Bardejov lies on the Topľa River in the north-eastern part of Slovakia. This old Slavic settlement once belonged to Poland and then to Hungary. The town developed thanks to trade and craft and in the 14th century it was surrounded by defensive walls. To this day, a well-kept old town square with a Gothic-Renaissance town hall are among well-known landmarks of Bardejov. The rectangular market square is surrounded by rows of historic tenement houses with colorful facades. The panorama of the Old Town can be admired from the tower of the Basilica of St. Giles.