Levoča, Slovakia [Левоча, Словакия]

Levoča is a town in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,600. The town has a historic center with a well preserved town wall, a Gothic church with the highest wooden altar in the world, carved by Master Pavol of Levoča, and many other Renaissance buildings. The old town is picturesquely sited and still surrounded by most of its ancient walls. In associating the town with Spiš Castle and Žehra in June 2009 as the renamed World Heritage Site of “Levoča, Spišský Hrad, and the Associated Cultural Monuments“, UNESCO cites the town’s historic center, its fortifications, and the works of Master Paul of Levoča preserved in the town. The main entrance to the old town is via the monumental Košice Gate (15th century) behind which is located the ornate baroque Church of the Holy Spirit and the New Minorite Monastery (c. 1750). The town square (Námestie Majstra Pavla - Master Paul’s Square) boasts three major