In the past, almost every house in Kežmarok belonged
to a craftsman. There was a signboard, which was made
mostly of metal, on each house. It displayed a symbol
of the craft – e.g. butchers were symbolized by cros
sed axes or a pig’s head, coopers by a barrel, bakers by
pretzels and buns of varying shape, locksmiths by crossed
keys, blacksmiths by horseshoes, goldsmiths by calyxes,
cartwrights by wheels, etc. Based on the old invento
ries of the population, it was possible to identify seve
ral craftsmen houses and mark them with contemporary
signboards designating the craft – their number will be
continuously growing