Small county hall in Levoča

Since ancient times, the general assemblies of Spiš County were held in the Spiš Castle, in Váralja or in some other place in the county. Levoča, as the seat of the Saxon province, and then since the middle of the 14th century, a royal city, had no connection with the county. During the party conflicts and wars of the 16th and 17th centuries, the county nobility often sought the protection of the strong city. Already towards the end of the 16th century, it made an attempt to hold its assemblies within the secure walls. We have the first evidence of county assemblies being held in Levoča in 1582. In addition, we often encounter assemblies here, at which commercial matters of common interest, the limitation of the price of goods, are handled jointly by the county and the city. Szaniszló Thurzó took the oath as chief magistrates here on 7 June 1625 and Adám Thurzó on 8 July 1628. But the legal and social understanding of the bourgeoisie and the nobility did not fit together at all and the city of Levoča only allowed a county nobleman to buy a house in the city on 1 September 1654. The first such owner was János Máriássy, who bought the Hirscher house. But the county as such only became a house owner here at the end of the 17th century, when it bought the building still known as the "small county house" from Pobst (Bobest) Cyriak. Since that time, Levoča has also been the permanent seat of the county. However, the county only built a suitable headquarters in the 19th century. ; ; In the 19th century, the house was rebuilt and a county prison was established in the courtyard wing of the "L"-shaped building. This function operated here until 1902. Later, after another reconstruction, it was used by the Levoca State Archives. It still functions as a library and archive today. The sgraffito decoration on the main facade of the house depicts the coat of arms of Spiš County.