix ''-ov'' preserved in later documents. The names ''Zob'', ''Zoba'', ''Zobas'' were used also in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

in the 12th-13th century, but they may not be related to Soběslav and could be also of Hungarian origin. As legend has it, the name derives from the daughter of the landlord of Tharkveley called ''Szabina'' who would have been the wife of

Andrew II of Hungary Andrew II (, , , ; 117721 September 1235), also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1205 and 1235. He ruled the Principality of Halych from 1188 until 1189/1190, and again between 1208/1209 and ...

, and the king built the city in remembrance of her. 1299 ''Scibinio'', 1471 ''Sabinov'', 1518 ''Kiss Zeben''.

History

The first written record about Sabinov is from the year 1248 (Sceben). Sabinov was initially a Slovak village until

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

settlers (more specifically Zipsers) came in the middle of the 13th century. In 1299 Sabinov received municipal privileges, and in 1405 it was declared a

free royal town A royal free city, or free royal city (Latin: ''libera regia civitas''), was the official term for the most important cities in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 12th centuryBácskai Vera – Nagy Lajos: Piackörzetek, piacközpontok és város ...

by king

Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elect ...

. In the 15th century Sabinov joined the

Pentapolitana Pentapolitana (or rarely Pentapolis) was a league of towns in the Middle Ages of the five most important Hungarian royal free cities (Latin: ''libera regiae civitas'', Hungarian: ''szabad királyi város'', German: ''Königliche Freistadt''; Slov ...

, an alliance of five towns of northeastern

(

Bardejov Bardejov (; , , , , ) is a town in North-Eastern Slovakia. It is situated in the Šariš region on a floodplain terrace of the Topľa River, in the hills of the Beskids, Beskyd Mountains. It exhibits numerous cultural monuments in its completely i ...

/Bártfa,

Levoča Levoča (; ; ) is the principal town of Levoča District in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia, with a population of 14,256. The town has a historic center with a well-preserved town wall, a Gothic architecture, Gothic church with the talle ...

/Lőcse,

/Kassa,

/Eperjes and Sabinov/Kisszeben). The 16th and 17th century was the era of Sabinov's development and economic growth followed by the years of recession. In 1740, an important secondary school was established by the

Piarists The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the Catholic Church founded in 1617 by Spanish priest Joseph Calasanz ...

. The history of Sabinov is very similar to the history of other towns in this region.

Demographics

According to the 1880 census, the town had 2,825 inhabitants, 2,088

Slovaks The Slovaks ( (historical Sloveni ), singular: ''Slovák'' (historical: ''Sloven'' ), feminine: ''Slovenka'' , plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history ...

(73.9%), 245

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

(8.7%), 412

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

(14.6%) and others. According to the 1910 census, the town had 3,288 inhabitants, 1,640

(49.9%), 1,168

(35.5%), 341

(10.4%), 120

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

(3.6%), and others. According to the 2001 census, the town had 12,290 inhabitants. 90.62% of inhabitants were

, 6.40%

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

, 0.48%

Czechs The Czechs (, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common Bohemia ...

, and 0.14%

Rusyns Rusyns, also known as Carpatho-Rusyns, Carpatho-Russians, Ruthenians, or Rusnaks, are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group from the Carpathian Rus', Eastern Carpathians in Central Europe. They speak Rusyn language, Rusyn, an East Slavic lan ...

. Most of the Hungarians and Carpathian-Germans were expelled after World War II and their houses confiscated in the "Slovakization" of Sabinov. The religious makeup was 70.48%

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, 10.53%

Greek Catholics Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches that use the Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite: ** The Albanian Greek Catholic Church ** The Belarusian Gre ...

, 5.14% people with no religious affiliation and 4.16%

Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

''The Shop on Main Street''

The acclaimed Czechoslovak film, '' The Shop on Main Street'', which was shot in Sabinov during 1964, was awarded the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

(of 1965) in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

in 1966. In 1967 the film's lead actress,

Ida Kamińska Ida Kamińska (September 18, 1899 – May 21, 1980) was a Polish actress and director. Known mainly for her work in the theatre, she was the daughter of Avrom Yitshok Kaminski (Abraham Isaac Kaminski) and Ester Rachel Kamińska ( Halpern), kn ...

, was nominated for the

Best Actress in a Leading Role Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

for her screen work in this motion picture. She and the lead actor,

Jozef Kroner Jozef Kroner (20 March 1924 in Staškov – 12 March 1998 in Bratislava) was a Slovakia, Slovak actor. His brother Ľudovít Kroner, daughter Zuzana Kronerová, and wife Terézia Hurbanová-Kronerová were also actors. He starred in the Oscar-wi ...

, were also honored at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

in France for their roles in the film.

Notable people

* Károly Wagner (1732–1790), Hungarian historian, priest and teacher * Ede Bartsch (1796–1871), Hungarian physician * Bohuš Nosák-Nezabudov (1818–1877), poet, writer, journalist, member of

Ľudovít Štúr Ľudovít Štúr (; 28 October 1815 – 12 January 1856), also known as Ľudovít Velislav Štúr, was a Slovak revolutionary, politician, and writer. As a leader of the Slovak nationalism, Slovak national revival in the 19th century and the c ...

's group *

Illés Trangus Illés Trangus (, about 1704 – 11 December 1761) was a Hungarian physician, pharmacy owner, first chief physician () of Gömör and Borsod County. Life As the son of Illés Trangus Sr. (1669–1737), a lutheran pastor, and Zsuzsanna Katalin A ...

(Sabinov, 1704 –

Miskolc Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...

, 1761) physician *

Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka born ''Mihály Tivadar Kosztka'' (; 5 July 1853 – 20 June 1919) was a Hungarian painter who was part of the avant-garde movement of the early twentieth century. Working mostly in Budapest, he was one of the first H ...

(1853–1919), famous painter, born in Sabinov *

Pavol Peter Gojdič Pavol is a masculine Slovak given name, equivalent to Paul. Notable people with the name * Pavol Adami (1739–1795), Slovak scientist and scholar, one of the first veterinarians * Pavol Bajza (born 1991), Slovak footballer * Pavol Baláž ( ...

(1888–1960), Greek Catholic bishop, since 1917 worked in Sabinov as an assistant parish priest; in 2001 was beatified by Pope John-Paul II. * Anton Prídavok (1904–1945), poet, writer, playwright, director * Leslie Lawrance Foldy(1919–2001) was a theoretical physicist,

Twin towns — sister cities

Sabinov is twinned with: *

Çubuk Çubuk is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Ankara Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,198 km2, and its population is 95,449 (2022). Çubuk is in a flat plain 35 km north of the city of Ankara, where Ankara airport is loca ...

, Turkey *

Kenderes Kenderes () is a small town in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, Hungary. It is notable as the birthplace of Miklós Horthy, Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1920 to 1944, and for the many memorials dedicated to him around the town. A major t ...

, Hungary *

Siedlce Siedlce () ( ) is a city in the Masovian Voivodeship in eastern Poland with 77,354 inhabitants (). The city is situated between two small rivers, the Muchawka and the Helenka, and lies along the European route E30, around east of Warsaw. It is ...

, Poland *

, Czech Republic

External links

Official site
*

References

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Slovakia Šariš Romani communities in Slovakia