Edited by RPIC Prešov | Presov Region
History of Prešov - a battle of two legends
Country: Slovakia
Region: Presov Region
Type of inspiration: Legends
Inspiracja
Two medieval legends are connected with the origin of the name of the city of Prešov. According to the first legend, a landowner from the village of Fintice had a small castle built in the middle of nowhere on the site of present-day Prešov. A large number of strawberries grew here, which his wife liked. It is said that the small castle and the later town took its name from them.
The second legend tells of a stay of the Hungarian King Bela II (1108/1110 - 1141) in the places of today's Prešov. The blind king got lost and was looking for a way back to his company. He quenched his thirst with strawberries, which grew abundantly in the area of present-day Prešov. The knights of the troop managed to find the king and out of gratitude he named the nearby village Eperyes (Jahodovisko, Jahodne - Strawberry).
This legend is unsubstantiated from a historical point of view and is assumed to be just a Hungarian romantic legend, which was supposed to etymologically prove the Hungarian origin of the town. The oldest documented name of the city of Prešov - Eperyes is a Hungarian variant. It was created by phonetically adapting an older Slavic name. The Slavic name of the settlement disappeared and the Hungarian name of the city (Epuries, Eperies, Apprias) was used until the 15th century. The terms Prešov, Prašov, Pressow, Eperisinum, Priašiv, Fragopolis are modern.
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