[4] Levoča lies at an altitude of 570 metres (1,870 feet) above sea level and covers an area of 64.042 square kilometres (24.727 sq mi).

The town kept this cultural and economic status until the end of the 16th century, in spite of two damaging fires : the first in 1550 destroyed nearly all of the Gothic architecture and another in 1599.

He celebrated a Mass for 650,000 worshippers at the traditional pilgrim site of Mariánska hora, a hill about 2 kilometres (1 mile) north of Levoča with views of the town.

The main entrance to the old town is via the monumental Košice Gate (15th century) behind which is located the ornate baroque Church of the Holy Spirit and the New Minorite Monastery (c. 1750).

The town square (Námestie Majstra Pavla - Master Paul's Square) boasts three major monuments; the quaint Old Town Hall (15th-17th century) which now contains a museum, the domed Evangelical Lutheran Church (1837) and the 14th century of Basilica of St. James (in Slovak: Bazilika svätého Jakuba, often mistakenly referred to in English as St. Jacob's).

It houses a magnificently carved and painted wooden Gothic altar, the tallest in the world, (18.62 m (61.09 ft)), created by Master Paul around 1520.

The square is very well-preserved (despite one or two modern incursions) and contains a number of striking buildings which were the townhouses of the local nobility in the late Middle Ages.

Also notable in the square is the wrought iron “Cage of Shame”, dating back to the 17th century, used for public punishment of miscreants.

The State Regional Archives (Štátny oblastný archív) are in a tan stone building on the north side of the square at nám.

[15] In 1899, the Jewish community inaugurated an expansive synagogue, designed in an Oriental architectural style, situated beyond the city's perimeter.

On 4 November 1938, 55 Jewish individuals from Levoča, who lacked citizenship, were forcefully relocated to an unclaimed region along the Slovakia-Hungary border, near Plešivec.

Held for several weeks without adequate shelter and under challenging conditions, the majority were able to return to their homes only through the concerted efforts of Jewish organizations.

[15] Upon the formation of the Slovak Republic on March 14, 1939, Jewish homes and businesses were subjected to rampant looting and destruction by the Nazi-aligned German minority.

A repeat of these incidents occurred on March 23, with further devastation in August when a Hashomer Hatzair summer camp was attacked and subsequently dissolved.

Starting in March 1942, Jews from Levoča were systematically deported to concentration and extermination camps, beginning with a group of young women sent to Auschwitz.

[15] Following this wave, a small number of Jews remained in the district, some possessing exemption letters or having converted to escape deportation.

Despite resistance, the synagogue, mikveh, school building, and cemetery were desecrated, and widespread hunting of Jews and partisans led to further deportations and executions.