Kežmarok is located in the north east of Slovakia in front of the fabulous scenery of the High Tatra. The town’s fifteenth century Gothic castle is located at the edge of the Old Town and its external walls form some sections of the city wall. At the beginning of the sixteenth century it was owned by the Thököly family and was given its present day splendour in full Renaissance style.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Kežmarok was a centre of rebellion against the Viennese Emperor. Its Baroque castle chapel is a fine building and was renovated in 1658 at the time of the Protestant Oppression. The castle survived the changing times and is one of the town’s main attractions.

In the centre of the old town is the Roman Catholic Holy Cross Basilica with its white façade and tall church tower. Gothic and Renaissance dominate its rich interior. The altars and murals, with figures of the story of the Passion, are one of Slovakia’s most valuable works of art. The highlight is the basilica’s main wing altar that features Christ.

The town’s Evangelical-Lutheran congregation had the New Protestant AB Church built between 1872 and 1894. Later followed the annexing of a mausoleum for Imre Thököly, who stood up for religious freedom. It was built according to an unconventional design by Danish architect, Theophil Hansen, who featured Byzantine, Romanesque, Moorish and Oriental elements. Next to it is one of the most beautiful articular churches in Slovakia.

The churchs’ treasures include one of the oldest wooden pipe organs, a baptismal font, and splendid altar. These were the directives issued within the framework of the Counter-Reformation of 1681: the Articularies. Built at their own cost, completely made of wood, without a stone foundation and within twelve months, this extraordinary building is one of Kežmarok’s most prized buildings.