Bardejov (pronunciationⓘ; Hungarian: Bártfa, German: Bartfeld, Rusyn: Бардеёв, Ukrainian: Бардіїв, Polish: Bardejów) is a town in North-Eastern Slovakia.

According to one theory, the name town comes from the Hungarian word "bárd" (English: 'chopper, hatchet'), which indicated an amount of forested territory which could be chopped down by one man in one day.

In the Hungarian name (Bártfa), the "fa" (English: "tree") suffix came later, and it also changed the last letter of "bárd" to "bárt", for easier pronunciation.

[4] Another theory derives the name from a Christian personal name Barděj, Barduj (abbreviated forms of Bartholomew) with common Slavic possessive suffix -ov.

[clarification needed][6][7] The town's golden age ended in the 16th century, when several wars, pandemics, and other disasters plagued the country.

[10] On November 20, 2000, Bardejov was selected by UNESCO as one of its World Heritage Sites, recognized for its Jewish Suburbia and historic town center.

The town draws on its rich heritage to further develop cultural traditions, such as an annual trade fair and the Roland Games (commemorating its medieval past).

[10] Like many European small towns, Bardejov maintained a strong Jewish population before World War II and the Holocaust.

The committee is composed of Bardejov survivors, their descendants and friends, and others interested in commemorating the vanishing Jewish communities of Central Europe.

The central square (Slovak: Radničné námestie), which used to be the town's medieval marketplace, is surrounded by well-preserved Gothic and Renaissance burghers’ houses as well as the basilica.

The therapeutic mineral water springs are claimed to be beneficial to people with oncological, blood circulation, and digestive tract problems.

[17] The spa has played host to a number of dignitaries, including Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte), Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary.

"[22] The town was the northeast[clarification needed] Hungarian majority settlement until the Ottoman wars near the Polish border.