Toporec

Toporec (Hungarian: Toporc, German: Topporz, Rusyn: Топорец) is a village and municipality in Kežmarok District in the Prešov Region of north Slovakia.

Toporec
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms
Toporec Location of Toporec in the Prešov Region Show map of Prešov Region Toporec Location of Toporec in Slovakia Show map of Slovakia
Coordinates: 49.27°N 20.50°E / 49.27; 20.50
Country	Slovakia
Region	Prešov Region
District	Kežmarok District
First mentioned	1277
Area [1]
• Total	28.13 km2 (10.86 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	603 m (1,978 ft)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	2,041
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	599 4[2]
Area code	+421 52[2]
Car plate	KK
Website	www.toporec.sk

History

In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1277. Between 1000 and 1918, it was a part of the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1918 it became part of Czechoslovakia. The 1773 and 1796 censuses recorded a Slovak majority.^[4][5]

In 1818 Artúr Görgei was born in Toporec.

In 1910 the village had 818 mainly German inhabitants of Lutheran confession.^[6] It was part of the German language island of the Oberzips. Before the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, Toporec was part of Szepes County within the Kingdom of Hungary. From 1939 to 1945, it was part of the Slovak Republic. On 26 January 1945, the Red Army dislodged the Wehrmacht from Toporec and it was once again part of Czechoslovakia. After the end of World War II the German population was expelled according to the Beneš decrees.^[7]

Demographics

The majority of the municipality's population consists of the members of the local Roma community. In 2019, they constituted an estimated 70% of the population.^[8]

Geography

The municipality lies at an altitude of 572 metres and covers an area of 28.122 km² . It has a population of about 1690 people.