Eperies

Prešov
City
City centre of Prešov
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Slovakia
Region	Prešov
District	Prešov
Tourism region	Šariš
River	Torysa
Elevation	250 m (820 ft)
Coordinates	49°00′06″N 21°14′22″E / 49.00167°N 21.23944°E / 49.00167; 21.23944Coordinates: 49°00′06″N 21°14′22″E / 49.00167°N 21.23944°E / 49.00167; 21.23944
Area	80.40 km2 (31.0 sq mi)
Population	91,352 (2012-12-31)
- metro	161,000
Density	1,136/km2 (2,942/sq mi)
First mentioned	1247
Mayor	Ing. Andrea Turčanová (Independent)
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	080 01, 080 02, 080 03, 080 04, 080 05, 080 06
Area code	+421-51
Car plate	PO, PV
Location in Slovakia
Location in the Prešov Region
Statistics: MOŠ/MIS
Website: www.presov.sk

Prešov (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈpreʃow], Hungarian: Eperjes, German: Eperies, Preschau) is a city in Eastern Slovakia. It is a seat of the administrative Prešov Region (Slovak: Prešovský kraj) and Šariš as well as the historic Szepes County of the Kingdom of Hungary. With a population of approximately 91,352, it is the third-largest city in Slovakia. It lends its name to the Eperjes-Tokaj Hill-Chain. There are many tourist attractions in Prešov such as castles, pools and the old town.

The first written mention is from 1247 (Theutonici de Epuryes). Several authors tried to derive the name from Hungarian: eper - a strawberry. The theory was questioned in 1940s and newer Slovak works suggests a derivation from Slavic personal name Preš/Prešä and its later phonetic adaptation (introduction of e before the initial consonant group and removal of the suffix, the original form then ceased to exist). Strawberries depicted on the coat of arms of Prešov are not necessarily determinative, the Latin name Fragopolis (strawberry city) is only a modern translation.

Other alternative names of the city include German: Eperies (between 1938 and 1945 also Preschau), Hungarian Eperjes , Latin Fragopolis, Polish Preszów, Romany Peryeshis, Russian Пряшев (Pryashev) and Rusyn and Ukrainian Пряшів (Priashiv).