Spiš (Polish: Spisz [ˈspiʂ]; Hungarian: Szepesség or Szepes; German: Zips [tsɪps])[a] is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland (more specifically encompassing 14 villages).

The name is probably related to the appellative spiška, špiška known from Slovak (Eastern Slovakia and Orava) and Moravian dialects (Haná) - a (cut) stick, a piece of wood or sugar, etc.

Old Slavic pьchjati, pichjati - to stab, to cut → prefixed form sъ-pich-jь → after palatalization and extinction of yers spiš.

The theory is supported also by the fact that almost all early Latin documents mention Spiš as silva Zepus (or with similar transcription) - the name of forest area.

The core of the Spiš region is formed by the basins of the rivers Hornád and Poprad, and the High Tatra Mountains.

In 1412, under the Treaty of Lubowla, 16 towns, two castles and a number of villages in Spiš were pawned to Poland by Sigismund of Luxembourg to finance his wars with the Republic of Venice in Dalmatia.

After World War II the prewar borders of Spiš were restored, with most of the county going to Czechoslovakia, and a small part to Poland.

From July 1960 it became part of the newly created Eastern Slovak region (Východoslovenský kraj), which ceased to exist in September 1990.

According to censuses carried out in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1869 (and later in 1900 and 1910) the population of Szepes county comprised the following nationalities: Slovaks 50.4%, (58.2%, 58%), Germans 35% (25%, 25%), Carpatho-Rusyns 13.8% (8.4%, 8%) and 0.7% (6%, 6%) Magyars (Hungarians).

[citation needed] Since the late 19th century, tourism has helped the local economy, and sanatoria and winter sports resorts have been built in the High Tatras and the Low Tatras, and areas such as the Slovak Paradise (Slovenský raj) in the south-west and the Pieniny National Park at the Slovak-Polish border.

Other tourist destinations include the region's historical sites like Spiš Castle and nearby Spišské Podhradie, Spišská Kapitula, Žehra and the town of Levoča (all of which are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites), Kežmarok, and Stará Ľubovňa Castle.

The tourism industry has developed rapidly in Spiš, aided by the introduction of regular flights to Poprad Airport and improving rail and road connections.

Since 1996, Spiš has been divided between the modern Košice Region and Prešov Region and is covered approximately by the following six administrative districts: Poprad, Kežmarok, Stará Ľubovňa, Spišská Nová Ves, Levoča and Gelnica, except for the eastern half of the Stará Ľubovňa District that had been within Saris county and three villages of the Poprad district (Štrba including Tatranská Štrba, Štrbské Pleso and Liptovská Teplička from Liptov county.)