Krompachy

Krompachy
Town
Krompachy City hall
Coat of arms
Country	Slovakia
Region	Košice
District	Spišská Nová Ves
Elevation	379 m (1,243 ft)
Coordinates	48°54′50″N 20°52′26″E / 48.91389°N 20.87389°E / 48.91389; 20.87389Coordinates: 48°54′50″N 20°52′26″E / 48.91389°N 20.87389°E / 48.91389; 20.87389
Area	22.899 km2 (8.841 sq mi)
Population	8,870
Density	387/km2 (1,002/sq mi)
Postal code	05342
Area code	+421-53
Car plate	SN
Location of Krompachy in Slovakia
Website: www.krompachy.sk
Source:

Krompachy (German: Krompach, Hungarian: Korompa) is a town in Slovakia, with a rich mining and metallurgical history, well-known both in Slovakia and in its close neighboring countries for its Plejsy ski center.

It is believed that the town was founded at some point in the mid-14th century.

From then onwards, it was a centre of mining and metallurgy until the end of the 20th century, particularly focussed on the iron and copper industries. At the start of the 20th century, the Krompachy Ironworks (Krompašská železiareň) had around 3,500 employees and was the biggest ironworks of its time in the Kingdom of Hungary. The Ironworks closed after World War I.

In 1921, there was a bloody uprising, known as the Krompachy Uprising (Slovak: Krompašská vzbura) in the town.

Since 1991, following the industrial decline and as a result of large scale investment, Plejsy became an internationally visited alpine ski centre and became known as a holiday destination.

As well as the skiing centre at Plejsy, Krompachy is known for its scenery of hills, valleys and fields. This, together with a number of local natural and cultural sites, have made the town a year-round tourist destination.

Krompachy is situated in the central Spiš area in the valley of the Hornád river, 360 to 450 metres (1,181–1,476 ft) above sea level. The town lies on the meeting point of three mountain ranges; the Levoča Hills (Levočské vrchy) and Branisko Massif (the highest point is Slubica 1,129 metres (3,704 ft) above sea level) are to the north and the Volovec Mountains (Volovské vrchy) (part of the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains) are to the south. The town is surrounded on every side by mountain massifs, with summits 900 to 1,100 metres (2,953–3,609 feet) above sea level.