Sabinov

Etymology

The name is probably derived from a personal name, e.g. Slavic Soběslav - Soba, Sobin, Sobina. Similar names - Zob, Zoba, Zobas were used in the Kingdom of Hungary in the 12th-13th century, but they could be also the original Hungarian names. The theory about a derivation from the personal name is supported also by the common Slavic possessive suffix -ov preserved in later documents. The placenames of the same origin are known from the territory of present-day Czech Republic and Poland (Sobyenow, Sobíňov, Soběnov, Sobnyow).

History

The first written record about Sabinov is from the year 1248 (Sceben). Sabinov was initially a Slovak village until German settlers came in the middle of the 13th century. In 1299 Sabinov received municipal privileges, and in 1405 it was declared a free royal town by king Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor. In the 15th century Sabinov joined the Pentapolitana, an alliance of five towns of northeastern Kingdom of Hungary (Bardejov/Bartfa, Levoča/Locse, Košice/Kassa, Prešov /Eperjes and Sabinov). The 16th and 17th century was the era of Sabinov's development and economic growth followed by the years of recession. In 1740, an important secondary school was established by the Piarists. The history of Sabinov is very similar to the history of other towns in this region.

Demographics

According to the 1880 census, the town had 2,825 inhabitants, 2,088 Slovaks (73.9%), 245 Hungarians (8.7%), 412 Germans (14.6%) and others.

According to the 1910 census, the town had 3,288 inhabitants, 1,640 Slovaks (49.9%), 1,168 Hungarians (35.5%), 341 Germans (10.4%), 120 Romanians (3.6%) and others.

According to the 2001 census, the town had 12,290 inhabitants. 90.62% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 6.40% Roma, 0.48% Czechs and 0.14% Rusyns. Most of the Hungarians were expelled after World War II and their houses confiscated in the "slovakization" of Sabinov. The religious makeup was 70.48% Roman Catholics, 10.53% Greek Catholics, 5.14% people with no religious affiliation and 4.16% Lutherans.

The Shop on Main Street

The acclaimed Czechoslovak film, The Shop on Main Street, which was shot in Sabinov during 1964, was awarded the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (of 1965) in Hollywood in 1966. In 1967 the film's lead actress, Ida Kaminska, was nominated for the Best Actress in a Leading Role for her screen work in this motion picture. She and the lead actor, Jozef Kroner, were also honored at the Cannes Film Festival in France for their roles in the film.

Famous people

The most important people who lived in Sabinov are: